Originally Posted by calstar

Its fine to joke around about it, but serious situations DO exist. About 5yrs ago a mtbiker was killed by a mountain lion in SoCal. Her body was found partially eaten around 50yds from her bike down the side of a bank. It was suggested she was stopped and possibly bending over, easy prey for a 160lb lion(she weighed 120, but even a 200lb guy would be toast if attacked). Also have heard of mtbiker run down and killed by a grizzly bear in Alaska. Don't think you can ride fast enough to escape one of these top of the food chain predators; grizzlys can move at 35mph for sustained distances(I've seen films of them covering about 1/4 mile in rough terrain unbelievably quickly) and mountain lions, well, you're not going to ride away(especially on dirt) from a 160lb cat. If attacked by a big bear it's best to play dead(yeah, that would be easy) or you will be. If you come across a mtn lion you'er supposed to make yourself as large and threatening as possible(stand tall, wave you're arms, yell) DO NOT crouch down or run, both behaviors trigger attack responses. I hope none of us ever find ourselves in close proximity to these animals in a confrontational situation. And as always, its safer to ride with others.

be smart, be safe,


Brian