|   My worst fear in xc mountain biking came true. | marzz
Nov 28, 2003 12:06 PM | | Fear is a good thing, it keeps my sanity in check and prevents me from hurting my self or someone else while I'm bombing down some sweet single track while weaving between trees, but some times the Evil Kenivel in me just wants to let off the brakes, and last Wendesday was one of those days.
I took a day off from work and decided to go riding in Hartshorne woods, NJ. Those of you not familiar with the trail, it is multi-use, nicely groomed smooth and swoopy single track, really popular with hikers and bikers alike for its views of the Atlantic ocean and WWII bunkers scattered along the trail, fun alternative to the usually rooty, rocky, technical New Jersey riding. Anyway, it was late AM on a overcast workday, so I figured it would be a perfect time to avoid the usual traffic and have the trail to my self. I was right, when I got there the parking lot was empty.
The ride starts out with a ten minute climb followed by one of the funnest single track descents in the area, its one of those sections where its not that steep but you gradually keep picking up speed, and all the turns are banked so once you get in to the rhythm of the trail you can fly down with out touching your brakes while swooping left and right between trees, it just flows.
As I was approaching the final section of this descent,I noticed a lady walking her dog several yards in front of me and while hitting the brakes I remember thinking "damn hikers", selfish reaction for making me slowdown on what I thought was an empty trail. The descent continued for fifty more yards after I slowed down to a crawl to pass the lady and her dog, so after i politely said hello I started to pick up speed again.
It must have been 10 or 15 seconds after I passed her, I went around a turn and all I remember is feeling incredible shock to my left eye area and seeing my bike tumble in front of me while Im falling back still in my pedaling position. It happened, my worst fear in xc mountain biking came true, I got clothes-lined by what I thought was a low hanging tree branch. I dont know how fast I was going, but I hit it with such force that I thought it should have taken my head off. The branch skimmed the lower portion of the front of my helmet and cought me square in the eye socket area. It didnt knock me out
but as I got up in shock I knew this was really bad. I cupped my face with my hands trying to feel if my eye was still there while blood was seeping out between my fingers, the good thing was that I could see but I had what seemed a grapefruit sized bulge around my eye and face covered with blood.
What was really disturbing, is that on the ground layed about a 4' by 4" diameter log with cleanly sawed ends, I believe this was what I hit. If thats the case, that means that somebody put that there, propping it up over the trail between two trees at head level. I was in too much shock to analyze the situation, but there were no other branches sticking out over the trail, and I've been riding there for over three years now so I'm aware of all the obstacles along the way.
Around this time the lady that I passed earlier came from around the corner, I didnt say anything just looked at her trying to read her reaction about how bad It actually was, she looked back with out any change in expression, picked up my bike and said to come with her to her friends house that lives just over a hill, I was afraid to even ask about my condition.
Her friend, another lady around the same age, was on her way out and offered to clean me up and drive me to the emergency room. on the way there I remember her talking about how she was against people biking in that park and how her family would be proud of her driving an injured biker to the hospital.
I will be always grateful for the first lady who got in my way and made me slow down on my favorite part of the trail (I would have slammed in to that log at twice the speed I did had she not been there) and brought me to her anti-mt. biker friend who took the time to clean me up and drive me to the hospital.
I ended up getting 29 stiches all around my eye incuding my eyelid which apparently was shredded, Other than some scarring under my eye I should be fine, It could have been alot worse. I still havent looked in the mirror and don't think I relly want to for a while.
As I sit here writing this two days after it happened, I cant help to think how some people could be so helpful and nice to a total stranger, a "biker" of all things, and others so fuc#ed up as to set up a log over the trail, at the end of a fast descent, at a bikers head level. |
| Terrorism on the trails | bhutata
Nov 28, 2003 12:25 PM | | What else can you call it? Someone put that trap there knowing that it stood a good chance of seriously maiming or killing a cyclist. Glad to hear you should come out of this alright. I just wish there was some way to track down the culprit and prosecute them for attempted manslaughter, at the least. |
| Ouch! You should take a slow ride... | radair
Nov 28, 2003 12:29 PM | | ...around those trails after you're healed up and see if you can find any booby traps. Seems like that's the equivalent of assault if someone propped that branch up.
