Eastside Bike Club

We are asking our friends to sign the petition for the call of State of Emergency for Safe Streets in LA.

Declare a State of Emergency in LA Due to Traffic Violence In 2015, the city committed to Vision Zero – its plan to end traffic violence by 2025. In 2025, traffic fatalities were reported by LAPD to be 290, 56% higher than in 2015.

Does anyone remember these rides early in the 2000’s

These were fun rides.

After they suspended these rides a couple of years later the Birth of the “Marathon Crash Races” Thnaks to Don Ward - Epic times!

The New Bicycle Boom in Cuba Without fuel, pedaling is the answer!

In an energy crisis that many liken to the Special Period of the 1990s, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cubans are rediscovering the bicycle as an alternative form of transportation

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Cuba entered an unprecedented crisis that Fidel Castro dubbed “the Special Period.” The island’s energy, trade and financial dependence on the recently-dissolved socialist bloc resulted in shortages of fuel, food, and raw materials, as well as a GDP drop of more than 40% in just three years.

Today, many who remember the 1990s in Cuba find parallels with the current crisis, which has worsened since the United States took control of Venezuela, the island’s main fuel supplier.

One phrase “There’s no oil” affects every aspect of daily life for Cubans. The fuel shortages have resulted in blackouts, reduced access to basic necessities and, of course, limited transportation. The streets of Havana are now almost empty of buses and cars, except for a handful of colorful vintage American convertibles that ferry around the few tourists who still venture to visit the island.

What you do see, and with increasing frequency, are electric motorcycles, scooters, and rickshaws, in addition to bicycles.

“The BICYCLE is the Cuban means of transportation,” says Yoan, a 52-year-old fisherman, with his bike and hands resting against the Malecón (a long stretch of walkway along the ocean shore).

“Every time there’s a crisis in this country, the first thing to go is fuel. Then, everything gets really expensive… so, it’s better to ride a bike. It’s cheaper, faster and, besides that, you get exercise.” He recalls that, before the 1990s, there were Russian bicycles. Then, when the Special Period began, Chinese bicycles started arriving. “This was a country filled with bicycles.”

To compensate for the lack of motorized transportation, the government imported more than a million bicycles from China, selling them at ridiculously low prices, or directly assigning them to state workers. Isabel was one of these civil servants: in 1993, she worked as the director of sports in Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city, located in the far east of the country. At the time, she rode a Forever ’26. Isabel used the bike for her job, part of which consisted of daily commutes to neighboring municipalities like El Cobre, about 15 miles from Santiago.

“The Special Period transformed Cuba’s urban landscape,” she describes. “Suddenly, there were many bicycles on the streets, with only the occasional car.” She recalls how bike racks were also built, “with rebar, iron, whatever was available.” These bicycle stands became “extensions” of schools, factories, and workplaces. Later, “all of that became anachronistic, because we [eventually] emerged from the Special Period… and people stopped riding bicycles.”

The fact that the bicycle boom coincided with a crisis is etched in the memory of many Cubans: to this day, the automatic association between bicycles and scarcity is common. Some, like Yasser González Cabrera, owner of the Citykleta project in Havana, even speak of a “trauma” that they’re trying to dismantle. Since 2015, this restless computer scientist originally from Isla de la Juventud (the “Island of Youth”), who migrated to Havana to study has been organizing bicycle related events in the city, such as “Bicicletear La Habana” (“Cycling Havana”), which takes place on the first Sunday of every month(Very similar to the CicLAvia’s or Active SGV’s Open Streets events) In its heyday, it brought together up to 200 cyclists. His motivation is to spread the benefits of this mode of transportation and help transform beliefs that are deeply rooted in Cuban culture. “The bicycle is autonomy and freedom,” he affirms. “Bicycling has given me a lot.”

The educational aspect of Citykleta is now the project’s mainstay, as city bike tours have been halted due to the lack of tourism. Along with other equally passionate young people, Yasser runs “Learn to Ride,” a course held every weekday afternoon in a park in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood, where 12 people are taught to ride a bike. “We were aiming for 100… and we already have more than 250 people enrolled,” he says, a little overwhelmed, but visibly happy. an interesting fact is that 84% are women.

Dayelis is a 20-year-old who studies accounting and finance at the University of Havana. She had been meaning to learn to ride a bike for a long time. And recently, she finally decided to do it. “I see [people biking] on the street and I think it’s beautiful… and I love feeling the speed going down a hill. It’s so exhilarating.” Although she lives near the university, she imagines herself biking to her classes (when they resume in person). But above all, she imagines taking a ride around the city and ending up watching the sunset on the Malecón.

