I was on a trail which intersected with a road & the 3 thieves waved knives around to persuade me o give them my bike.

A passing van full of about 7 builders (30 seconds later) & a nearby resident heard the commotion & the thieves proved their cowardness by deciding that 3 v 1 (me) was easy, but confronted by 8 they legged it leaving my bike.

All reported to police/local cyclists/runners etc but the thread on here a while back about a similar incident really helped. I’ll have a search & repost it as it was really useful – thanks to all the contributors there – I just froze & still can’t believe people are so brazen.

Top advice – along with the obvious stuff on the old post – vary your route/time, I think I may have just been in the wrong place/wrong time. It is a sort of commute so they may have seen me before.

I am ok btw, please no keyboard warriors, I figure if someone pulls a knife on you I assume they have the balls to use it.

Stay safe out there & thanks again to previous contributors.

This does not sound like rural Worcestershire, so it might be useful to know where it happened…

Where was it?

😯
Sadly, the better general security gets, the more likely this sort of thing I reckon.
Horrible. Glad you’re ok dude.

thanks, sorry not UK, coastal sleepy Spain.

Horrible story – glad you are ok and great post for people’s awareness and thoughts. Hope they got a scare.

Glad you’re OK.

Where was this?

More surprised about that happening in Spain than in the UK tbh.

Which bit?

Here is the old link:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/robbery-at-knife-point-on-trans-pennine-trail-rother-valley-country-park

coastal sleepy Spain

We heard some horror stories when in spain last year. Seems to be a problem with eastern Europeans (according to the owner of the villa we stayed in, may not be entirely accurate)

This could happen any where IMO but am glad the OP is OK and it must have been quite a fright to have that happen??!!

My son lives in Northern France and knows someone who had his dh bike nicked by someone with a pump action shotgun 😮 knives appear to be pretty common as well.

Tommy Cooper karate Sketch:

Interviewer: What would you do against someone with a knife?

TC: about 50mph.

wise words, give em what they want and run if you can, no material possessions are worth your life.

glad you are OK.

Spain has a huge problem with Roma gypsies. Aggressive little b*tards they are. Most Spanish cities have ‘gypsy’ zones where even the police won’t go.

Can’t wait til January when they can come over here. 😀

Spot on re gippos that’s what the police said.

I just reread the old thread & suggest you do when you get a spare 2 minutes. TBH I am surprised it doesn’t happen more.

TC joke tops, thanks.

Nice to have insurance in this situation, only pride, not wallet, hurt then – not that that pride should be hurt but not nice feeling a victim.

I guided in Spain for six months and was advised not to get into a scrap with local lads as a lot of them carried knives.

Spain has a huge problem with Roma gypsies. Aggressive little b*tards they are. Most Spanish cities have ‘gypsy’ zones where even the police won’t go.

They are completely fearless on a level that has to be witnessed to be belived, they make our own ‘ travelling communities’ look like tibetan monks by comparison.

That said while i was living in Eastern Europe i practically lived on the communities doorstep, and i never heard of any problem there. All they did all day long was collect scrap metal and drink booze, oh and claim benefits.

I think western cultutes are too soft, they know it and take advantage. In Eastern Europe the indiginous wouldnt think twice about ‘getting rid of Roma’ and im not talking about polite conversation either

Glad to hear you are OK and that it didn’t end with your bike getting nicked either.

Just a prediction though – if you carry on mentioning gypsies our in-house ‘Respect Candidate for Singletrackworld’ will make an appearance…..

Hello, is that me Danny? I have a little track record of questioning the stereotyping of people (including, but not limited to, gypsies).

Actually no!

Is was an observation anyway – not necessarily a provocation (or an attempted provocation).

It seemed to me that there were one or two ‘interesting’ opinions being chucked around……..

i know a road rider who lived in South Africa. He rode quite often with a time trial rider, who carried a handgun with him whenever riding.
He reasoned that it was for stray dogs, but i wasn’t convinced by that explanation. I don’t think I’d be happy about riding with someone who carried guns/knives.

Glad that the OP is ok

Spain has a huge problem with Roma gypsies. Aggressive little b*tards they are. Most Spanish cities have ‘gypsy’ zones where even the police won’t go.

I’m just reaching the end of Carabanchel which is a fictional book about a Brit in a Spanish prison. The bile and venom he uses to describe Spanish Gypsies is seriously shocking. He’s not particularly keen on Spaniards in general but the gypsies are worthy of some extra special spit in his opinion.

More surprised about that happening in Spain than in the UK tbh.

had a look at their unemployment % lately? their level of social security is way below ours too (hence a lot of people living with parents)

under 25years 57% unemployed
you need to have worked (contributed) for a year before you can claim and then you only get it for 1/3 of the time you worked.

[/]they should do that over here [/dailymail]

I do wonder why people are surprised that it happened in Spain. The UK is not the scumbag centre of the world, and everywhere else is not utopia. Just sayin.

i know a road rider who lived in South Africa. He rode quite often with a time trial rider, who carried a handgun with him whenever riding.
He reasoned that it was for stray dogs, but i wasn’t convinced by that explanation. I don’t think I’d be happy about riding with someone who carried guns/knives

Yes, I experienced something similar (but not as deadly) when I went for a ride in Harkerville Forest in South Africa.

I needed to buy a permit from a bloke in a kiosk to ride in the forest.

I asked him if there was anything I ‘needed to look out for’ – meaning snakes primarily.

He said ‘nah man, you won’t see anyone in there, it is far easier for them to steal bikes in town’.

The misunderstanding and subsequent revealing of attitudes has stuck with me to this day. He wasn’t even aware that his attitude was affected by prejudice.

and everywhere else is not utopia. Just sayin.

Apart from Iceland who have just shot their very first person as part of a police raid.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25190119

At times I wish someone would mug me for my bike!
Good to hear you are all ok however!

got to love how all the racists can extrapolate fuel for their odious fires out of things like this–glad you OK poolman–you did the right thing–but for those who want to carry out pogroms on people who live at the margins of society–plague on you !

the med countries are suffering severe crime at the moment. Back in Italy they’re chopping hands off to get watches!

Eastern Europe the indiginous wouldnt think twice about ‘getting rid of Roma’

Hitler did a bit too – let’s give him a round of applause…or not!
Casual racism is ok if directed against Roma, travellers or “Pikeys” it seems on STW.

Spain is not suffering “severe crime”. Far from it.

The OP was very unlucky.

but for those who want to carry out pogroms on people who live at the margins of society–plague on you !

Agreed.

At a lesser level, but an important one nonetheless:

A mini-plague on all those who deliberately turn a blind eye to known correlations between groupings in society and criminal activity solely for their own political motives, but dressed up as ‘equality’.

As someone once posted on here – treat everyone equally and everything will be fine.

Edit – no I really can’t be bothered getting into a race argument.,

OP sorry to hear it mate, you did the right thing I think

Crime is so low here it’s crazy. I leave my bike outside the bar in town when I in to get a drink! Spain is a massive country too and each area has different problems and unemployment varies hugely. Poolman, any chance you could pass me details of the location? I have a lot of friends all over and it might be worth warning them. Or maybe you should post on foromtb? Glad you are ok by the way, you definitely did the right thing.