Take it easy; keep your head up. |
| And report it to the land manager | bhutata
Nov 28, 2003 12:42 PM | | and\or law enforcement. Even if they don't take a single incident seriously, they should be notified in case there's a trend. |
| before you thank that lady... | dir-T
Nov 28, 2003 1:49 PM | | ask her how/why it is that she didn't see or remove that log that you smacked into. Unless she had walked the entire trail in the same direction you came from (and didn't get to the log until after you hit it - which is certainly possible) she should have seen it, right? A biker's head level is about the same as a hiker's. Maybe she seemed so calm because she knew what you were about to do before you smacked your noggin. And she made a point to take you to her anti-biker friend's house? I don't know maybe this is a little too conspiracy theory-ish but her lack of surprise really makes me wonder. |
| before you thank that lady... | marzz
Nov 28, 2003 2:03 PM | | We were both going in the same direction, I passed her and got there before she did, so I dont hink she knew about it. I think her lack of expression when she first saw me was because she saw the expression on my face and didnt want to get me in a deeper state of shock than I already was. |
| You need to report this | CruzBomber
Nov 28, 2003 2:57 PM | | See if someone can help you go to your park in question and find both
the log and items that held it in position. You may find some heavy
guage fishing line or twine, something of the like. Take photos too.
I have been a victim myself of trail terrorism. But I did not
suffer like you, it only destroyed my forks. I just took a good
tumble. Something has to be done. Mt bikers contribute way too
much to trail building and maintenance to be treated like some
3rd class citizen. |
| That really stinks. | belfrey
Nov 28, 2003 3:59 PM | | I hope you have a really speedy recovery, man. It really sucks to have that sort of injury. I'm glad it sounds like your eye survived.
I used to hear about this sort of thing when I rode in New York State, but I never experienced it myself. I agree with the above post that called it terrorism; these despicable people don't care who they maim or kill. It fills me with rage. |
| that reminds me of something many moons ago when i was racing... | wickerman1
Nov 28, 2003 6:08 PM | | Dirtbikes that is, I was on my local trails practicing for the following weeks race and i bermed around a corner and it was a good thing it was sunny because I saw a fishing line from one tree to the next at eye level pretty much...because of the sun it shun some light on the line otherwise i never would've seen it and probably been decapitated.
I cant understand why people do that they can end up spending many years living in the Grey bar motel if they were seen doing it.
Hope your eye gets better to get you back on a bike soon!! |
| I knew a guy who was killed by a wire across the road | club
Nov 28, 2003 7:37 PM | | old guy, in his late 50s, and a really good road rider. kids, it was determined later, had strung a wire across a rural road at neck level, the guy hit it, flew off backwards, and died after some days in a coma. they caught the kids.
here in durango there's been fishing line strung across the bike path bridge over the Animas River on at least two occasions, one I read about in the paper, the other I discovered myself and tore down. |
| What happened to the kids they caught? NM | bhutata
Nov 28, 2003 9:06 PM | | |
| not enough, they were kids, got slaps on wrists nm | club
Nov 29, 2003 7:25 AM | | |
| Trail terrorists should get the same treatment as snipers | bhutata
Nov 30, 2003 4:31 PM | | They're out to do the same thing; cause injury or death to people, often at random. A pure disregard for human life. Perhaps they didn't have enough evidence to convict them hardcore, but if they did then they should have treated them the same as someone holding a gun that pointed it at a biker and pulled the trigger. |
| here in Bent Creek too... | hyperdawg
Nov 29, 2003 7:01 AM | | All of Bent Creek (asheville, nc) has had some trail blockage here and there, which we believe to be anti-biker activity...
this subject really concerns me. i am sorry you got seriously injured and am afraid that someday, if not already, someone will be seriously hurt in Bent Creek too.
actually, last year a dog was shot, which many believe was a vindictive act.
well we have also had problems with hunters sabatoging trails behind our houses... at first we thought it was the people who lived in the houses dirctly behind the trails objecting to bikers, but then we caught the hunters in the act... they are still doing it, but unless the law enforcement actually catches them in the act of doing it there is nothing the law can do.
