mugged 4 bike!

[Archicyclist]

One of my cycling buddies got mugged this morning whilst on his training ride. Doing his usual route through Durbanville Wine Route, he decided to vary it a bit and go down the N7 past Bosmansdam Turnoff(past the Caltex Refinery). Apparently there's a squatter camp close by. He noticed some guy standing on the side of the road looking as if he wanted to cross over, but as soon as he drew nearer to the guy he immediately threw him off his bike. Thankfully two motorists driving down the N7 stopped when they noticed the comotion and gave chase and saved the cyclist from further trauma. He is now in hospital with a badly bruised arm & leg.

 

Just a friendly warning to cyclists out there to please be cautious especially when riding alone.

 

[Spinnekop]

Thanks for the heads-up!!

 

 

[Baltazar]

all da best to him .Hope he heals well

[nitsckie]

Everyone knows that is a no-go area for cyclist. Please guys you looking for trouble especially if you're riding alone.

[Mark]

Not to hijack but we also had one in Hillcrest area Botha's Hill on Saturday morning at about 05H15. Hope your mate recovers, we need to make sure we ride with two or more people esp. the lady's

[nitsckie]

And be carefully if you cycling to Killarney tonight. Its in the same area!!!!

[lucky777]

Tell your buddy the N7 is like the N1 and it is illegal to cycle on it lucky7772008-01-23 08:42:41

[Mark]

Tell your buddy the N7 is like the N1 and it is illegal to cycle on it

Edited by lucky777 - Today at 4:42pm

Lets not kick him when he is down.

[Oiltrash]

Eish thats no-good O....becarefull out there, choose you routes more carefully...... if you can.

[ismail]

thanks guys -

 

i'm the cyclist who got assaulted this morning on the N7. Definitely wake up call for safety. Guys carry some pepperspray (the marking type) it helps identify the assailant later. i've cycled for a long time alone and no worries til this hapened. My elbow's fractured and my chest and leg have bruises. it occured at 11AM just past the sasol turnoff at that squattter camp.

 

I can honestly say that ppl living in that squatter camp have this notion that outsiders are "ok" to mug because absolutely NONE of the ppl walking in and out of the squatter camp attempted to help or say anything when they witnessed the assault.

 

One taxi driver (who was also black, so please ppl, this is not a black bashing letter) in the opposite lane pulled over and then the young black assailant approximately 20 years old fled back into the squatter camp.  he had a short thick metal chain which he hit me with after pushing me from the road.

 

i was dumb founded that no motorist in my lane pulled over to help even when i waved some of them.

 

i then cycled back to N1 city with my fractured arm and was released with  an arm cast and several injections later.

 

Message i want to send out to everyone is that muggers are cowards -  it took only one person to stop and shout from the opposite lane for this assailant to flee, let's not become victims of crime ourselves by looking the other way or staying quiet.

 

Nothing was stolen. Bike just needs a new rear wheel now. I'm laying a case of assault and attempted robbery this evening at the police station.

 

[Iwan Kemp]

Not to kick you when you are down, but why were you cycling on the N7? And why did the guys in the Vodacom 4U / Willie Engelbrecht kit training this morning skip several red traffic lights (at a good speed) and at one crossing cycled on the sidewalk and almost into pedestrians?

 

What the hell people? Are we TRYING to make things difficult for ourselves? Like when I was in Knysna after New Years only to witness just how many cyclists ride like idiots. Two/three oaks abreast on sections on the N2 where there's no shoulder.

And they weren't ALL novices, some of them were on VERY expensive bikes with VERY expensive kit and gear.

 

I'm really sorry you got mugged and NOBODY deserves that, but we need to sharpen up a little. Couple of weeks ago a cyclist got killed on the N4 outside PTA and the authorities shrug cause " he wasn't suppose to be there."

[idrive]

Not to kick you when you're down ........!!!

 

Anyway, my point is that there are no signs saying 'no cyclist allowed' on roads and some so called highways don't look like highways while some 'normal' roads are better, have more lanes and are wider than some highways!!!

 

I took my bike to Durban last year and riding out from the hotel on the beachfront I soon ended up on a road that I assumed was a highway and got off at the very first opportunity.

 

Another problem is how would I know what's a good or bad/dangerous area or if the road I'm on is dangerous or not. Its a chance I take but I'm fed up with having to have eyes in the back of my head and lock everything up.

 

.......... think I'll go back to Zim but will my metal Rhodesian drivers license still be valid???

[slowpoke]

not nice to hear at all ismail, but at least you will heal up. please do rather stick to roads that are legal to ride on and ride far away from squatter camps unless you're in a big bunch. good ont he taxi driver - they have such a bad rep because of the trouble makers but there are good guys amongst them

[Johan Brits]

Tell your buddy the N7 is like the N1 and it is illegal to cycle on it

 

Lucky777 - that was really a stupid comment

[Mich]

sorry to hear about that, hope you heal quickly and back on the bike soon

[linnega]

Wasn't sure where the N7 is, but looking on Google Earth it looks like the N7 has intersections and traffic lights, so it can't be a freeway.  Therefore, if there are no signs saying "no cycling", then it is perfectly legal to be on the road.

 

It does seem bike jacking is becoming more common.  The Hillcrest one worries me a bit as I often ride that route alone.  Last year I missed a bikejacking by about 5 minutes at the bottom of Fields Hill.