Bicyclist Going 45 MPH Hits Bear In Boulder Co.

[bunnydodger]

Not sure where to post this, but thought this was quite a story!!

http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/bi....2.757376.html

[PscyclePath]

Not sure where to post this, but thought this was quite a story!!

http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/bi....2.757376.html

Glad to hear that the bear and the bike both came out okay...

I'm not sure whether Colorado law considers bears and other large critters as "pedestrians," but the 45 mph speed is a little over the top. The law in most states requires that you ride only as fast as you can control your bike and prevent these sorts of collisions, a more common-sense approach is that you should ride only as fast as your guardian angel can fly

Yeah, it's fun and a thrill... but what if that had been a little old lady, or a child that stepped out in the road like that?

[Veronica]

Hopefully the little old lady or the kid would have looked both ways before stepping out into the street.

I've always assumed that speed limit for cyclists was the posted limit on the road.

V.

[Melalvai]

Tim Egan, 53, was riding on Old Stage Road Tuesday afternoon when suddenly a bear appeared in front of him. Egan hit the bear and ended up skidding across the road.

"This bear looked at me with a look of terror on his face and sort of made a noise," said Egan. "I looked at him with a look of terror and we went, 'aaaahhhhh.'"

He cracked some ribs, suffered cuts on his head and had road rash. Egan said he and the bike flipped and flew over the bear, hitting the pavement hard.

The bear ran away after the accident when a deer appeared.

The bike hitting the bear is odd enough, but the bear fleeing from a deer?

Egan's nephew ran to help the injured cyclist.

"When I tell people, they say 'right, are you kidding me, who hits a bear?'"

Egan estimated he was going about 45 mile per hour at impact. He said the bear was about six feet tall and probably weighed 500 pounds.

His bike was okay so he got back on it and pedaled to the hospital.

At this point I was starting to think "is this a hoax?"

Egan said he was relieved his kidneys weren't damaged because he plans to donate one to his sister later this year.

I'm nearly sure it's an april fools story or something and started looking for the clues...but it seems legitimate...I didn't snopes it though.

The accident was the second involving a bear and cyclist in Left Hand Canyon in the past two years. A woman in the Boulder Triathlon ran into a bear in the same area last year.

Mark Twain would be proud...truth is stranger than fiction...

[Tuckervill]

But he lives in Colorado. It's almost impossible NOT to go that fast going downhill.

I hit a max speed on my ride yesterday of 34.5. I didn't know I was going that fast until I checked at the bottom. (I was afraid to look away from the road!) That's the fastest I've ever gone. I can't imagine what 45 feels like!

Karen

[Skierchickie]

I can't imagine what 45 feels like!

Karen

45 feels fantastic! As long as the road is smooth, there is no gravel, and, well, as long as a bear doesn't step in front of you!

I was speeding today! I was riding down a big hill into town (when I say town, I don't mean town - just the city limits of a town of 7000 people), and working fairly hard to get up to speed. I hit 40.3 somewhere in the 45mph zone, but was at 39 when the limit dropped to 35. Now where is a cop when you need one? I'd be happy to get that ticket.

I do not want to hit a bear on my bike. It really does seems unlikely that anybody could hit a 500lb bear at 45mph, not damage his bike, and keep riding. I wonder if it was smaller (it seems like people who come face to face with bears generally think the bear is much bigger than it really is, until they think about it). I talked to somebody who met one when re came around a curve while leading a trail run (race). Afterward his eyes were like saucers, and he said "it must have been 400, ... 300, ...it must have been 200 pounds!"

[SadieKate]

Yeah, most people exaggerate size but . . . .

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Black_Bear

The American Black Bear usually ranges in length from 150 to 180 cm (60 to 72 inches) and typically stands about 80 to 95 cm (34 to 48 inches) at the shoulder. Standing up on its hind feet, a black bear can be up to 7 feet tall[3]. Males are 33% larger than females.[4] Females weigh between 40 and 180 kg (90 and 400 pounds); males weigh between 115 and 275 kg (250 and 600 pounds) [1]. Adult black bears seldom exceed 300 kg (660 pounds) [2] but exceptionally large males have been recorded from the wild at up to 240 cm (95 inches) long and at least 365 kg (800 pounds). The biggest American black bear ever recorded was a male from North Carolina that weighed 880 lbs (400 kilograms)[5].

