Posted on 09/28/2015 10:13:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The California Highway Patrol is trying to find the person who dumped hundreds of nails and tacks on a road near Woodside thats popular among cyclists.
Officers said Monday that there were so many nails left on Kings Mountain Road that clean-up crews were forced to sweep the lanes to get them out of the way.
Cyclists are usually drawn to the road for its views and 1,500-foot climb to Skyline Boulevard. "This is one of my favorite hill climbs," Michael Shorts said.
But riders, who are now being warned to pay close attention to the sidewalks, are afraid they are being targeted. "Its really frightening to be honest," Grace Chuchla said.
Chuchla and her teammates on the Stanford cycling team have seen pictures on Facebook that show dozens of nails that were scattered near the summit on Kings Mountain Road and Skyline Boulevard.
"Youre on a 20 lb. bike with a 23-millimeter wide tire," she said. "If it hits a tack, and your tire blows, youre going to hit the pavement and its going to hurt."
CHP officers said that two weeks ago about 20 riders had to replace their tires after rolling over nails. No one was injured and investigators are asking for help to find the person responsible.
"Think about your own kids riding a cycle ... and getting a concussion or worse," Ken Doub said.
Many cyclists and drivers suspect that whoever is behind these incidents doesnt want to share the country road.
"Im sure some of the neighbors dont like all the traffic," Maoz Friedman said. "It sucks they would go that far to discourage people from coming up." A cyclist team is raising money to offer a reward for information that could lead to an arrest. So far, theyve raised about $5,000 for their cause.
Buy a helicopter.
Buy insurance.
I have insurance, but thanks. I don’t own a bicycle, however . . . your comments reminded me I should buy one while I still have the liberty to do so.
Great. Obey the rules. Why all the fuss?
A lot of this screaming and hollering is based on the presupposition that cyclists are lawbreakers.
Sorry, I’m tired. To clarify: I am not a bicyclist, but if it pisses the fuddy-duddy’s off, I’m in favor.
If you can’t meet the minimum speed limit, expect to be a smear.
Someone upthread mentioned something about “entitlement mentality.” And your tax dollars pay for the road, correct?
If all you do is cycle, then you’re not paying.
Again, why the fuss?
Again, funny. But if you cargo your bicycles with your car, you burn gasoline at a higher rate.
Cargo the bike for a bank robbery.
You’re still not obeying traffic law if you can’t meet minimum speed limits and want to linger in traffic lanes.
Maybe in your State, but I doubt it.
Relax. You get stuck behind one for what, two minutes?
Balderdash. Those same nails are a problem for car tires.
The cyclists I see don’t obey the laws as is. Running stop signs, crossing intersections against the light, turns from the wrong lane (without a signal no less).
Then there are the Mass Resistance anarchists...
You mean that you don’t see sweaty spandex clad men and women in the office? You don’t suppose they are just playing in the street for exercise, do you?
Maybe the driver’s feet were strapped to the pedals too.
Scratch a gear queer in spandex and the crypto-nazi always comes out.
I can't stand my fellow cyclists. That's why I refuse to ride with anyone anymore. Too many d-bags sprawled three and four abreast trundling along and blocking traffic. If you are one of these types, then you are indeed a d-bag and you've ruined cycling for the rest of us. Congratulations.
>>The cyclist who was strapped into his pedals couldnt get enough momentum to free his feet, but the idiot behind the wheel kept squeezing him over to the curb. Both eventually stopped and the cyclist was able to brace against the side of the car.<<
By definition, the cyclist was unable to control his vehicle.
Grow up and get a car.
Sounds like you need to work a little harder at not being run over.
“But riders, who are now being warned to pay close attention to the sidewalks, are afraid they are being targeted.”
So, are they riding on the road, or on the sidewalk? (Are they being a menace to drivers or pedestrians?) :)
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