Everybody Bikes in LA: Thanks, Los Angeles, for CicLAvia and Tour de Fat

October 13, 2011 at 3:05 pm | Posted in LACBC Events | 7 Comments
Tags: CicLAvia, fundraisers, Tour de Fat

Bicyclists ride down the 4th Street Bridge in Boyle Heights during CicLAvia. Photo: Andrew Wong, WYTe Studios

Everybody bikes in LA! If you weren’t from around here and visited Los Angeles this weekend from out-of-town, you would have thought that LA was the bikiest city ever! With Saturday’s Tour de Fat reeling in the eccentric and costumed bicyclists and Sunday’s CicLAvia attracting everyone you know including your mom and Bobby Gadda’s mom, this weekend was pretty great.

Thank you, Los Angeles, for reminding us of how great our region is this past weekend. Since the first CicLAvia launched over one year ago, we’ve noticed how common it is to use CicLAvia images for all bike-related materials. The LA Bike Plan, various Los Angeles bike articles, and even our LACBC membership brochure. We know that these photos of bike-topia don’t necessarily represent what LA looks like on a daily basis, but we’re always giddy that these images depict a real movement taking place and know that this is what we can strive for on a daily basis.

It is estimated that 130,000 people attended this CicLAvia, and roughly 1,500 came out to Tour de Fat (it was fun seeing many of you on BOTH days). We hope events like CicLAvia and Tour de Fat continue to keep inspiring new people to explore Los Angeles by biking and walking daily. Too often we talk to people who don’t ride a bike regularly, but given the knowledge and tools to ride well, the facilities and policies to make our rides safer, and the inspiration (perhaps at events like CicLAvia and Tour de Fat), they’d be willing to give it a try.

We’d like to thank everyone who made Tour de Fat, CicLAvia, and LA’s bikiest weekend possible!

Los Angeles raised $17,000 for LACBC, C.I.C.L.E., and the Bicycle Kitchen at Tour de Fat on Saturday. Photo: LACBC

At Tour de Fat, attendees helped raise $17,000 for LACBC, C.I.C.L.E., and the Bicycle Kitchen– three local organizations that are making biking safer and more enjoyable for both those who ride, and those who will ride in the future. Thank you, Tour de Fat festival go-ers! Thank you to the New Belgium Brewing Company for always supporting bicycling and just being so downright awesome. Thanks to all the volunteers, including LACBC’s Tour de Fat volunteers for registering our many parade participants, for providing ride support, and for valeting bikes.

Thanks to all who participated in CicLAvia. Thanks to the CicLAvia organizers and all the other sponsors and partners that have made this movement a success. Thanks to the army of volunteers that made CicLAvia, fun, safe, and possible. Special thanks to our LACBC bike valet volunteers at El Pueblo and Little Tokyo. Thanks to all who have donated to CicLAvia to keep the event free (if you want to keep the movement going, please consider donating here.) Mark your calendars now: The next CicLAvia is April 15th, 2012!

Don’t think that just because this weekend is over, that the bikey fun stops too. We encourage you all to ride your bikes, dress up in costume, meet up with your favorite people, and celebrate and explore Los Angeles all the time!

See photos of Tour de Fat and CicLAvia on our Facebook page.

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