JonnyHK 

I'm not sure what is worse. The fact that someone does this, or the fact that they seem to have done it before.

Losing full road access for part of one day of the year must really annoy this clown.

Tack attack deflates bay cyclists
Megan Levy
October 17, 2011

Thumb tacks were deliberately thrown across the road during yesterday's Around the Bay, puncturing the tyres of up to 12 cyclists who have blasted the stunt as dangerous and "revolting".

Cyclists in the 210-kilometre event around Port Phillip, Australia's largest bike ride, were nearing Rosebud when their tyres began popping about 3.30pm.

Simon Kennedy said one of his cycling group received a puncture, while up to 12 others in nearby riding groups also had to stop and fix their pierced tyres.

They discovered another 20 thumb tacks scattered across the road and cleared them away.

<snip>

https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ta...017-1lt2w.html

Juha

We have a certain residential area where a bunch of tacks is repeatedly found spread across the MUP. I've picked up two, and consider myself lucky as I've been commuting back and forth through that area for a decade now.

Rumor says whoever is doing it is actually targeting dogs, which would be sick beyond belief. Sadly my anecdotal evidence offers some support to this, because the few times I've caught a tack, I've been on a combined ped/bike MUP. Normally I ride on the designated, grade separated bike lanes that lead through the area. Zero incidents on those.

Chris516

I have been lucky to rarely come across tacks on the road, sidewalk or MUP.

TheHen

This is the type of news that might be best left unreported to prevent copy-cats, at least until the ******* is caught.

CB HI

The story says it happens every year. Why have the cops not set up video surveillance of the area before this years event to catch the criminals?

Mithrandir

210 km? I doubt the government is going to care about cyclists enough to put up full coverage cameras along the entire route to catch a bunch of immature pranksters.

Of course, I don't live in Australia, so I have no idea how their gov't works, but that would never happen in the US.

JonnyHK 

It's a very long ride. Maybe the perp moves 100m up the road after they see the camera installed (they are probably local).

Only thing you can do is have a few extra volunteers walk that section during the event, watch for suspicious folks and sweep it.

CB HI

Is Rosebud and Frankston really 210km?

Mithrandir

No idea but I was already thinking ahead. Say they put a camera there, the guy wises up to it and simply dumps them somewhere else. Ergo, all 210km need to be covered depending on how dedicated our fiend is. Given that he does it every year, I'd say "very".

CB HI

Dumb clowns like that do not wise up until after they are arrested and see the video of their dumb act in court. Seriously, how many dumb criminals still get arrested because the were on video robbing a convenience store.

Video from Rosebud to Frankston overnight and during the ride and you will get them next year.

Digital_Cowboy

A couple of questions, are these courses closed to other traffic? If so or even if not, why can't someone from the race/ride walk the course beforehand and inspect it to make sure that no one has tried to sabotage the course?

JonnyHK 

Course is not fully closed - it covers way too much of the city. Mostly there are special lanes marked of and more control at intersections.

But yes - there should be enough volunteers to monitor a few km of road for cleaning purposes. Unless the culprit is very quick to drop the tacks between the sweeps and in a gap between riders (ie someone to raise a 'hue and cry') it should be possible to make it too difficult to get away with.

HokuLoa

Yeah, deplorable and sadly not isolated. There are similar incidents in my area w/ relative frequency. One place in particular is a steep mountain decent repeatedly hit with tacks. They suspect it is a local resident trying to discourage use by cyclists (the route is popular and well used especially on weekends).

unterhausen

that sounds dangerous enough they should find out who is buying tacks at Walmart and cross check with local addresses

Digital_Cowboy

Not to sound paranoid, but it is possible that the person putting the tacks in the road has some connection to the race? I'm not saying that they are one of the organizers, but someone who has a "wild hair" up their "fourth point of contact" about bicycles and is using being a volunteer as a cover to sabotage the race.

ChasH

This is true. Reminds me of those moroons who shine laser pointers into the eyes of pilots.

Digital_Cowboy

True, but IF it isn't covered then how are other race/event organizers going to know what to be on the lookout for?

I'd like to know what they're thinking when they do that? It'd be poetic justice if when someone does this stuff that one of their loved ones was on the plane.

fuji86

A few years back, I went to a Firestone dealership to have the tires rotated for the Ford Ranger truck I had at the time. They had a couple of tires on display and they both had a dozen or so nails in them. There are ******** that do this with nails for car tires too. I don't doubt that some places and their employees are the one's doing it ? I mean, imagine the money they could make replacing them in any given community ? Even if it's just a tire patch or plug it's employment & revenue either way.

smasha

simple answer: the cops don't care. or at least, they don't care enough to stake out the course.

there's nothing stopping people from doing DIY surveillance... and since the cops don't seem to care, maybe dispensing some DIY justice

Pug

Lots of crazies out there. And they do crazy things.

smasha

"Bike ABQ hopes word of the wire incidents makes cyclists and runners more vigilant along the paths."

WTF???

is that an advocacy group? i'd expect a flippant comment like that from the police... like, "oh well, cyclists need to be more careful."

i hope they catch the guy, and after he's beaten severely (resisting arrest? ) that he's convicted for reckless endangerment and attempted murder.

why is that if these types of cases targeted cars or pedestrians, i think the police action would be immediate and unambiguous....? but attacks against bicyclists? they take that as seriously as a stink-bomb at a star-wars convention.

nelson249

Had some joker flash a laser light at me on the bike at night. Told the litte sh*t right off too.

JonnyHK 

A lot of arsonists turn out to be firemen...

Digital_Cowboy

Agreed, it's sad that those who are suppose to be protecting us are also the ones most likely to be doing us harm.

ChasH

Wow - that would royally *iss me off. But at least a cyclist can jump off the bike and confront the nasty liitle ****. Hard to do that in a Cessna, not that this has happened to me yet up there but near some airports it isn't so uncommon.