Citykleta promotes the bicycle not only as an efficient means of transportation, but also as a way to access leisure. For Yasser, “people are postponing enjoying life, waiting for a moment of prosperity… even though there are many things that can already be experienced with a bicycle.” For example, exploring green spaces in the city, or heading to the sea for a swim and then getting an ice cream. “Making two or three plans in one afternoon by bus is impossible,” he explains, “but with a bicycle, it’s very easy.” According to him, today, the average Cuban is very disconnected from enjoyment, because they live “in survival mode.”

To design his educational program, Yasser drew inspiration from cycling organizations in Belgium and the United States: Pro Velo and the League of American Bicyclists, respectively. He studied their methods to understand how they were applied in Brussels and New York City; the latter proved more useful, because traffic laws are more similar to those in Cuba. And so, he developed his own program for Havana. He presented the project to the German Embassy, which provided 12 bicycles, a cargo bike, a repair kit, and locks.

Thanks to those materials, the initiative is now operational. However, Yasser is concerned about how he’ll sustain it in the long term. Besides bicycle maintenance and the garage rental fee, he pays — symbolically — the instructors, like Daniel, who is 23 and finds “happiness, tranquility, and peace” at this time of day. He likes the community that Citykleta has created; the activity also allows him to “escape the power outages and worries at home,” he explains.

At a safe distance, Elisa and Ernesto 55 and 59, respectively watch the class. They’re Dayelis’ mother and stepfather. Ernesto has always ridden a bicycle. And, for the last couple of years, he’s had a Shimano, sent to him by his brother from the United States. He’s added a bike seat, so that he can take Elisa along. They both work in the area of the Casino Deportivo, in the Cerro neighborhood, commuting there together by bike: about nine miles per round trip. “Cars are too expensive; it’s not possible,” Ernesto notes. “Besides, the bike gives you energy.” Anette, 39, also watches the class with curiosity. She says that she’s thinking of signing up, because even though she has a car, she only has enough gas at home “to last a month.” When it runs out, she sighs, “I’ll have to ride a bicycle or an electric motorcycle… so, I have to learn soon.”

Isabel, who learned to ride a bicycle as an adult, points out that “many people are dusting off their old bikes to use them again.” Before the Forever bike that she used in Santiago, she had received a Minerva bike while serving as a delegate for the Young Communist League (UJC). For her, the promotion of cycling in the 1990s “was one of the many actions designed by Fidel Castro to resist and continue life in all spheres,” she affirms. “It was a demonstration of the resilience of our people, without losing sight of progress.” And, she adds, “we’ll do it again.”

Meanwhile, Yasser acknowledges that cycling is a good option in the current context, but he doesn’t want to dwell on that connection. “Relating cycling to crisis is counterproductive, because one understands that it will be temporary,” he says. “I want to promote cycling as a lifestyle, as a tool for life that allows you to get things that you don’t currently have.”

Who remembers “American Flyers” one of the classic Bike Culture Cycling Movies.

The lead actor was Keven Costner who studied and learned the sport. Check out the write up by Bike Push who I feel nailed it.

Did you see this movie?

If not, we recommend you see it.

Happy 71st birthday to Kevin Costner, the actor who wasn't a cyclist but somehow gave us one of the most authentic cycling films ever made.

On January 18, 1955, a future Hollywood icon was born. Three decades later, he would pedal his way into cycling history.

In 1985, Costner starred in American Flyers as Marcus Sommers, a sports physician and elite cyclist competing in Colorado's brutal "Hell of the West" race. The film became an instant cult classic, inspiring countless riders to chase their own impossible climbs and test their limits on two wheels.

The thing is...Costner wasn't a cyclist at all!

According to accounts from the production, when he and his co-stars took their first training ride, they managed just two and a quarter miles before collapsing. Yet by the time cameras rolled, Costner looked completely natural on a bike, carving through the Rocky Mountains on a red Specialized Allez with downtube shifters, toe clips, and a steel frame that defined the era.

The transformation required relentless dedication. After grueling 12-hour shooting days, Costner and the cast would ride in the evenings, building the stamina and technique needed to portray nationally-ranked racers. They trained with weights, studied real cyclists, and immersed themselves in the Coors Classic, the legendary American stage race that provided the film's breathtaking backdrop.

The result was something rare in Hollywood: a cycling movie that actual cyclists could respect.

American Flyers captured the raw beauty and brutality of competitive cycling. The Morgul-Bismarck circuit. The Tour of the Moon. Speeds hitting 60 miles per hour on treacherous mountain descents. The film didn't romanticize the sport; it showed the suffering, the strategy, and the unbreakable bonds forged in the peloton.

