Mountain lion attacks cyclist

[p nut]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/cyclists-f...y?id=107339741

Glad she is ok. Crazy they pinned it down with a bike.

We have an over population of cougars in my area. I’m not afraid of bears or snakes. But when I’m out riding by myself in the early morning hours, especially on trails where I’ve seen deer kill, my head is on a swivel.

[dustyrider]

Man I so hope it was a carbon fiber bike! All joking aside, I’ve considered using my bike as a shield before, and now that I know there’s proof in concept it just requires a couple of buddies. I sure hope the 60 year young lady makes a full recovery.

[dave thompson]

I had to use my bike as a shield against a dog trying to attack my wife while on a ride. Worked pretty well though the dog managed to nip me ruining a pair of tights. Cost the owner a pretty stiff fine and a new pair of expensive bib tights.

[bikinchris]

Cougars are just big cats. They can NOT resist jumping on anything that is going by quickly. I would not ride anywhere where I knew there were big cats.

[jadmt]

came across this on a recent hike and this was caught on a camera a short distance away.

[Turkle]

The late Mike Davis had a fantastic essay about mountain lions and human encroachment on their habitat, collected in his book "Ecology of Fear." Worth reading.

[David Kirk]

I've seen mountain lions a few times during my time in Montana. The closest I was to one was about 15 feet. I was riding my MTB downhill on a double track trail that winds back and forth. Ahead of me, though the trees, I could see a tawny brown animal and I assumed it was a young muledeer. I slowed some to not scare it too much and when I rounded the corner closest to it we both stopped and froze.

It was a full grown mountain lion and we had a moment of staring at each other and then it bounded off through the tall grass looking like one of my house cats that gained 100 pounds. It stopped when it got about 50 feet away and looked back to be sure I wasn't following it...and then it blended into the environment "Field of Dreams" style. It was utterly beautiful and I will never forget that moment. i was so very lucky to have that moment.

Now the idea of somehow holding that cat down seems simply crazy but to each there own! I would have loved to pet it though.......

dave

[GregL]

Two things that definitely scare me when I'm in the wilderness of the western US: the grizzly that I see and the mountain lion that I don't.

Greg

[pedalwildrako]

I'm glad that the cyclists were able to stay sharp. What a terrifying situation.

[GParkes]

Work with me on this. Bikes as a shield.....a friend, and extremely experienced rider, I k ow was in Italy last summer. He and his son (adult) were riding and something was jacked up on their GPS. They figured out how to get to where they needed to, but it required going through private property. The navigated a closed fence and were going to ask property owner permission.

While on their way to the house, they got attacked by a "guard donkey". For real. They used the bikes to shield themselves. Property owner walked down, and casedhis donkey off - and explained the ornery thing really was a sentry. Without the bikes, they likely would have been stomped.

[bironi]

Another account I read of this incident stated that the cat was a young male.
I wouldn't want to fight with the one pictured above.

[zero85ZEN]

One of the women in the group (Tisch) is a friend of mine that I rode with often here in Indy before she moved out to Washington about 6 years ago.

Here’s an article and a great 8:00 minute audio story about the attack:

https://www.kuow.org/stories/cougar-...D4BER-NsVde3qg

The woman that was bitten is recovering and okay.
Crazy CRAZY story.

[Hilltopperny]

I was driving through the Catskills early last Saturday on the NYS thruway and saw a large animal on the side of the road. From a distance it appeared to be a deer until I got closer and sure enough it was a mountain lion. Crystal clear view of the animal and when I was returning on the thruway a few hours later there was an Encon officer parked in the nearest pull off.

I know they claim that there aren't any mountain lions in NYS, but I saw it with my own eyes. I have seen them on my friends trail cam a few miles from my house as well. I used to be a little freaked out by the black bears when I first moved just outside the Adirondack park, but they run away from you. Giant predatory cats are definitely scarier as you don't hear or see them coming!

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[weisan]

[nmrt]

Specialized, Disc brakes, and Sram AXS. Paceline is going to have a heart attack. No steel, no DT shifters, and no rim brakes.