May 30, 2013 

• 8 great rides for all ages and abilities! All rides are supported with volunteer ride marshals. We have: 
• 100-mile Century Ride
• 70-mile Park-to-Playa Ride
• 70-mile Playa-to-Park Reverse Ride (starting and ending in Long Beach)
• 50-mile Half-Century Ride
• 36-mile Training Ride
• 25-mile Long Beach Loop Ride (starting and ending in Long Beach) - NEW this year
• 15-mile Family Ride
• Kids' Bike Rodeo
• A great way to explore the Los Angeles River and Los Angeles as a whole. This County is more connected than you think, and LA really does have a river. Learn more about what Los Angeles has to offer on this ride. 
• LACBC's biggest fundraiser. Your registration fees help us work for a better, more bike-able LA County. Want to do more? Sign up for LACBC membership with your River Ride registration and get $10 off the regular membership price.

Learn more about the River Ride at la-bike.org/riverride. Pre-registration ends Wednesday, June 5th!

Pick Up Your Wristband at REI

If you'd like to pick up your wristband early or register in person, you can do so at local select REIs the first weekend in June! Picking up your wristband at REI has special benefits! Not only will you avoid lines on Ride Day, you will get free swag (like a water bottle) courtesy of REI and be entered into a special raffle to win a bike commuter package.

Saturday, June 1, 10 AM to 2 PM 

Sunday, June 2, 10 AM to 2 PM 

Fundraising Update: Tish Laemmle Takes Back the Lead

Tish Laemmle is back on top and in pursuit of the VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations bike tour of Tuscany! However, Carrie Ungerman is very close behind, so Tish shouldn't start packing for Tuscany just yet. Paul Des Marais and Douglas John are distancing themselves from Team Hopps with over $1,000 raised. And Sebouh Asparian is still inching closer to entrance to the River Ride VIP booth. Thank you for your contributions! We have just a little over a week before we crown our River Ride Fundraising Champion! Standings:

1. Tish Laemmle - $3,905
2. Carrie Ungerman - $3,798
3. Paul Des Marais - $1,140
4. Douglas John - $1,000
5. Team Hopps - $825
6. Sebouh Asparian - $452

Thanks to our friends at VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, our top fundraiser will win a bike trip to Tuscany, Italy. We also have a prize for the fundraiser who gets the most people to donate to the cause: a bike from DTLA Bikes. Runner-up prizes include a New Belgium Brewing Cruiser Bike and signed copies of Where to Bike Los Angeles. Prizes are guaranteed for meeting fundraising minimums at $100 (a pair of LACBC socks), $250 (a 2013 River Ride Jersey), $500 (entry into the River Ride VIP tent and beer garden, which includes New Belgium beer, food, massages, and some very important people), $1000 (recognition for your fundraising at the LACBC donor and supporter party in December) and $5000 (a custom vintage cocktail mixology, tea ceremony, or dinner with our Executive Director Jen Klausner and Board President Alex Amerri).

There's still time to join this competition! Register to become a fundraiser here. Click on "Individuals: Click Here to build your personal fundraising page" on the right side to begin fundraising!

Learn more about fundraising and the prizes, get tips, and more at la-bike.org/RRfundraising.

Volunteer for the River Ride

YOU make the LA River Ride possible! We need volunteers on the day of the ride for marshaling, registration, set-up, and more, but we'll also need your help before the event for things like the REI wristband pick-up and goody bag stuffing. Check out River Ride volunteer opportunities at la-bike.org/riverridevolunteer and email martin@la-bike.org to sign up. River Ride volunteers may have the opportunity to ride the River Ride for free.

Ride Colorado: Come to Meeting Next Monday

Councilmember Huizar will be present for yet another meeting for the proposed bike lanes on Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock. We want to be sure he sees the support we have in the community for this traffic-calming measure that will increase safety and promote bike riding in Eagle Rock. Can you join us and verbalize your support? Spread the word using Facebook here.

Highlights from CA Road Rules for Bicyclists from Five Perspectives

Last week, LACBC's new Education Committee presented an event called the CA Road Rules for Bicyclists from Five Perspectives! Copies of LACBC's new "Bike Safe: Rules of the Road" pocket guide were given away at the event, which consisted of a panel of five speakers. Moderated by our Education Director Colin Bogart, the panel consisted of Sgt. Jon Aufdemberg, LAPD South Traffic Division, Bicycle Liaison; Lt. Marjory Jacobs, LA County Sheriff's Department; James Pocass, Attorney: Pocrass & De Los Reyes, LLP; Ted Rogers, LACBC Board member (and author of the popular bicycling blog BikinginLA); and Cynthia Rose, Co-Founder of Santa Monica Spoke.

After brief introductions from each of the panelists and a few questions from Colin, the guest speakers answered questions from the packed audience. By the time the event finished up, the speakers had addressed a variety of issues dealing with bike safety and rules of the road. Highlights include a plea to stop referring to collisions as "accidents," a suggestion to increase your insurance coverage (especially with regard to uninsured motorists), tips on how you can cope with the various and, often times, conflicting laws, which govern bicycling in the county (especially those that apply to sidewalk riding), and even a discussion on how we can better educate both motorists and bicyclists about the rules of the road.

Thanks to all of our panelists who took time out of their busy schedules to speak with us. This event was part of an ongoing series of events that are free for LACBC members with more to come (become a member today!). We should also thank the panelists for their contribution to the evening.

You can view a few photos from the event on the LACBC Facebook page. 

Bici Libre conducted their first mobile workshop at a public library this past Saturday. Over 30 people came out to learn about basic bike mechanics from areas around Los Angeles (some people even came from Long Beach). The workshop included 3 stations of learning with three different mechanics focused on air (tires and flats), brakes, and chains (including derrailleurs). Everyone was thankful for all they learned and all participants went home with a patch kit to continue practicing what they had learned.

Another workshop is in the works for the day before the June 23rd CicLAvia. Keep an eye on Bici Libre's websites for more details: www.la-bike.org/bicilibre and facebook.com/bicilibre.

Join LACBC or Renew

carol@la-bike.org