Re: Hiker Assaulted by a Mountain Biker Riding Illegally in Castle Rock State Park!

[Mike Vandeman]

On Oct 14, 9:32 am, Mike Vandeman <mike.vande...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mountain bikers like to claim that these incidents are rare, but we
> know better! This kind of thing is quite common! Mountain bikers are
> as polite as can be, until you inform them that bikes aren't allowed
> where they are riding. Then they become VERY belligerent, VERY fast!
> This is caused partly by mountain biking organizations like IMBA,
> which perpetuate the myth that mountain bikers are being discriminated
> against.
>
> Mike
>
> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:49:05 -0700
> From: Ross Finlayson <finlay...@live555.com>
> Subject: Recent incident at Castle Rock State Park
>
> Although Castle Rock State Park is currently closed to mountain bikes,
> some of us are working hard to try to gain some access to appropriate
> trails within the park (especially those that help form connections to
> other open space).  Unfortunately, at a Castle Rock Trails Planning
> meeting last night, I learned of an incident on Sunday afternoon (Oct
> 11th) in which a local resident was assaulted by a mountain biker
> riding (illegally) within the park.  The victim managed to get a photo
> of the cyclist; I've attached this below.
>
> To put it mildly, incidents like this do nothing to help the cause of
> the vast majority of mountain bikers who are looking for ways to
> peacefully share the trails with other users, and who want to work
> within the system to gain some access to areas that are currently
> closed to our use.
>
> Here's the report that I received about the incident:
> ----------
> "The person in the attached photo was riding on trails closed to
> bicycles in Castle Rock State Park and on posted private property on
> Sunday, October 11 between 4 and 5 pm.  When confronted he became
> abusive and refused to provide identification. He physically attacked
> the individual confronting him, knocking him to the ground and
> damaging his cellphone.  He then raced off on his bike.
>
> If you have information about identity of the individual in the
> photograph
> please contact Castle Rock State Park at 408 867 2952."