From “Tales from the Trail” Blog – shared with 303cycling
“He manages to shove me on top of the boulder, all the while punching my head, jaw, helmet, and anything he can reach.”
“Getting stomp’d” out on the trail can have a variety of different meanings, and I’m about to get into my personal account from this past weekend. First and foremost, this is a personal story that I debated whether or not to even put out there. After some chats with D2 and Dirty about the pros and cons, I’m convinced that posting this will hopefully have more positive results than negative, so here we go.
I headed out to North Table Mountain in Golden, CO on Saturday for a quick ride. It’s the closest trail to my house, and with a 10 month old at home I try to keep my mountain bike rides shorter than they used to be. Not long into the ride as I was climbing up a portion of trail, I came behind a runner who was wearing headphones that wrapped around his neck, and a shirt/jersey that said either “COM” or “COR”. I rang my bell a few times to let him know I was approaching from behind (this had never been an issue when sharing trail with hikers, runners, and other mountain bikers), but I don’t see any acknowledgement that he heard my bell. I slowed down and before I could ask to pass, another mountain biker (who had pulled off to yield as they were descending) said, “there is a bike behind that wants to pass”. The runner pulled off the trail, and as I passed I shook my head (the use of two earbuds or full headphones when on crowded trails drives me nuts as it’s a safety issue for everyone involved). The runner obviously didn’t like me shaking my head and shouted, “shake your head at me again, and I’ll beat your motherfucking ass!” Fun times, but I keep riding.
About 20 minutes later, I’m climbing up a different trail and see a runner coming in the opposite direction. I pull off to the side of the trail to let the runner pass, and I recognize the “COM” or “COR” on the shirt as the guy who yelled at me before. He is nearly past me, when he says, “I remember you”, then suddenly and aggressively moves towards me. Unprovoked, he grabs me by my throat …
Read the full story
Basic description is white male, somewhere in his 30s-40s, 6 feet tall, and somewhere between 180-190 pounds. On that day he was wearing black shorts, wrap around headphones, and a black or dark blue shirt with either “COM” or “COR” on it. Given that he was able to duck into a local neighborhood and wasn’t found, it seems likely that he lives in Golden and will be back out on North Table Mountain. If you encounter someone that fits that description please reach out to either the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (303) 271-0211, or the Jefferson County Open Space (303) 271-5925. Also, if you have any information you think might be helpful you can email me at 40Hands@drunkcyclist.com.
This story also appeared on KUSA News
Sorry that you got hurt. Violence is illegal. Trails belong to everyone equally and they are under no obligation to move off of the trail for others. Probably was more to this including passing aggressively close and being intimidating and not just head shaking. I am guessing this because of the email address “drunkcyclist”. Alcoholics are unpleasant control freaks.