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Mtn Lions and Bikes



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 9th 04, 07:09 PM
Stephen Harding
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Default Mtn Lions and Bikes

Looks like one MTB'er was killed by a mountain lion out
in CA yesterday, and another attacked. I don't really know
the details yet.

It's probably pointless to ask, but I'm actually quite
curious. What would you do if you were on your MTB and
out in front of you stepped a mountain lion?

Generally you won't have the time to think, since these
critters are typically ambush type predators, hitting you
from behind (a pussy cat trait in general, and why people
living in India where man eating tigers are present, wear
masks with a face on the back of their heads).

Depends on terrain, but do you think you could accelerate
up to 25 mph on a flat smooth trail pretty quick? I'll bet
I could! Do you even attempt to run/pedal away? Do you ward
off the beast somehow with the bike? Abandon the bike and
make a grab for a bike stick or stones? Stay perfectly still
and hope "Big Tabby" goes away?

BTW, I've only been in and out of this group lately, so I was
wondering, has there been a helmet flame war yet this year?
(I noticed we've gotten right into the SUV debates already.)

No??!!! Well...

I'll bet that biker would be alive today if he'd been wearing
his helmet!


[wink, wink]

SMH

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  #2  
Old January 9th 04, 07:17 PM
David Reuteler
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Stephen Harding wrote:
: I'll bet that biker would be alive today if he'd been wearing
: his helmet!

funny you should mention that.

the cat had been dragging off one of the two surviving mountain biker's by
her head (the other was playing tug-of-war over her with the cat at the time).
it would stand to reason if she was wearing a helmet and it had stayed on
that it probably would have prevented scalp laceration.

she may have been wearing one for all i know. cnn didn't say one way or the
other.
--
david reuteler

  #3  
Old January 9th 04, 07:25 PM
Ken
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Stephen Harding wrote in news:3ffeee6e$1@news-
1.oit.umass.edu:
Looks like one MTB'er was killed by a mountain lion out
in CA yesterday, and another attacked. I don't really know
the details yet.


There's a report he
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/0...ion/index.html

The first thing to realize is that your risk is very low. Maybe 10 humans
have been killed by mountain lions in California over the past 100 years.
The last person killed was almost 20 years ago. Compare that to the number
of humans killed by Ford Explorers.
  #4  
Old January 9th 04, 07:39 PM
AJRBJR
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A bike helmet is probably like an egg shell to one of those cats.

Andy
  #5  
Old January 9th 04, 07:50 PM
David
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"AJRBJR" wrote in message ...
A bike helmet is probably like an egg shell to one of those cats.


I would expect some protection. I was bitten by one on the hand
ages ago. 4 punctures (two in the palm, two in the back of the hand),
and none of them came out the other side. definitely not as deep as the
thickness of the helmet.

So I guess I'd rather be wearing my bike helmet (and cycling gloves :^) in a lion
encounter. If only the bike helmet provided proper protection when I crash...




  #6  
Old January 9th 04, 07:51 PM
Chris Neary
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There's a report he
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/0...ion/index.html

The first thing to realize is that your risk is very low. Maybe 10 humans
have been killed by mountain lions in California over the past 100 years.
The last person killed was almost 20 years ago. Compare that to the number
of humans killed by Ford Explorers.


I've heard if confronted by a Mountain Lion one should use the bike as a
shield/weapon and keep it between you and the cat.

Can anyone confirm if this is sound advice?


Chris Neary


"Science, freedom, beauty, adventu what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh
  #7  
Old January 9th 04, 08:24 PM
Cathy Kearns
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"Chris Neary" wrote in message
...

There's a report he
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/0...ion/index.html

The first thing to realize is that your risk is very low. Maybe 10

humans
have been killed by mountain lions in California over the past 100 years.
The last person killed was almost 20 years ago. Compare that to the

number
of humans killed by Ford Explorers.


I've heard if confronted by a Mountain Lion one should use the bike as a
shield/weapon and keep it between you and the cat.

Can anyone confirm if this is sound advice?


I went to get my hair cut a few weeks ago and my hairdresser
happens to be a mountain biker. She was telling me about
her exploits with a mountain lion on the trail the day before.
(Her heart rate still hadn't gotten back to normal.) It was a
lovely day, she was riding alone, she goes over a hill and
there the mountain lion was standing 15 yards in front of her
in the middle of the path. She braked (and didn't fall, she's
alive to say) and put the bike between her and the large
cat and stared it down until it walked away. When it was
far enough away to quit turning around and looking back
she turned the bike around and high tailed it back to her
car. So I don't know if the bike as a shield/weapon is sound
advice, but it was all she could think of and worked in that
particular instance.


