So the L.A. Marathon organizers gave up on the bicycling portion a few years ago. Though many bikers enjoyed getting to the starting line well before dawn and being shooed off the course before the start of the runner's race, the folks behind CicLAvia have found a much more bike-friendly replacement. For the second year, a 10-mile route of normally car-clogged streets will be blocked off for pedalers, along with roller-bladers, stilt-walkers and pogo-stickers. Dogs — leashed — also are welcome. You can start anywhere and head to one or all of the six hubs: the Bicycle District in East Hollywood; MacArthur Park; the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue; the South Lawn of City Hall; the Central Plaza in Chinatown; and Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. At Hollenbeck, thanks to a new CicLAvia Walks grants initiative, you'll find 13 widely varied performances, including an experimental sound forest, dance troops, yoga workshops, a mobile DJ booth, life-size chess game, plus food for sale. Bravo CicLAvia — though we wish you didn't sound like a prescription drug. Sun., Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; map of route at ciclavia.org.

Sun., Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 2011

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