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The very first CicLAvia to the Sea, which kicked cars off of 15 miles of city streets yesterday, from Downtown to Venice, was a huge success--almost too successful, as LAObserved notes just how packed it got: "There were a notable number of traffic jams mentioned on my Twitter feed, a noticeable crowding of bike riders at cross-street stops, and an overload at the Culver City Expo Line station of people trying to get back home at the end of the day." The LA Times says there were "as many as 150,000" bikers yesterday, and the Venice Boardwalk at the end of the route was certainly even more jammed than usual; the previous five CicLAvias only pulled in up to 100,000 people each. Also notable this go-around: the increasing commercialization. There have been more and more sponsored tables up along the route over time and CicLAvia itself was selling branded everything yesterday from tote bags to temporary tattoos. But a growing event needs money--according to the LAT, "The $350,000 cost to stage each event is picked up by a nonprofit, CicLAvia, and the city, which uses state and federal money for the event." Next up: CicLAvia to Fairfax, running along Wilshire Boulevard.

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