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I just read the article this morning that a woman went out to ride her bike yesterday evening on the Silver Comet Trail here in Atlanta and didn't come home. :( Her car was found at the trailhead. Please keep her in your thoughts as they search for her. It is sad when things like this happen....
Here is the link: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9576152/detail.html
I saw that too. I don't ride there very often but I always think of it as a safe place to ride alone since there's usually so many people around. I guess you need to be careful no matter where you ride.
It's the ONE place that I always felt safe riding alone. Especially the section that she was on. She was riding on the more 'populated' sections of the trail - usually lots of other riders, walkers, runners, etc. I really never thought twice about riding alone out there. If I had no one else to ride with, that's where I always went. Until this is resolved, I think I'll stick to the roads...
I hope she's found safe and sound. Please keep us posted.
We have a nice paved trail here and I've always felt very safe riding on it, however, there have been a few incidents on it recently that have made me question that.
That's really frightening..... I hope that she is found safe & sound!!
There are so many crazy people in this world.....
God Bless Her!!
Denise
Wow, how sad. I hope they find her. Let us know if you hear anymore.
A friend of mine is doing the search and rescue (she has a dog trained in Canine S&R) so she'll let me know anything as it happens, and I'll let y'all know.
hello ladies - This really grabbed my attention. I found another article about this with some phone #'s and contact info within.
If you are familiar with this area/trail - please pass on this info to anyone within even 100 miles of it.
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_art...?storyid=82474
How dreadful. Please keep us updated.
I have always felt pretty safe there too and I guess I still do since people also disappear from their homes, malls, etc. The area that she put in is very populated and is right near a Publix shopping center but as you get out about 20 miles it becomes a little more rural, crosses a couple of small dirt roads, passes a water treatment plant, and wooded areas. It also passes behind many houses along the way.
It just makes me nauseous when I read stories like this....:(
I saw the same thread(I'm in Ga). That's really sad and I hope they find her. Recently, a jogger was attacked on that same trail I think. Why can't those sick people leave folks alone to exercise in peace. That's what a lot of exercise is "solitude". My prayers go to her and her family.
I've been following this one closely and I am sad to say that the local news has reported that a body has been found just off the trail. No official confirmation but it is believed to be the body of the missing woman. Cause of death was not clear. For my own peace of mind, I am hoping it was just a tragic accident. There are a few spots on the trail where, if you were to lose control of your bike (trying to avoid a squirrel or something) and go off the trail into the woods, you could find yourself going down into a ravine. Maybe she just had a bad crash. My brain doesn't even want to consider the alternative right now.
Skibum --
:( Reading your post made my heart hurt.... Please keep us informed, our news up here in Mass hasn't mentioned anything....
My prayers go out to her family....
I can't even imagine:( ...
Denise
Yeah, I just read about it. There are areas that you can see tops of trees not too far off the path. I always make my DH ride on that side because I get squirrelly on high or narrow areas. Either way it's tragic but I am hoping for my faith in humanity and that it turns out to be a freak accident.
The latest reports say they found her body near the 14-mile mark. Well within the more popular (and populated) section of the trail, right near the Hiram trailhead. I'm going over that section in my head, and it all seems pretty flat there - no ravines or ditches nearby. This is so upsetting. I really can't believe that something could happen out there in broad daylight. I used to ride the length of the trail - even the remote sections - all winter long, when there was rarely ever anyone out there. I guess that's gonna stop.
As of 4:15PM EDT
SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) -- Officials in Paulding County found a woman's body Wednesday along the Silver Comet Trail, and a Smyrna Police Department spokesman said the body was believed to be that of a missing 54-year-old woman.
Jennifer Ewing of Sandy Springs had gone riding on the trail on Tuesday, but failed to return home.
"What we believe to be the body of Jennifer Ewing" has been found in Paulding County, Smyrna spokesman Sgt. Robert Harvey said. "The body has not been positively identified by the GBI."
Harvey said he believed Ewing's bicycle was also found, but said he had few details of the discovery somewhere in Paulding County.
uh oh. if they aren't saying "this was an accident" that probably means foul play was involved?
Oh my gosh, I just feel so awful for her and for her family:( :(
oh my goodness...that is just soo sad.
Such terrible news. I had prayed she would have been found alive. :(
GBI is treating this as a criminal investigation, and my friend who works along with them has implied that it was intentional. I'll keep y'all posted. This is really shaking the local cycling community here. We're a pretty small bunch, and this is being felt deeply. I'm just so sad. I'm a member of a women's cycling club, and I can't help but wonder if this could have been prevented if she had been a member and could have found someone to ride with. However, I also hate that we need to group up to do somehting that should be able to be enjoyed alone. I loved going out there, putting my head down and putting in my own miles, at my own pace, for my own distance. I'm so upset by this. I really used the trail alot, particularly in winter when no one else liked to ride.
