Mountain - Plains - Dangerous Place on Bear Creek Bike Path

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johnnyb
08-08-07, 05:21 AM
On the Bear Creek Trail Detour just west of the Platte River Trail the detour goes west and is north of all the digging/construction then heads back south down a short jog of about 50 yards downhill then at the bottom of the hill turns 90 degrees (or more) back west and there is a very short (6 feet) wood bridge. It is EXTREMELY dangerous when wet. You can’t go fast because the turn is too sharp so I wasn't going fast. It was wet Sunday and had some mud on it you couldn’t see because it was the same color as the wood. Bike went out from under me to the left and I got road rash and worse, the bike derailleur was broken off my Eddy Merckx road bike. Jury isn’t in on the repair but it could be very expensive. Met cyclist after the accident who told me he knows 10 cyclists who have gone down there and at the Denver Spoke they had more than one client that had gone down there. When wet I will walk it next time.

RobertHurst
08-09-07, 11:16 AM
I have a friend who knocked some teeth out and put a hole through his lip on that exact bridge on a rainy night.

It's the strip of metal at the end of the bridge that does it. Extremely slippery when wet. This goes not only for these strips but for any metal surface. If you try to turn on it you're done for.

Robert
colorado dale
08-09-07, 04:47 PM
Your accelaration must be incredible! At the bottom of the hill before the 90 turn is a STOP sign.
Maybe I'm just getting old I don't to seem to be able to be above a walking pace crossing that bridge

johnnyb
08-20-07, 03:21 PM
EXACTLY...a walking pace. There is no metal strip on this one....all the rest have them though. I was practically at a standstill because you have to to get around the corner. I didn't stop but was barely going around the corner because, as you point out, it is a 90 degree turn and maybe 5 feet across there. It was mud on the bridge (it's really only about 6 feet of wood right at the turn that they used to go over culvert or something not a real bridge..that comes up next) and the mud was wet. Must have been clay because it was slicker than snot. That's why I was so stunned.

I ride carefully as I see so many ditzes hauling butt on paths with walkers, runners, etc. etc. and you can see the accidents coming. Many real dopes out there.

If it's wet again I walk it.

J