at first it was just a limb strategically placed here or there to throw a rider off the bars. we were given Forest Service signs to hang up the year before informing hunters of the safety rules, and they were ripped down (we have had problems with hunters firing guns and rifles 20-30yards behind the house). then the entire trail was blocked with limbs... then after a couple bouts of this the trail was covered with limbs stacked 3-4 feet high.
at this point they started to block the trails directly behind our houses that provided us access to the forest. then we put up signs stating it's illegal to block an established national forest trail... of course those were ripped down as well, but the blockage stopped... then about a month later there was a stop sign post planted strategically to pop a tire and throw the rider off the bike (we pounded it wayyyy down).
we are still having limbs thrown in the trail here and there...
last week a 4ft section of a cleared tree was planted strategically in the middle of a steep turn.
after four years of effort the Pisgah District Ranger designated the entire area behind our houses a "safety zone" "no shooting" last weekend we were given the much desired signage that stated "safety zone noshooting" and we posted them up and down the road and in the appropriate locations along trails to properly alert hunters of the new status behind our houses. (we are talking about a 200 yard dogleg between a main gated access road and a neighborhood). so far two of these signs have been ripped off the trees (these are the metal type signs, not too easy to pull off). |
| you tell me this...NOW???? | fireboy
Nov 29, 2003 10:58 AM | | =]
terry |
| man i wish i lived there... | wickerman1
Nov 29, 2003 4:07 PM | | I'd love nothing more then to catch one of there useless pricks tearing a sign down ...not much intimidates me especially hunters who think they own the forests...
I caught a poacher once illegally trapping beaver...he told me he kenw the guy who owned the property and said he said it was ok to do it...only problem is i knew he was full of shit because my uncle owned the property... so i told my uncle and he called the game wardens etc... and they charged him largely... damn I can't stand people who are so friggin ignorant to laws... just make ya wanna rip them a new a$$hole... just like thieves |
| grrrrr!!!! | Christine
Nov 30, 2003 5:21 PM | | I must admit, when the dopey motorcycle maniacs insist on drag-racing past our apartment at all hours of the night, revving their ridiculously loud engines for no good reason, I daydream about revenge in the form of wires across the road and such.
WOULD I do it? Of course not. But their blatant inconsideration is unbelivable. What makes them think this is acceptable behavior, giving an entire neighborhood heart attacks @ 2am on a Sunday?! Actually, I just wish I could wake THEM up in a similar fashion during their vacations or something.
I really don't get the anti-mtb stuff. For one thing, we're extremely vunerable, and also, we're not mowing down pedestrians or hikers. We're not killing defenseless animals, making noise or damaging the environment.
I was riding around lots of families out for a hike today, and it was no trouble for them to take two steps to the side and five seconds or less to let me pass. I was gracious and nobody got hurt. Are there really a lot of biker/hiker accidents that I'm not hearing about? |
| I am with you on this,wickerman1.... | old Oi Punk
Dec 1, 2003 11:00 AM | | ..I avoid violent physical confrontation, but if I caught someone booby-trapping a trail, well, I will hope there are NO witnesses! P.C. be damned, if someone is CAUGHT hurting, or intending to hurt, someone, I WILL make sure they are hurt! I am explosive in temper, but I always keep it in check, that is until some a$$hole gets caught trying to hurt someone!!"Turn the other cheek" is for P.C. wimps! |
| lame | litespeedchick
Dec 1, 2003 7:45 AM | | My husband is a hunter as well as mtb-er. He says the hunters he sees around Bent Creek are the most pathetic , lame-ass hunters he's ever seen. We have seen hunters sitting on the ground 10 feet from a gravel road with their gun trained on the road. Once my husband came around a corner on a gravel road and the hunter walking down the road in front of him was startled and swung around, aiming the gun directly at his mid-section.
Clue to hunters: Deer do not walk down the middle of gravel roads in parks heavily used for recreation in the middle of the day. HELLO!
We are now pretty careful to avoid Bent Creek during gun season. I feel for you guys. Is your problem mostly confined to this time of year? |
| re: My worst fear in xc mountain biking came true. | yetidemon
Dec 2, 2003 3:51 AM | | HAS ANYONE REPORTED IT TO THE POLICE? I FEEL YOU SHOULD FILE A POLICE REPORT. |
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