this really upset me! man tries to abduct woman cyclist

[caligurl]

http://www.the-daily-record.com/article.php?pathToFile=/articles/news/&file=_news2.txt&article=1&tD=

it gave me a horrible pit in my stomach to read this.. as if i wasn't paranoid enough!

[MightyMitre]

Nasty! :mad:

The article said

" Be aware of your surroundings, - If Things that don’t look right probably are not.”

I reackon this is good advice.

Also, it's important to try and remember this sort of thing is incredibly rare and try not to let it rattle your nerves too much.

If I'm riding out alone I always let someone know where I'm going, even if it's only the general area I'll be in, and give them an idea of when I'll be back, even if it's as vague as 'I'll be back in a couple of hours ' which normally means 2 - 3 hours.

Ride safe

:)

[Trek420]

I hate this. Don't let fear stop you from riding, this stuff is real rare but it's true that you gotta trust your gut; if it feels odd/wrong it probably is.

As a rider you have options cars don't, hop the sidewalk, turn 180. better to look silly and be wrong than not trust your gut and get hurt.

[pedalfaster]

Yeah what the other posters said...

Don't let fear stop you from doing something you love.

Shortly before I left Austin (TX) a woman was murdered on the Barton Creek Greenbelt. At the time I rode and/or ran that trail at least 3 times per week. Sometimes with friends, but often alone.

After moving to this area, Jill Behrman was abducted (and killed) while riding her bike. You can read all about the case if you Google her name.

I still ride alone.

It is a choice I make. I have decided that the joy and the health benefits I get from riding out-weigh the risks.

It doesn't mean that this is done mindlessly, for more tips on riding alone check out this thread. (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1536)

[syklnsoph]

hi there everyone!~
the key here is don't be a victim. don't 'look' like one and keep your wits about you. just like you were in a dark parking lot.....keys out, checking out the area, be aware of your surroundings. look around, but don't look like a scared timid victim. it's doubly hard when you are on a bike and things are wizzing by you and the scenery changes. also try to vary you times and not on the same routes every day, day in and day out. leave 10-15 minutes early or late, and for God's sake, only wear one earphone if you listen to the radio/cd/mp3. keep one on the road and surroundings.
be safe everyone.
syklnsoph

[kimba]

We have a similar case here- A woman from my hometown-
Ardeth Wood -
disappeared off a popular cycling path in Ottawa.
They found her bike in a creek and her drowned body sometime later.She'd been sexually assaulted.
So there's another thing - be careful around waterways- it's easy for you and your bike to be pushed into the water.
This case is also not solved.

It's a tragedy- we've talked about this before here, where men don't understand-

y'know- when I was a kid, I thought nothing of going out on a evening ride- no light I could see well enough by the streetlights-
then one night I was coming home from work at a restaurant about midnight- I was roughly 5 blocks from home...when...I was stopped by two guys in a car-
I got scared and bailed - told them to *&$! off -and I led them on a merry chase I can tell you! They got me cornered when I got into an unfamiliar subdivision- I was on a driveway though- and I figured I could yell Fire- or at least there was some help...and I turned to face them- I wasn't giving up- but I knew I could get away faster on my bike-
the one guy told me he was a cop!
Yeah- as if....
I made him show me his ID- and badge. From about 6 feet away- they had a police light in their car too- they were in an unmarked car-but they had to radio their dispatcher and let me hear it before I believed them...)(My Dad, brother and 1st cousin are all cops)

And they were indeed both cops-
investigating some robbery where they saw a male suspect ride off on a bike- ( I was wearing a hoodie and jeans so I guess that's why they stopped me- that was before bike gear was mainstream.)

but - it made me think about how easily it would be to kidnap someone.
and they were idiots- when they pulled up beside me- and tried to impair my progress by trapping me against the curb - they didn't flash ID and they were in plain clothes- I just hopped the curb and took off-
I hadn't remembered that till now-

Ride safe- pay attention to creepy feelings- stay alert...keep to well lit roads...
I still don't like to ride at night- even with a high intensity light!

Some time before this incident...I'd had a drunken idiot in a car follow me home and try to tell me he was a cop- Luckily I had my key ready and got into the house- and called the real cops- there was no car in my vicinity...that's why I didn't go right home when these guys stopped me.

When I was 9 I was abducted in a shopping centre by a guy who told me he was a cop-
so even if they tell you they are a cop don't let your guard down- be prepared to fight or flee....
who knows the circumstances of these abductions?
We have this one guy who is the self proclaimed guardian of the cycling pathways in my town....
He's a bit weird but harmless- I think. But he wears police issue pants,his jacket looks like security or police - his bike is decked out with lights and he has stopped people.He looks official - if he was up to no good, I'm sure people would think he had an official capacity and stop for him...
So- I guess you just can't trust anyone.

Anyway- sorry for the rant...
but it sickens me what happens and why we can't feel safe.

Kimba