The question begs...

Some of my buddies are organizing a ride this Thursday, March 31 at 7pm. They're pretty amped on it which is generally a good sign that it's gonna be fun. Perfect timing--Starting to get warm again!

Punk Rock MTB Photo Recap of Last 3 Rides: Next ride is tmrw

The Punk Rock Mountain Bike Rides have been something I look forward to. Here's why:

Santee trails field trip, Feb. 6:


Mike and his new ink...


...And his whip.



At the top of the first big climb--Aaron, Chris, Mike, and Sky Boyer (owner of Velo Cult and one of the biggest collections of vintage mountain bikes on the West Coast).


Car-free space. It's better this way. It's hard to appreciate open space unless you experience it directly. Squint vision--Note Sky at the top. Also note that Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days in America to do anything outside. Most of America was inside watching TV. We were here charting and leading our own adventure.


Santee trails were amazing. Thanks to anyone who has ever contributed to keeping this space open and free from suburban sprawl. Thanks to Sky for showing us what's up. Here's his Curtlo, one of the most modern bikes I've ever seen him on.


Since the rides are every other Sunday, we were supposed to ride on April 20. But it was raining insanely hard that day and so we pushed it back one week to April 27:


Jack murderin' it on this downhill jump he built.


First official fixed riders on the Punk Rock MTB Ride!--Issac and Tait. Isaac is insane. Peep his narrow tires. He was doing barspins on the trail and both him and Tait kept up fine.

Chula Vista field trip, March 6:


Someone built an amazing mini-network of trials stuff. This crew is pro. Check the detail.


Sarah (from Chula Vista) is fearless. As made evident--you don't need a $2,000+ bike to have fun riding on trails. Fuck that notion.


Mountainbikes are tough. Accidentally sucked this up. Stick got pulled, and whip was ready to ride.


Don't mind if I do! Our ride start/ended on this sidewalk where someone chalked this very important message.

Dance w/ us tomorrow! Like the original flier says, meets every other Sunday at Rebecca's Coffeeshop (30th & Juniper St.) beginning Jan. 9.

Next ride is March 20 (local trails), then April 3 (field trip), then April 17 (local trails), etc. Same place, same time.

Corrected update (April 2): Next ride is tomorrow, April 3! We're goin' to Anderson Truck Trail in Lakeside. This trail reclaims the word 'epic.' Meet at Rebecca's at 1pm.

Saturday: Bike Jam Warehouse Party Rager

Jinna Albright, owner of the oldest bike shop in town (Thomas Bike Shop) is organizing an event tomorrow which aims to bring all cyclists together for a major rager. Believe me, knowing Jinna and considering that the time is fliered as '6pm-4am,' this event will not disappoint.

There will be jumps, ramps, rails, and all types of crazy shit for cyclists to get up on. Plus Jinna will be introducing the Team Thomas fixed gear freestyle team.

3004-3020 Commercial st. See you there sometime btwn 6pm and 4am!

Happy b-day, Jinna, and congrats on becoming an SD Velodrome Association Board Member.

Tmrw: Punk Rock MTB Ride Field Trip to Chula Vista!

The Punk Rock MTB Ride has been bangin'! Will be postin' up pics from the last two rides in the next couple weeks.

Tomorrow we're going on a field trip to secret trails in Chula Vista!

Meet at Rebecca's in South Park at 1pm and we will figure out the carpool sitch from there. If you can drive, show up w/ yr car. Or meet us in Chula Vista at Sunridge Park (on East J. St. near Paseo Del Rey) at 1:40pm.

Take back the sun! Out!

Local Bike Advocate/Blogger on KPBS Radio

My buddy Thomas Bahde (History PhD., Bike SD.org Contributor, and SD Bike Union Spokesperson) aced an interview w/ KPBS the other day about bicycling in San Diego.

Thomas is boss. He's got mic control. Check it out.

Don't forget about the official SD Bike Commuter Discount Program kick-off party which includes the screening of a short film about the program. Sky Boyer, owner of Velo Cult and founder of the Bike Commuter Discount Program, is also a core member of the SD Bike Union--a relatively new advocacy group w/ a strong interest in utilitarian cycling.

