Grizzly and bicycles

[starmac]

It sounds like they do not mix. I saw a story aout a cyclist that rounded a curve and ran slam into a grizzly in Mt. The guy behind him backed away and got away, but the one that crashed into him was not so lucky.

Sad deal, and I can see how it could happen quick.

[shtur]

I think the grizzlies call them "meals on wheels"

[starmac]

A couple of years ago there was a smallish 3 to 400 pound griz hung out close to the road digging up the tundra up north. Lots of people would stop and film it, and it didn't pay any attention, but a guy came by on a bicycle and it started trotting along behind him. It didn't get in a big hurry like it was really after it, but enough to have the guy on the bike standing up and peddling as hard as he could go. A truck coming to meet them saw what was going on and pulled over and stopped between them. lol

[waksupi]

That happened about a year ago, north of me about 30 miles. The guy was a ranger, and was very familiar with bears. He just had the bad luck of coming into a blind spot the same time the bear did. Pretty much unavoidable accident.

[jmort]

Bad deal all around.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...-cop/98828300/

[bedbugbilly]

Seems to me I remember reading a story about this. It didn't work out to well of the guy but it didn't for the bear either. When he went to flee the scene of the incident, he discovered his feet didn't reach the pedals.

shtur - that comment of your's made my day! Got a good chuckle out of it!

[runfiverun]

Bears go after bikes for the same reason dogs do.
the pedaling motion makes you look like easy prey running away.

[Geezer in NH]

I think the grizzlies call them "meals on wheels"

[Silfield]

I think the grizzlies call them "meals on wheels"

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

It sounds like they do not mix. I saw a story aout a cyclist that rounded a curve and ran slam into a grizzly in Mt. The guy behind him backed away and got away, but the one that crashed into him was not so lucky.

Sad deal, and I can see how it could happen quick.

His name was Brad Treat, USFS Law enforcement, and an personal freind of mine.
The investigation results where released earlier this week, it was simply an fluke and
un-avoidable accident. He was doing about 25 MHP, rounded the corner and bam, bear.
The semi spooky thing was, he hiked that same trail earlier that day with his wife.
He was one of the few "woods cops" here who wasnt a prick.

[thegatman]

His name was Brad Treat, USFS Law enforcement, and an personal freind of mine.
The investigation results where released earlier this week, it was simply an fluke and
un-avoidable accident. He was doing about 25 MHP, rounded the corner and bam, bear.
The semi spooky thing was, he hiked that same trail earlier that day with his wife.
He was one of the few "woods cops" here who wasnt a prick.

I visited Kalispell last year. Love it up there. You are sooo lucky.

[10x]

Bears go after bikes for the same reason dogs do.
the pedaling motion makes you look like easy prey running away.

if it runs it is food

[JWT]

My wife and 12yr old son were on that trail the previous week

[jsizemore]

This has to be one of the reasons why automobiles were invented. It's like surfing in the shark's lunch zone.

[10x]

This has to be one of the reasons why automobiles were invented. It's like surfing in the shark's lunch zone.

Indeed, a while back some friends and I did a motorcycle trip on the Alaska highway. There were several bears feasting on a road killed moose in the ditch with a number of motor homes stopped and taking videos. A feeding bear is only dangerous when you get too close and threaten the food. My friends and I idled through the motorhome maze. it is amazing how folks will position their vehicles so they can get the best video of bear. One guy had the entire road blocked because he was crossways - the back end of the motor home over the East ditch leaving about 2 feet of shoulder to ride on past the front bumper. Riding through the east ditch was out of the question as there was still about 2 inches of snow from the late June snow storm left over from the previous night.
The bears never even looked up as we slowly went past the front bumper of the motorhome - about 8 feet from the carcass. Not the most pleasant experience.

[Geezer in NH]

Somebody deserved a dope slap there.

[johnson1942]

beware of bull buffalo also. a fair number of big city tourist have been killed up in western s.dak by bull buffalo when they walked up to them, put their arm around the bull buffalos neck and said take my picture. the last two ended up hanging in the branches of a black pine tree deader than a door nail. around my house its those ever present lurking mountain lions. i have a little pocket 38 for those guys.