But what made the film endure for over four decades wasn't just the racing.

It was the story beneath it. Two brothers, one cross-country journey, and the shadow of mortality hanging over every pedal stroke. Marcus pushes his younger brother David to join the race, knowing he may be living on borrowed time due to a suspected brain aneurysm. The film asks a question that resonates deeply with aging cyclists: How do you live fully when time is running out?

For many riders in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, that question isn't abstract. Every ride becomes more precious. Every climb is a defiance of age and limitation. Every finish line is a reminder that we're still here, still pushing, still chasing something greater than ourselves.

American Flyers understood that cycling isn't just about fitness or competition. It's about brotherhood. It's about testing yourself against the mountain and discovering what you're made of. It's about the quiet moments in the support van, the shared suffering on impossible gradients, and the unspoken understanding between riders who've been through hell together.

Costner brought that understanding to life, despite never being a "real" cyclist. His commitment to authenticity helped create a film that still inspires riders to tackle their own Hell of the West, whatever form it takes.

Forty-one years later, American Flyers remains a touchstone for cycling culture. The red Specialized Allez is iconic. The racing footage is still thrilling. And the themes, brotherhood, mortality, and the relentless pursuit of one more great ride, are as timeless as the sport itself.

So happy birthday, Kevin Costner. Thank you for showing us what it looks like to transform yourself for a role, to honor a sport you didn't know, and to create something that still moves cyclists decades later.

Here's to 71 years, and to the film that made us all want to ride a little harder.

New year, good weather time to dust off that Bike and get it rolling.

Tucson Arizona becomes home to the first Aluminum surface Velodrome.

Arizona opens world's first aluminum-surfaced velodrome this week while Tucson Bicycle Classic expands to four days in 2026 Seven US riders and one Canadian head to UCI Cycling Esports World Championships - North American Roundup

CA EBike voucher program quietly ends without any explanation as nearly 100,000 cyclist try to land one of 1,500 ebikes. Looks like a 30 Million dollar program was a money grab with no accountability.

CARB Quietly Ends the Statewide E-Bike Voucher Program - Streetsblog California The sun sets on what was once a promising program.

Indiana Jones famed actor, Harrison Ford who is 83 years young, was seen riding his Bike in Malibu CA.

Still got it! Harrison Ford shows off his muscles after 15-mile bike ride Ford was photographed wearing his full biking gear as he rode from Brentwood to Malibu

We have noticed more and more cities are either updating their city ordinances regarding Bicycling and EBikes or establishing new ordinances to address the increase amount of incidents that involve eBikes.

This trend is happening across the country, and the laws will vary from City to City. Ebikes have evolved becoming less expensive and a great choice for transportation.

What is lacking is the educational element of this modern mode of transportation. The Cycling industry as a whole have failed to address this everyone from Manufactures, Distributors, Retailers, Etailers, and advocacy agencies have NOT united to create Safe Riding Rules or an educational program. Municipalities are starting to take the lead to protect themselves from liability issues.

The City of Long Beach is the latest city that is taking on this topic, and will begin to draft their new ordinance to address unsafe riding by a few that affect the masses.

One thing we found encouraging is that they are trying to find a balance between safe riders VS UNSAFE riding habits which include; Speeding, Two people riding on a bike, Popping Wheelies, Riding on the Wrong Side of the Road, Weaving in and out of traffic, Riding on the Sidewalks, Riding without a helmet as well as other bad habits)

On the other hand we witnessed The City of Azusa recently update their Cycling regulations, but their approach was completely flawed, and irresponsible (I bet it can be challenged in court). They did NOT consult Cycling advocates, local Bike Shops and Cycling organizations to get their input.

Azusa City Council took action without being educated on the topic, it was troublesome to see the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, the Director of Recs and Parks, and the Chief of Police asking each other questions and NOT ONE had answers or an idea on several topics of bike riding.

They could not determine the difference of a Bike Path or a Bike Lane, Did not know the differences of a type 2 and 3 of Ebikes, they did not know how many incidents have occurred in their city, and who was responsible for these incidents, (A Cyclist, Motorist, Pedestrian), they basically took action on changing the law without having DATA to back it up or making an informed decision.

Some of the new restrictions in Azusa prohibits riding on Sidewalks, Riding your Bikes at Parks, Riding on City owed property; including City Hall, Senior Center, Azusa Light and Water, as well as Churches and Shopping Centers.

We will post a video of Azusa City Council in another post.

Long Beach proposes E-BIKES law to regulate use of electric bicycles The ordinance would establish rules on when, where and how electric bikes can be ridden locally.