Peterjohn, I ride the spruit all the time, from Alberts Farm, Emmarentia, and up to Conrad - never witnessed any trouble, or been a victim of it. I carry pepper spray as the dogs, not criminals, are the issue! For some reason the signs all around that have "dogs on leashes only" emblazoned on them are not visible by dog owners . My wife and I have had some close calls. One day when I unleash a can of SWAT on a dog right in front of its owner its going to stir up one hell of a ruckus!Somehow dog owners insist that "killer", their pet rottweiler or german shepherd was acting most "peculiarly" and "out of character" when they tried to rip you off your bike presumably to lick you to death out of affection...... Seriously though, one one Saturday morning, while out riding in a group of 4, a lady had been murdered between 6 and 7am near the Riverside Spar in Bryanston area, and was left about 2-3 metres from the path. The book I have on mtb trails in SA says about the spruit that cyclists have been consistently and violently attacked on the spruit since the early 90's. The authors recommend riding in groups more than 2 at all times (Herman and Sussanah Mills were the authors. So its luck of the draw bud. Make sure you can get a rabies or tetanus shot closeby though.... Orvor2009-09-04 01:47:45
