The Radavist

In news that no one has to be surprised at, Vice takes a look at the top 10 most dangerous cities for cycling in an interesting, yet terrifying article. As someone who calls Los Angeles home, I must say I’m not surprised, but like the article notes, cycling is the answer to helping save the environment we’re all aware of, yet we’ve got a long way to go to make streets safer…

“In 2019, more and more cities across America are encouraging their residents to commute by bicycle. Cycling, of course, is good for the environment in terms of reducing pollution from car-dominant streets, and it’s a healthier way to travel.

But cities gaining new cyclists are quickly, tragically finding that they do not have the proper infrastructure to keep them safe. Cyclist fatalities have gone up 25 percent across the U.S. since 2010, and up 10 percent in 2018 itself, while all other traffic fatalities have decreased.”

Read on at Vice.

Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Explorers Club convened in San Marino a the Cub House for a “historic” ride through the surrounding neighborhoods of South Pasadena and Pasadena, stopping at famous homes featured in Hollywood movies from the ’80s. Included in the list were houses used in Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, Pretty in Pink, Terminator, Halloween (technically 1978), Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and more.

Aimee Gilchrist, the LA Explorers Club founder, dressed up as Doctor Emmett Brown from Back to the Future, as she guided a rather large group of cyclists through picturesque, tree-lined streets, on a 14-mile jaunt around town. Afterward, a dance-off competition ensued, all while BBQ eats and beverages were sold.

If you like informative and very relaxed rides like this, be sure to follow the Los Angeles Explorers Club on Instagram!

Illustration by Dave Walker

The guardian has an amazing cartoon strip up on cycling in the city, down to some of the issues plaguing urban environments, a Jungian archetype illustration, as well as an interesting column on what would make cycling SAFER! Hint: it’s not helmets. Check the whole thing out at the Guardian!

If you like these illustrations, see more of Dave’s work at his website, Cycling Cartoons.

Professional ‘cross racer, BrittLee Bowman, has a piece on NPR where she discusses racing and treatment for breast cancer. Head over to NPR to read this moving piece.

That’s one way to kick off your Monday morning!

I’d always heard this as a Japanese technique, but the NY Times just did a profile on what they call “the Dutch Reach,” a simple way to open your door, allowing you to look over your shoulder before throwing it open, in hopes of avoiding dooring cyclists. Check out the article at the NY Times!

This was published back in March, yet it flew under our radar. Lael Wilcox is a total bad-ass and it’s great to see her get recognition for her accomplishments.

Photo by Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

“Team Dream is a small business by most any measure.

The quirky cycling apparel brand has just five employees. It produces only about 100 pieces of each garment and operates out of a converted gas station in San Marino, where a closet-sized nook doubles as both a fulfillment center and R&D lab. Its founder, Sean Talkington, has taken in no outside investment and only applied for his first credit card a few years ago because his bank told him he needed one to operate a retail store.

“We’re a blip,” Talkington said. So it came as a shock one day to learn that Team Dream clothing was being counterfeited and sold on a major Chinese e-commerce site.

Piracy was a problem that befell big brands such as Nike and Adidas, Talkington thought, not upstarts like Team Dream, which has no advertising budget and got its start selling clothes out of a 1970 Volkswagen bus.”

Continue reading this article at the LA Times. Thanks to Ben for sending this over!

… and they use this image from Helmut Newton in 1966 as a header image. Be sure to head over to Vogue UK and read the article.

These days, you rarely see anything positive written about bikes in online news sites. With cycling in American cities on a steady climb, drivers are having to learn to cope with more people on bicycles in “their streets”.

With all the distractions offered by cell phone use and excessive multi-tasking while driving, often times this results in car on bike accidents. Some drivers will stop upon striking a cyclist, but there are hundreds of hit and run cases each year in Los Angeles… Which is what sparked this great online piece.

Head over to LA Times to check it out! I love the portraits.

The Radavist’s contributor, Chris Lee, teamed up with reporter Peter Madsen of the NY Times to cover the East Coast Messenger Stage Race and launch a full gallery and report on the newspaper’s online site.

Head over to the NY Times to read all about this grassroots race!

If you missed this one when it aired, you can now watch it online, for free.

Lookin’ good Johnny!

Oh man… This is pretty good.

On July 22nd, at 8pm E.T., ESPN’s 30 for 30 takes a look at the 1986 Tour and the epic battle between Lemond and Hinault. I can’t wait for this one! See more information at ESPN.

Speaking of snow… Fox 9 in Minneapolis did a feature on bike messengers who work all winter long in the midwestern cold and they just so happened to feature SK!

I’d say this is pretty uncanny, down the bike. Ben Foster is playing Lance Armstrong in the new biopic feature-length film. Personally, I’m pretty into what I’ve seen so far! See more info here.

“Tour de Force,” by Bruce McCall, July 25, 2005

There’s been quite the buzz surrounding the New Yorker’s latest cover art by Bruce McCall for the featured story entitled “ExerCity”. Why is the New Yorker writing about cycling? Truth is, the New Yorker has featured cycling on their covers for some time. Take the above cover for example…

Check out many more amazing cycling-inspired cover art pieces at the New Yorker!