I'm with you on all of this PW. I usually ride with a group but sometimes I have my own schedule, my own goals, or just a desire for some solitude and will ride alone. Right now, I'm not sure that's such a good idea and, like you, I hate that I feel like I have to ride with someone else just to feel safe. I was planning to do a solo ride this Sunday (not on the Silver Comet). Until today, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Now, I wonder if I should change my plans.
It's incredibly sad and I feel so bad for her family.
That is absolutely horrible. I cry every time I hear stories like this one. Would the people who are obviously close enough to get news keep us in the loop?
I ride by myself frequently, always have and always will, but I know freak things can happen. I try to keep it in my mind that these are random acts and hope that my time is not up.
SO sad to hear this:(
this is really sad. my heart and thoughts go out to family and friends.
This is such sad news. My heart goes out to her family, and all in the cycling community there.
It also reinforces the importance of wearing ID. I don't know if they truly couldn't identify her, or were holding off until the family had been informed. But how horrible to be unidentifyable.
So sorry for all.
What a tragedy. And it is scary. I've been tempted to go on a bike trail near me one of these days but it does have a lot of areas that with trees and dense foliage -- you can hear the traffic which runs adjacent to the trail but can't see it. And even though I used to walk it with my dog, the idea of going there these days leaves me a bit uneasy.
I think I need to follow my gut, at least until I can talk to people more familiar with the trail.
Please keep us posted about that poor woman and her family.
Maybe it will still end up being natural causes....
I wish that were the case... the evening news confirmed that she was killed:Quote:
Originally Posted by pooks
"Police say they believe that Ewing was murdered -- and that her body showed signs of trauma. Officials say they first found her shorts around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning before finding her partially clothed body.
Officials say they believe it was a random murder and that they do have several leads."
For those who are interested in following the story, it has been on the front page of all our local news websites. Here's the links I've been checking:
http://www.wsbtv.com
http://www.ajc.com
Lise, I don't know if she had ID or not but I get the impression that they new who she was, they were just following official police procedure by not declaring it to be her until she had been positively identified and the family notified.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lise
Such tragedy, I can't even begin to imagine what her family is going through.
I absolutely feel sick about it. The cycling community is reeling and it is not fair that women can not ride bikes alone without worrying about being prey for some sick f*ck :mad: . Sorry but I am going through the "anger" phase right now. I don't know why this is affecting me so much today.
I thought that when they found the bike that maybe it was an accident, but now they are saying that the bike was found "somewhere in Paulding County" meaning not necessarily with her body. Also the latest I read said her shorts were found first and then her partially clothed body was found later. This isn't intended to upset you guys further but I just wanted to provide the details. The article did say that the police are following leads.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9576152/detail.html
This is sick. A few years ago in a very sleepy community near here a college girl running went missing. She was in a quiet suburban neighborhood in broad daylight. I love to go running by myself, but I hate having to watch over my shoulder. One time I had to turn and go home because there was a shady looking man just sitting in his car watching the trail. I hate these random acts by sick individuals that put us women in fear.
:( This is such a sad story and it DOES suck that we have to worry about riding alone. It definitely makes me think twice about riding trails. While I generally feel safer since there is no traffic, I hadn't thought about how isolating it can be. I'm lucky to have a partner to cycle with, but when we can't ride together, I'll be sticking to the roads, where it's more populated.
The latest news isn't good. It's very upsetting, so read with caution: http://www.11alive.com/news/news_art...?storyid=82521
I can't shake the sadness either. I've been crying all day, for a woman I've never met. But again - I know her - she could be me, or anyone of the other women I know and ride with. Skibum and I have run into each other on that very trail - good god, right in that area of the trail - each of us, riding alone. It could have been any one of us. I'm sorry, this has really shaken me to the core.
I know they have a few suspects, and I can only hope they catch him. Will I be able to ride alone again? I just don't know.
I hate to use this opportunity to advertise the club I'm in, but Sorella is up to over 85 members. It's open to women who ride on other teams - encourages them actually. It's just a good place to find someone to ride with. With so many women, you can always find someone to join you on a ride. Unfortunately, I don't always want to ride with people. (Yup, painfully shy and horribly introverted.)
I'm still just shaken about this. I was going to do a century out there on Sunday.
