Well done Chris, picked up from the Sheffield paper.. but raising awareness none the less.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7239923/Anti-cyclist-saboteurs-leave-medieval-style-booby-traps-injure-bike-riders-road-trails.html

I wouldn’t read the comments iiwy.

He’s just about to go on air for the other Daily Mail (Jeremy Vine show in radio 2).

Sadly the commnents in the Dailymail artical make depressing reading.

The Peak District incidents were mentioned on The Today Programme this morning on Radio 4.

and the times:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/booby-traps-putting-lives-of-mountain-bikers-at-risk-6dpzb2dp2

Why would you even bother reading Daily Mail comments? You’d get better-reasoned conversation by going into a Yates’s Wine Lodge at closing time, kicking a bloke in the nuts and then asking him what he thinks about Proust.

I mean, the same applies to Daily Mail articles, except the bloke you kicked is the one without a tattoo on his forehead.

The Daily mail and the Sky News article have been the inaccurate ones (to the point of getting things I said completely wrong). The rest have been ok.

There was an article on STW a while back arguing that more publicity about this kind of thing is not necessarily good.

Technical Difficulties: Listen All Y’all, It’s A Sabotage…

But most of the time, we don’t need angry keyboard warriors, we need people who are prepared to talk to land managers and other user groups, build alliances, get them to understand us, and in turn relay their concerns back to mountain bikers. It’s less fun and more effort than forming an online lynch mob, but no amount of bile-filled comments or clicks on the share button are going to sort out trail sabotage.

Yep. Come and join Peak District MTB folks. We’re doing our damnedest #BeNiceSayHi

I see they included a stealth tip for aspiring trappers. Not really true though.

From the comments:

Dorking to Leatherheah has a bypass and a cycle track runs along side the road. Unfortunately the bikes don’t use the track and travel as a pack on the dual carriageway. No wonder people detest them and laugh their socks off when they see them trying to repair a puncture.

AND then 2 down..

I often walk my dogs along a bridleway that has since been designated a cycle route by Sustrans. Part of it is paved and is used by primary school children to walk to and from school to save a much longer walk.

Not that a lot of the cyclists who use it care judging how they hammer along.

I’ve seriously considered asking the council if there is such a thing as cyclist speed reduction measures that can be taken. Walking out onto it

it’s difficult to see cyclists and you certainly can’t hear them because of the noise from a

nearby dual carriageway

. I’ve not been hit yet but have been pelted by grit thrown up by a skidding cyclist who didn’t see my little dog until he was on top of us and had to brake hard. I hadn’t a clue he was coming up behind. There will be an accident at some point, I’m sure of it.

So, do you want us to use the path or the road????

You.
Genuinely.
Couldn’t.
Make.
it.
Up.

DrP

Why would you even bother reading Daily Mail comments?

They’re the ones who can’t remember the website address where you put Youtube comments.

I’ve not been hit yet but have been pelted by grit thrown up by a skidding cyclist who didn’t see my little dog until he was on top of us and had to brake hard. I hadn’t a clue he was coming up behind. There will be an accident at some point, I’m sure of it.

I bet the dog was on one of those retractable strings that you hardly see until it’s nearly too late.

I’m gonna have to add a comment about that lad in the pics not wearing a helmet! In an article about mtb safety speaking as an ambassador of the sport 😲😉.

Why would you even bother reading Daily Mail comments? You’d get better-reasoned conversation by going into a Yates’s Wine Lodge at closing time, kicking a bloke in the nuts and then asking him what he thinks about Proust.

Yup the mistake is thinking you are dealing with rational and reasonable people.

All this just fuels the gammon hate machine, provides jorno’s with fodder, and encourages more braindeads to get involved.

WHAT AN IDIOT!!

I did the photos in my lunch. Went down, forgot maxle. Came back, got maxle, forgot helmet. Did photos, went home, helmet rolled out from under my passenger seat.

Of course, each to their own with helmet wearing. But I’ve been controversial enough today

So, just ignore it then? Until someone gets really hurt?

The Daily Mail is written by **** for ****.

The same ‘people’ who walk 4 abreast down a SHARED USE PATH and when you say “excuse me” after ringing your bell from hundreds of feet away they jump out of their skin when they realise a bike is behind them.

You wouldn’t walk down the middle of a single lane country road and be shocked when a car approaches, would you 🤣🙄

Oh and why, when there’s more than 2 people walking, do they always split one on each side you have to go between them and risk hitting them? How hard is it to both walk on one side?!

I feel some daily mail comments coming on…

Its crazy and very sad but has been going on for years just seems to pop up really badly at certain times namely the Summer we had this problem for a couple of years in a wood called Cranham above Gloucester the guy was breaking down branches at head height down trails then throwing down nails and tacks on one bit which my mate got two flats I pick up over half a carry bag full nails etc ok a flat is a pain but what about dog walkers and wildlife just pure madness then years back people were digging holes in the Forest Of Dean and covering them up mate went down one had to have stitches in his chin no hope with some people.

Oh and why, when there’s more than 2 people walking, do they always split one on each side you have to go between them and risk hitting them? How hard is it to both walk on one side?!

Normally after crossing over each other to get there!

On the BBC now too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-48961360

Honestly the comments made that article.

There’s a few trail centres near me that specifically state the trail of for cycle use only.. Yet every summer you can guarantee that there will family of 4 pushing a pram and a balance bike down a red rated route.

Absolutely love it.

So, just ignore it then? Until someone gets really hurt?

Nope, just ignore the Daily Mail. I won’t even open a link to the Daily Mail as there is no point, I already know the reporting will be bad and biased and any comments will be worse.

Now on BBC news

Nice one pook.

Cheers for the support everyone. Its been a fascinating and exhausting week. I’ll summarise it one day when I Have the energy.

The focus now I think, as the eyes of the population are on the MTB community sympathetically, should be to big up everything that’s good about it. Advocacy. collaboration, fun, exercise, mental health. We’ve a unique opportunity to promote the sport. Itd be a real shame to miss it.

Bimblers unite

Preach. That sounds like a plan.