  #8  
Old January 9th 04, 08:31 PM
Brett Jaffee
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Stephen Harding wrote in news:3ffeee6e$1@news-
1.oit.umass.edu:


Generally you won't have the time to think, since these
critters are typically ambush type predators, hitting you
from behind (a pussy cat trait in general, and why people
living in India where man eating tigers are present, wear
masks with a face on the back of their heads).


Was thinking the same thing. You could paint eyes on the back of your
helmet, I guess.

Depends on terrain, but do you think you could accelerate
up to 25 mph on a flat smooth trail pretty quick? I'll bet
I could! Do you even attempt to run/pedal away?


Coincidentaly, was reading about mtn lions the day before this happened.
Apparently they are powerful sprinters but not good over long distances
(low lung capacity, or something like that). The advice was not to run.
If I had a clear downhill path, I'd take it, though. On flat not
ground...maybe not. I think the lion can accellerate a lot faster then
you.

Do you ward
off the beast somehow with the bike? Abandon the bike and
make a grab for a bike stick or stones? Stay perfectly still
and hope "Big Tabby" goes away?


Make yourself look as big as possible, which to me means, grab the bike.
At least you could use it to fend off a pounce to some extent. Supposedly,
crouching down further makes you look like a prey animal, so bending over
to pick up sticks or rocks might be risky.

One suggestion I've never seen (perhaps because it's stupid), would be to
ride right at the cat. After all, some prey animals, like deer, will try
and defend themselves by charging, and I think the cats are cautious of
that. I guess that goes back to your original question...If came around
the corder and you saw a cat standing there on a single track, what do you
do? Turn around the other way and run for it (turning your back is
probably a bad idea)? Or charge full speed toward the cat, and hopefully
right by at?


  #9  
Old January 9th 04, 09:17 PM
TopCounsel
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Maybe 10 humans have been killed by mountain lions in California over the past
100 years.

What I'm getting from this thread, though, is that ATTACKS and ENCOUNTERS are
not really so rare, even if DEATHS are. It seems there are many more
encounters than may be showing up in the "official" statistics.

I have heard that in brushy and forested areas of California, there may be 5-7
cougars for every 100 square miles (that's a box 10 miles square). It would
seem that, especially if you take your kids with you for MTBing, trail running,
or hiking, you should be prepared for a possible encounter. Where we live in
the foothills, I hear of a local cougar incident maybe once or twice a year.

  #10  
Old January 9th 04, 09:31 PM
Badger South
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On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 18:51:15 GMT, Chris Neary
wrote:



There's a report he
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/0...ion/index.html

The first thing to realize is that your risk is very low. Maybe 10 humans
have been killed by mountain lions in California over the past 100 years.
The last person killed was almost 20 years ago. Compare that to the number
of humans killed by Ford Explorers.


I've heard if confronted by a Mountain Lion one should use the bike as a
shield/weapon and keep it between you and the cat.

Can anyone confirm if this is sound advice?


This is good advice, but remember they are ambush predators and will
probably be on you before you realize it, perhaps at a scenic view,
rest stop?

I'd probably put a canister of Bear-Guard pepper spray on my wrist on
a strap if I was in Mt Lion country, and I'd definitely have my Zounds
Air horn on the bike. g

Seriously, the best protection is to ride with a buddy and have you
both armed with the horn and the spray. Yelling at the cat and hitting
it with a little branch isn't going to deter it. You need something
decisive.

Wilderness biking? Always carry a bandage wrap and pressure pad and
some ace bandage for splinting, and some line for fashioning a drag
litter, and you've got it covered, except for some sugar tabs, a
flare(?), fire starter, a space blanket and a knife, if you're really
gonna be in back country. The gear guys call this a kit and have it
made up and in the car. It's also called a 'bug-out' bag, as in head
for the hills. Oh, and each carry a cellphone and check you're in
range.

But basically, partner up and you'll be fine.

Oh, forget the firearm. You're more likely to shoot your buddy than
the Cougar/Bear. g

My 2 cents...

-B

 




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