Mountain bikers are being warned to use caution when riding near Bragg Creek after a barbed wire was strung between trees leaving a rider with minor injuries on Wednesday evening.
Mountain bikers are being warned to use caution when riding near Bragg Creek after a barbed wire was strung between trees leaving a rider with minor injuries on Wednesday evening.
“A cyclist in West Bragg Creek was biking down the hill when he was knocked off his bike, ” said Const. Thomas with the Cochrane RCMP.
Standing on the bike at the time, the rider was struck in the shoulder, knocking the Calgary male off his bike, resulting in minor injuries.
“I would hate to think what would happen if it hit someone in the eye, ” Thomas said.
“There was great potential for injuries. ”
The two friends were riding the trail in West Bragg Creek at approximately 8 p.m. on July 5 when the incident occurred. After being knocked off the bike, the other cyclist took down the wire and reported the estimated height of where the barbed wire was tied between six and a half feet to seven feet high.
The pair then walked back to their vehicle, leaving the victim’s mountain bike at the scene and drove to the hospital. When they returned the next day to retrieve the bike, it was gone.
The Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association brought the incident to light on Thursday when members made a public post saying they were “sad ” and “horrified ” to report about the injured cyclists but one mountain biker from the area said things like that can be common when cyclists are on multi-use trails not meant for mountain bikes.
“Honestly it is one of the most used recreational areas in the area - there is going to be conflict between bikers, hikers and equestrian use, ” said Mike (who requested not to use his last name), a Calgary resident who frequents the Bragg Creek trails.
“This was taking it to the extreme which is quite unfortunate but something quite common in the (United) States.
“Obviously as a biker I don’t appreciate it but I try to be an ambassador to my sport. ”
Not completely unheard of in Canada, a B.C. woman was charged last year to three years of probation after booby-trapping mountain bike trails in Vancouver.
But as of now, the Cochrane RCMP are still trying to determine the cause of why the barbed wire was strung between the trees and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
“As of now we have received no further complaints. It is possible they were on a trail that wasn’t a designated trail … right now there are a lot of unanswered questions, ” Thomas said.
Support was shown for the injured cyclist on Friday when one of the local bike shops made a public social media post.
“Let’s make sure to look out for each other. Hope this is a one time act of a coward, ” stated a Facebook post from Calgary Cycle, with a location in Bragg Creek called Calgary Cycle 22x.
This bike disappeared after a mountain biker left it behind to go to the hospital when he was knocked off his bike by barbed wire strung across the trail.
