One cyclist in Berkshire has had a narrow escape after he successfully avoided an ambush on a popular bridle path.
A biker named John was busy travelling on the Knowl Hill Bridleway Circuit this week when he spotted an act of possibly deliberate sabotage.
Speaking to road.cc, he said that while riding his gravel bike just south of Broadmoor Road, near Waltham Saint Lawrence, he noticed rope had been strung up to possibly stop cyclists from going any further.
Regarding the alleged sabotage, he told the publication: “This bit is a fairly smooth, flowy section and I was up to about 30kph.
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“Luckily I saw it in time to stop, but I easily could’ve hit it as it was a sunny day and this bit was in the shade.”
After successfully avoiding becoming entangled in the orange cord, John decided to cut through the twine with a knife taken from his repair kit.
He then apparently proceeded to fully dismantle the Final Destination-like trap so that other cyclists wouldn’t have to risk becoming injured.
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Speaking about who he believes strung up the rope, he said: “From what I could figure it was possibly in some way linked to the adjacent field as there was similar rope within that.
“I think it may be occupied by cattle or horses, so it may be a disgruntled landowner?”
It has further been reported that after cutting down the rope, he alerted the local authority, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Officials have since reportedly confirmed that the incident had been passed on to their Highways and Public Rights of Way departments.
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However, two social media users have since taken to X to discuss John’s comments and speculate on the reason the booby trap was potentially erected.
One wrote: “Cyclist rides too fast on a shared path, almost hits hazard. Needs to slow down.”
Another commented: “FFS! ‘I was up to about 30kph’ on a bridleway, a space shared with walkers.
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“Can't imagine what's motivating other users of this bridleway to build traps.”
However, a third X user has slammed the latter comment and rushed to the defence of the cyclist.
They commented: “So you're defending this lunatic behaviour? Wow, you're a pleasant specimen.
“And fwiw, ‘up to 30kph’ is 18.6mph (OR LESS) - (sic) nothing wrong with that when he has the sightlines to ensure he can give way to horses or pedestrians.”
A second social media has backed-up John by replying: “Shocking that someone should do this. I do a lot of off-road night cycling and it's always in the back of my mind.
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“Luckily, it's really rare as far as I can tell. No consolation for you though. Glad you're ok.”
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Ella Scott