It was an ugly October for cyclists up in Portland. If you haven't heard, two were crushed to death by right-turning trucks in separate incidents less than two weeks apart. Final reports have been issued for both tragedies and each report sports some eyebrow raisers.

In the first incident, on October 11, a 19-year-old rider pulled up alongside a cement truck at a red light in downtown Portland, apparently intending to continue straight. The driver didn't notice her ride up next to his truck, and where she stopped she didn't appear in any of his mirrors. When the light turned green the truck turned and the rider didn't stand a chance.

My men can eat their belts. Give me fuel for my tanks!
-- General Patton

In the second edition of Art of Urban Cycling (which was retitled Art of Cycling), I added a lengthy footnote about what I felt to be a troubling societal dilemma looming in our near future – a growing inability of global energy supply to meet global demand. (Page 37, for those playing along at home.) Anyway, I wanted to check in and see how we’re doing on the energy front one year later.