Update: Touring cyclists attacked and killed in Tajikistan

[weisan]

Let's give this another try, especially for those who genuinely care and concern for the people affected and are able to focus their energy in a positive way.

They have apprehended the assailants:
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/31/634220250/isis-claims-responsibility-for-deadly-attack-on-cyclists-in-tajikistan

They confirmed the American cyclists involved:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/american-cyclist-couple-victims-alleged-isis-attack-tajikistan/story?id=56947138

Their instagram site
https://www.instagram.com/simplycycling/

[m4rk540]

Weisan, SMH.

[FlashUNC]

Or let's not.

[m4rk540]

Weisan, what brought down WTC7. Update would be appreciated.

[Hilltopperny]

Let's give this another try, especially for those who genuinely care and concern for the people affected and are able to focus their energy in a positive way.

They have apprehended the assailants:
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/31/634220250/isis-claims-responsibility-for-deadly-attack-on-cyclists-in-tajikistan

They confirmed the American cyclists involved:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/american-cyclist-couple-victims-alleged-isis-attack-tajikistan/story?id=56947138

Their instagram site
https://www.instagram.com/simplycycling/



It looks like our pal mustangski was correct in his assumption as to who it was. Very sad and my condolences to their friends and family.


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[Hilltopperny]

Nvmd
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[bicycletricycle]

Thank you for posting the update. In the NPR article it says that is a popular route fir western cyclists. This surprised me, I wonder how many people cycle tour per year in Tajikistan.

[Hilltopperny]

Thank you for posting the update. In the NPR article it says that is a popular route fir western cyclists. This surprised me, I wonder how many people cycle tour per year in Tajikistan.



I’m pretty sure I’ve seen guided tours through this region on The Clymb website. It looks absolutely beautiful, but danger exists all over the world in beautiful places. Not just in places that end in ‘stan.




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[R3awak3n]

I was going to say, looking at the pictures they took there, it is a beautiful place.

May they RIP.

[weisan]

And not just beautiful scenery, but beautiful people everywhere too. If you read through their Instagram posts, you will catch that, which makes it even more heart breaking.

They pursue their dreams. They try to live their lives to the fullest. They try to change the world for the better.

They succeeded.

That's all that matters.

[YoKev]

Terrible.

In July of 2016, my (now) wife and I were driving the ring road, car camping along the way, unknowingly tracing their exact route more or less.

According to their trip report, we were most likely at Snaefellsnes at the same time. It was one of my favorite places that we traveled to.

Surprisingly, we really did not see a lot of bike touring people once we got away from the golden circle and south coast.

Which is why I distinctively remember seeing a couple touring together that seemed to be the same age as us, battling a pretty stiff headwind through the lava formations along the winding road in Snaefellsnes. Maybe it was them...Can't help but wonder...

RIP guys.

[AngryScientist]

thanks for posting the update, i saw that on NPR myself this morning on the train.

i agree with weisan, they were living their dream. hopefully that can give their friends and family some form of comfort, that they truly seemed to be enjoying their lives.

https://scontent-ort2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/9853b478491c10a307548ec4e30e4e1a/5BFD51BB/t51.2885-15/e35/36675348_2259579330725059_994602017869529088_n.jpg

[Mustangski]

The blog and photo's were great, they were definitely living life through exploration. They seemed to continuously meet great people in their journey, probably a testament to how they treated others during their travels.

[dave thompson]

Several years ago my son was awarded a State Department language scholarship which imbedded him with a family in Dushanbe, the capitol of Tajikistan. During his month-and-a-half there he freely travelled around the city and into the country to absorb as much as he could. When he and I talked about his experience several months afterward he said at no time did he feel in any danger or unsafe.

Tradgedies such as what happened to the cyclists can happen in any country, anywhere in the world. The very small subset of bad people unfortunately can paint a region with a very broad brush. I have some experience WRT this living in Mexico. I frequently get messages from US-based friends asking ‘..did you hear about the xxxxx in (name a city/town/state in Mexico)?

This very sad news affects many people on so many levels.

[Gsinill]

The very small subset of bad people unfortunately can paint a city with a very broad brush. I have some experience WRT this living in Chicagoland. I frequently get messages from German friends asking ‘..did you hear about the xxxxx in Chicago?
...

Don't have to look that far...
Adjusted to reflect my situation.

[beeatnik]

This is a political thread and should be closed simply for that reason. Terrorism is not fueled by religion but by geopolitics. It should also be closed because it will certainly devolve as the thread where rnhood used racial slurs and coded language. The post above (Gsinill's edit of Dave Thompson's post) is a good indication as rnhood not only slurred ancient cultural practices of those in the Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent but also ethnic/racial groups in the US. Who lives on the South Side of Chicago? Exactly.

Some people can't help but code their agendas.

[Bruce K]

PLEASE try to focus on this event/these folks

The more global discussion is not for this cycling forum

BK

[gdw]

This is a tragedy. Two young people exploring the world lost their lives in an act of senseless violence. Save your political views for face to face conversations with your friends. Does anyone know if a GoFundMe site has been created to help the families of the victims?

[charliedid]

Seems rather myopic to view this only as a cycling story. What are we supposed to talk about, the size of their wheels and which bottle cages they were using?

I'm guessing nobody screamed "Death to Bikes" before murdering these people.

The bikes IMO are not relevant.

[bigbill]

Seems rather myopic to view this only as a cycling story. What are we supposed to talk about, the size of their wheels and which bottle cages they were using?

I'm guessing nobody screamed "Death to Bikes" before murdering these people.

The bikes IMO are not relevant.

Yup, these people were murdered. There are people who don't respect human life and justify killing to suit their means. That's was this was about. They could have just as easily been backpacking or riding enduro motorcycles and wouldn't have been mentioned on this forum.

[deechee]

Thank you for the link to the beautiful instagram account. I'm always amazed and slightly jealous of people who can do this and explore the world. (Only slightly because honestly, I love a long hard day on the bike but I need to shower before going to sleep.)

That they are cyclists is most definitely relevant. If not for their bikes, I'm sure they would not have had the same encounters they did if they were looking at the world through a glass window in a protected car. And without their bikes, their travels would not have taken them as far on foot.

We all love cycling here - the freedom it allows us - what these riders were doing is the ultimate form of liberation in my view. Having that freedom taken away from cyclists because of fear is not the way anyone should live.

If anything, this tragedy should bring cyclists (and the paceline) closer, not farther apart.

From one of the cyclists (http://www.simplycycling.org/blog/2018/3/25/22):
You watch the news and you read the papers and you're led to believe that the world is a big, scary place. People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil. People are axe murderers and monsters and worse.

I don't buy it. Evil is a make-believe concept we've invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own—it's easier to dismiss an opinion as abhorrent than strive to understand it. Badness exists, sure, but even that's quite rare. By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind. No greater revelation has come from our journey than this.

[beeatnik]

Seems rather myopic to view this only as a cycling story. What are we supposed to talk about, the size of their wheels and which bottle cages they were using?

I'm guessing nobody screamed "Death to Bikes" before murdering these people.

The bikes IMO are not relevant.

Did you follow the other thread?

[gasman]

Sigh- I think it just too much to keep this non- political.