I'm sure those two cubs who darted out in front of Bubba were around 80 lbs, getting close to Rottweiler size. Mom was muuh much larger, maybe 4 times or more their weight.

[DDH]

Wow, I'm afraid I would have made a mess in my shorts and not been able to ride my bike even if the bike was still ridable.

I can belive the story easy enough. Animals come out in front of cars all the time, dont' think it'd know the difference in a bicycle.
Poor bear, was just plugging along and got hit and it probably still doesn't know what hit it.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

I hit a max speed on my ride yesterday of 34.5. I didn't know I was going that fast until I checked at the bottom. (I was afraid to look away from the road!) That's the fastest I've ever gone. I can't imagine what 45 feels like!

Karen

A little ot here, but were you on the WNR in Tulsa??

[Tuckervill]

Nope--Does Tulsa have hills like that? I live in NW Arkansas, so there are some real hills--but I avoid most of them.

Karen

[BadgerGirl]

I have ridden on Old Stage Rd/Lefthand Canyon and several others which lead you into the foothills. Foothills in Colorado mean real mountains. It is easily possible to hit 45 mph on you bike on this roadway and I am sure the speed limit is probably 45 or 50 mph. And on this roadway, small children and/or grandma wouldn't be crossing the road. It is a canyon road with a river and sheer rock walls on it. There are a few driveways leading from it.

Just the other day, I hit 42 mph on a hill in Wisconsin. The speed limit is 45 at this part of the roadway. I guess it is how much risk you are willing to take.

This isn't the first time a bicyclist in the Boulder area has hit a bear. I am just glad everyone is alright.

[sundial]

I hit a max speed on my ride yesterday of 34.5.

Where? In Fayetteville?

I've got some pretty good climbs near my house and I did the same speed going down a steep hill. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

Ahh.. Okay. I thought from an earlier post where you mentioned Tulsa that you might live here. I understand now...

I used to live in Bella Vista with my parents - some years back, mind you.

Yep - we have a few pretty good gut buster hills over here... One good downer where I've hit 49.2! It IS scary! I cannot imagine hitting ANYTHING and walking away. Woof...

[imdeanna]

Bear attacks teenaged girl during bike raceby Jill Burke
Sunday, June 29, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A teenage mountain bike racer is fighting for her life after being attacked by a bear on a Hillside trail early Sunday morning.

Her own quick thinking and the help of other racers competing in a day-long, overnight event likely saved her life.

Police have not released the victim's name at her family's request but authorities say she is expected to survive.

A sign on the trail tells it all: a mother grizzly bear with cubs is in Far North Bicentennial Park. And she is protective.

She charged at runners a few weeks ago and may be the same bear that mauled the young mountain bike racer.

Medic Mike Crotty was escorted into the dark woods by shotgun-armed officers in order to help the 15-year-old girl.

The teen was participating in a 24-hour bike race hosted by the Arctic Bicycle Club.

Riders, individually or in teams, biked a circuit of Hillside trails repeatedly, covering a loop nearly nine miles in length.

In past years the race was held at Kincaid Park.

Pete Basinger is a former winner who happened to find the teenager after the bear attack.

Anchorage Fire Department spokesperson Cleo Hill says the girl tried to call 911 but was unable to speak. Dispatchers could only hear someone struggling to breathe, who then whispered one word, "bear," before the line went dead.

Operators called the phone back. Another racer picked up the ringing phone and help quickly rushed in. Rescuers hiked nearly two miles to reach the girl.

Department of Fish and Game biologist Rick Sinnott also responded to the scene.

He told the Anchorage Daily News the teen suffered injuries to her head, torso and thigh. She also had a punctured lung, he said.

Police say she has spent the day undergoing surgery and is in critical but stable condition.

[Tuckervill]

Where? In Fayetteville?

I've got some pretty good climbs near my house and I did the same speed going down a steep hill. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!

It was in Rogers. They take me on these club rides and I never know where I am, but I do usually know where I am in relation to XNA! I can always go there and find my way home.

Karen