LA to Introduce Anti-Harassment Ordinance to Protect Bicyclists

This...is...glorious:

An anti-harassment ordiance to protect cyclists from aggressive bigots and violent perpetrators is exactly what we need in San Diego.

From the LA Department of Transportation blog:

Today, a new prospective tool was introduced for bicyclists to defend themselves from harassment and assault. An anti-harassment ordinance, the motion to draft it being originally introduced by Council Member Bill Rosendahl, has been released today by the City Attorney’s Office. Pending council approval, bicyclists will be able to bring civil suit against drivers who assault them, harass them, threaten them, or intentionally distract them.

In the ordinance, the City recognizes not only that “people have a right to ride a bicycle in the City of Los Angeles”, but also that bicyclists are harassed and assaulted simply for being bicyclists – this ordinance gives bicyclists the right to go after offenders in court. The ordinance is now a public document, so you can read it yourself.

Criminal Cases are Tough to Prove

While it’s always been illegal to assault (or threaten to assault) a bicyclist, it has been extremely difficult in the past for authorities to prosecute drivers. That’s because if a police officer isn’t on hand to witness the altercation, there generally isn’t enough evidence to prosecute a driver in a criminal case. Cases of attempted assault are particularly hard to prove; a bicyclist using all their skill to avoid the assaults of an out-of-control driver is left with no physical evidence that an assault took place. There are also instances where the intentionally aggressive actions of a driver towards a bicyclist may cause a crash – just not with the driver that initiated it.

Civil Suits – Lowering the Burden of Proof

Civil suits, however, carry a much lower burden of proof than criminal cases. That’s because civil cases are monetary in nature and never carry any jail time. Under the new ordinance, a series of actions taken against a bicyclist are grounds for a civil suit. They are:

1. Assaulting, or attempting to assault, a bicyclist;
2. Threatening to physically injure a bicyclist;
3. Injuring, or attempt to injure, a bicyclist (this can include verbal and non-verbal threats); and
4. Intentionally distracting a bicyclist with the intent of causing injury

(^Not allowed)

Damages

In these civil suits, drivers who assault or harass bicyclists will be liable for:

1. Triple the dollar amount of any resulting damages or $1,000, whichever is larger;
2. The attorney’s fees of the bicyclist assaulted/harassed; and
3. Any additional punitive damages awarded by a judge or jury

The second stipulation is a very important one. Explicitly covering attorneys’ fees will make it much more likely for a lawyer to take cases with comparatively small monetary damages and make bicyclists far more likely to pursue civil suits when they are threatened, harassed, or assaulted.

Doesn’t Preclude Criminal Charges

Another important point to keep in mind is that nothing in this ordinance precludes bringing criminal charges against a harassing or assaulting driver. Rather than replacing any existing laws, this ordinance provides an additional supplement to help bicyclists defend themselves.

Thank you, Los Angeles, for taking the lead on this. Doing so will make it much more likely for a similar ordinance to pass in San Diego.

Local Bike Advocate and Business Owner Assaulted by Motorist

Our friend Jay Porter, owner of renowned farm-to-table restaurants The Linkery and El Take It EZ, was assaulted by a motorist near Golden Hill. Jay's provoking act? He was riding a bike.

On his blog, Jay writes:

He was angry that I was riding my bike in the center of Broadway, slowly and legally, for a couple hundred feet as I prepared to make a left turn onto 25th. In reaction to which, he “buzzed” me with his truck, challenged me to a fight, sought me out after I bravely ran away, found me and attempted to run me down in Sherman Heights (which I evaded by riding onto the sidewalk between some trees), and then threatened to kill me while shoving me into an alcove, as I (and at least one other bystander) called 911. My 911 call, for what it’s worth, went to CHP voicemail. (I was later told this is how the calls are routed from places close to the freeway.)

Then the dude drove away….only to circle back a few minutes later and tell me I’d better watch my back.

This violent perpetrator and bigot belongs in jail. He's a timebomb.

The perp is described as a white male w/ a red beard in his 30s who was driving a white 1997 Nissan pick-up truck license plate # 5R23007. A search showed that the car is registered to someone who lives in the Azalea Park neighborhood of City Heights. Don't hesitate to call 911 if you encounter him and if you feel threatened. Report him so he'll end up like this:


Road Rage Dr. Thompson, who used violence against innocent cyclists, is in prison for five years.