Get to know L.A. and the EPA -- by bicycling

If you’re an environmentalist in Los Angeles, you have a good reason to celebrate the beginning of February by taking the day off work. On Tue., Feb. 1, cyclists will be pedaling all over Los Angeles — and along for the ride will be Jared Blumenfeld, the West Coast Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Here’s your chance to get to know the local EPA, government officials, and fellow local cyclists while getting some exercise and seeing the city from a two-wheeler’s perspective. The requirements: A bike, and the ability to bike 18 miles at a steady clip of 12 to 18 miles per hour.

Think you’re up for the challenge? Then show up for the ride at the bike bridge over Ballona Creek in Playa del Rey come 9:15 am on Tuesday morning, ready to pedal away. You’ll see bike path enhancements throughout the area and hear from many people involved with bike and pedestrian-friendly projects, from the principal at Culver City’s Linwood Howe Elementary School to L.A. Councilmember Ed Reyes to staff from the Mayor’s office at City Hall.

Maybe you’ll get a chance along the way to pedal next to Jared and ask pressing questions about the EPA’s work. Plus, the cycling crowd will include Mitch Katz, the new Director of the County Department of Health Services and Barbara Romero, LA City Planning Commissioner and Chief of Urban Projects and Watershed Division of the Mountains and Recreation Conservation Authority.

Don’t think your quads will survive the whole ride? Luckily, the long route’s been broken down into chunks, so cyclists can join up at any of four meeting points. Get the full details, including the time and location of all the stops, at Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s blog.

Photo: Ballona Creek Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge (Laurie Avocado/Flickr)