Skibum, please try to find someone to join you on your ride. A bunch of folks are meeting in Helen on Saturday to do the back 3 gaps, with a detour to Wolfpen too, so a modified 4-gap (Hogpen, Wolfpen, Jacks, and Unicoi) and there will be a vast variety of speeds, with regroups on teh summits. Think aobut joining us. A few of us are also riding on Sunday - not sure where, but I'll let you know.
I don't ride bike paths, but I do mtn bike on deserted trails. On our women's mtn bike ride the other night, we were having a discussion about riding alone. Most of us do it on the open road all the time without any fear or hesitation. However, most of us also said that we wouldn't mtn bike alone. Why? Safety. The overwhelming feeling is that too many bad things can happen to you when no one's around to see. And, if something bad happens, no one might pass by to find you.
I know many less experienced riders like to ride on bike paths because they don't feel comfortable riding on the road. However, don't lull yourself into a sense of safety.
This is a tragic event and I hope you're all safe and aware when you ride!
You're absolutely right. I was terrified to ride the roads and stuck mainly to the paths in the beginning. Fortunately one of them is a very and heavily travelled beach path. I did however, take off up the Santa Ana River Trail by myself once and reached an area that I wasn't comfortable in, and turned around quickly. It wasn't smart of me to be out there alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by velogirl
How tragic for her family. My heart goes out to them.
I'm still very much bothered but have made peace with the situation overnight as it was tearing me up inside.
PW and skibum, are you the gals that blew me off the trail the other weekend? :D I would love to ride with you all sometime. I live on the south side of ATL and make it up to the trail 1-2 times a month right now.
My thoughts go out to the family and to the local cycling community - it is indeed a horrific tragedy.
Again, we have a risk issue. Relatively, how many people are attacked on trails vs hit by cars each year? One incident hit us at our very souls, because it is an personal attack, I totally agree. But realistically, is one statistically safer than the other? And please, don't misunderstand, I am not trying to minmize this incident in the LEAST or imply that this woman is a statistic, or anyone else who is a victim of crime or accident.Quote:
I know many less experienced riders like to ride on bike paths because they don't feel comfortable riding on the road. However, don't lull yourself into a sense of safety.
I agree that nobody should be lulled into a false sense of safety - what we do have to do is decide which risks we are more willing to take on and are more comfortable with.
PW, I will find someone to ride with Sunday or will make other plans. I'm sure I'll ride alone sometime in the future but I'm still too shaken up about this to go out alone this weekend. Most of my riding buddies are doing the gaps on Sunday but it just won't work for me this week (or Saturday for that matter, but thanks for inviting me along). My goal for Sunday is to ride Silk Sheets starting around 11am. We can chat offline... if I don't find someone to ride with me on Sun, I may join in with whatever your group decides to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedal Wench
I woke up today, thinking that this whole situation was just a nightmare. That some maniac who attacked a woman I don't know couldn't change me, couldn't change how I go about my day. But it did. I know that we all take risks. The difference is that I know cycling is inherently dangerous. Accidents happen all the time. But, they're accidents. This was no accident. This shouldn't be on my list of risks. Flat tires, blow outs, falls - those are the risks we should just accept. This is different, and need to be dealt with differently.
I'm sure that in time, I'll be able to ride alone. I love my 'alone' time. I can feel like Superwoman, because I have no one to gauge my speed against. I hope that when they catch this monster that I'll be able to feel that way again.
Thanks everyone for letting us vent about this. It has really affected the local community. This is a very popular trail, and if people stop using it out of fear, then it really will become more of a problem.
SB - we'll talk.
Cindylou - it wasn't me blowing by you. First, I don't blow by much, except perhaps a turtle or two, and second, I haven't been out there in a month or so. And when I was there, I was alone - as usual!
Well, they're probably going to catch the moron who did it.
Sounds like he doesn't make real good choices in life.. and she fought
like a wild cat... Because she fought, there is probably lots of good DNA
evidence that will hang this guy.
I agree with you mimitabby - when i was updating my bf on this tragic story - (and he was again saying why I shouldn't have gone out on a new 20 mile route last night so close to dark)
I saw the positive being that she fought like hell. Good for her - I find everything I have read about her to be extremely inspirational - and sadly, had this tragedy not occurred, I would've probably never even heard of her.
Even inspiring through tragedy is still....inspiring.
And - the fact that she fought - will most definitely mean that there will be exclamatory evidence against this freak show that killed her. Granted I get a lot of my crime evidence info from my favorite shows (Law & Order, CSI, and Cold Case) but a lot of that stuff is still partially factual - right?