Bikers, Beware

Sadly, I must inform you of two incidents that happened to friends of mine in the past week.

One friend was riding her new bike (which may have made her a target) in the morning along the beach in Leblon. She stopped to cross the street, and a fellow came up to her and tried to grab her bike away.  She resisted a bit, and a couple who were walking nearby also came to her aid, they scared the guy off.

Another friend was riding her bike at 9:30 in the morning along the Lagoa, when a man sitting on a park bench jumped up suddenly, and stole her bike, knocking her to the ground. She was shaken up but not injured, thank goodness.

In both cases I am very glad that it was not worse, obviously, but it is still sad that this has happened. I will be much more careful on my bike... not that these women weren't being careful! I don't really think that there is anything they could have done to prevent these incidents, besides staying at home, and that's no fun.

So bikers, be aware!

As an aside, it seems as though many incidents in this area that I have been hearing of, have been happening around 9:30 in the morning, a time of day when I probably feel safest (and obviously shouldn't!).

Comments

[lizzieloo]

i used to live near the lagoa and would walk there daily. i always felt very safe and would often walk early in the evening with my children. so sad this is happening and also a reminder to not be complacent

[Corinne]

I was a rower at Flamengo and there was always concern over getting mugged on the bike/running trails of Lagoa. We would always try and run in groups and never alone, especially since we were running at 6am. Try to use Lagoa at time when there are lots of other people (although one would think 9:30 to be one of those times).

[Daily Rio Life]

I think that the feeling of general safety we all have there is why everyone is so rattled!

[Bobbi Holberg]

Oh, Jesus, this is really scary, especially for women bikers! When going to places which you're not familiar, better observe the place and always have presence of mind. We're not sure who the people with bad intentions are. If I may add, never forget to wear safety gears like ansi safety vest, knee braces, and especially helmet.