CicLAvia:   STRAWBERRY MARGARITAS AND KOOKY BIKES

CicLAvia is a unique local Los Angeles event all cyclists ought to bring their families to. It is not a training ride, but a 5 mph cruise into the culture of this great city.  Started by former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa after he saw similar events in Bogota, Colombia and Mexico City, CicLAvia shuts down the streets to cars and allows only human-powered contrivances. Now four years old, occurring three times a year, most typically start in downtown, although the one earlier

this month was out in Pacoima, deep in the northwest San Fernando Valley. 

As usual, CicLAvia brought out kooky bikes, inventions, lots of families, and funny people. Below, see me making a strawberry margarita on the stationary Blender Bike; the fold-up, public-transit-friendly Halfbike; a 100-year-old suspension-seat bike; a kid on a Trail-a-Bike who let his dad do all the work (reminded me of my son about 15 years ago); and a 72-year-old Japanese woman with an umbrella crouching low on a skateboard.....and some of the coolest mural art work I've ever seen. My favorite: the Mexican Mona Lisa......

By the way, the coolest bike I've ever seen at CicLAvia remains my Facebook title photo: The amazing Super Low Rider from the Real Rydaz Bike Club.