Mountain bike endurance specialist Tinker Juarez was robbed at gunpoint of his road bike and cell phone a couple of weeks ago, according to sources at his sponsor Cannondale.
Juarez, 43, the reigning US 24 Hours of Adrenalin champion and one of the most popular riders on the cross-country circuit for his longevity as a pro and friendliness, was riding one of his usual training loops from his Downey, California home. His route included a stretch of the bike path alongside the concrete-paved Los Angeles River. “A work-crew was re-paving a section and had put a detour that sent you on to the city streets,” Juarez explained. Unfortunately, those city streets were in one of the roughest areas of North Long Beach. “I had stopped at this park for minute to get water, figure out how to continue my ride, and to change the music in my Walkman, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.” Juarez turned to see a gun pointed at his face. The gunman demanded Juarez’s Cannondale Six13road bike and his cell phone.
“I don’t think the guy has any idea of what he has,” Juarez observed, “When he rode off you could see he didn’t know how to ride it - he wobbled off with it still in a big gear.” Juarez surmises that his $5800 bike was “probably traded for a $50 bag of whatever.”
Don’t ride it alone. Or any other urban bike trail in So. Cal. This sort of thing has been a problem for a long time. Unfortunately it’s not public knowledge. It’s something you hear about from other cyclists. Southwest Cycling (I think that’s the correct name - it’s a free local cycling paper.) has stories and warnings from time to time. Gang bangers figured out years ago that cyclists are easy marks and most of them know a high end bike from a WalMart clunker.
The victim has my sympathy but OTH I hope the mugger took his Walkman as well.
Something to think about. I’ve put in thousands and thousands of solo miles on those paths as have many others I know. I guess he wasn’t actually on the path when it happened, but I’ve taken detours when sections of the path is under construction. I don’t really know what areas are bad and what areas are ok, so I’ll probably be a little more aware from now on.
Is that the path that dumps you by Seal Beach? I had a friend get shot with paint balls on that riverbed last year. Scary stuff.
Not sure which one. There are a couple of 30+ mile paths to the beach. I think he was on the Rio Hondo, which ends in Long Beach @ the Catalina ferry. FWIW, I’ve never had a scare of any kind on any of the bike paths in LA in 1000’s of miles.
Sounds like he was off the path when it happened, though.
Is that the path that dumps you by Seal Beach? I had a friend get shot with paint balls on that riverbed last year. Scary stuff.
I don’t beleive so. That’s the San Gabriel River path that joins the Coyote Creek path and goes south to SB. As the San Gabriel path moves north of Cerritos it starts to get dicey.
I got paintballed about a year ago too. I was about a mile from house in Buena Park and had just got of the Coyote Creek path. I was on the street and the shits that shot me were probably in a car. I’ve had a couple nervous moments on the path too. Like having to ride through 1/2 dozen homies and their unleashed pit bulls.
Still beats sitting on the couch watching TV and waiting to have a coronary.
I train on the san gabriel a lot. Past the 5 freeway is when it has “its moments”, but for the most part it feels safe. The Los Coyotes trail is another story… I won’t touch that one. There has been a rash of crap around the Los Alamitos High School and Oak Middle School section. A guy was trapped with some bastards holding him at knife-point… he tried to fight back, but one guy went for his neck… but luckily missed. This happened at 2:00pm on a sunday afternoon!!! They ran off with his Lemond.
I see Tinker all the time training, I am glad he is ok. You just can never be naive and always be aware of your surroundings. I wouldn’t recommend wearing headphones on a riverbed ride(let alone anywhere else).
The Los Coyotes trail is another story… I won’t touch that one. There has been a rash of crap around the Los Alamitos High School and Oak Middle School section.
That’s not good. I ride there twice a day and sometimes on the weekend. It’s the best route to and from work.
A guy was trapped with some bastards holding him at knife-point… he tried to fight back, but one guy went for his neck… but luckily missed. This happened at 2:00pm on a sunday afternoon!!! They ran off with his Lemond.
They’d have to run off with my bike because they wouldn’t be able to ride the Power Cranks unless they stole my shoes too. Unfortunately they’d probably just get pissed off and kill me. It’d almost be worth the risk just to watch them trying to ride it though.
A couple of months ago I saw some punks around the foot bridge by the school. They greeted me politely and suggested that I ride fast so I don’t get my ass kicked. I took their advice.
Ok, just so I know we’re talking about the same trail…
You get on “a” trail at Seal Beach, south of the power station you go north about 3 miles to a bridge on the left. Go straight and that’s Los Coyotes? I’ve never been that way. I go left over the bridge and that is the San Gabriel River Trail. Take that north to Whittier, etc.
FYI, if you go north past Whittier 8 miles to where it crosses Arrow Hwy you’re on the Santa Fe Dam. The dam and the path north of the dam to the bottom of Azusa Canyon/Hwy 39 is very safe and the perfect training area. The dam is 3 miles end to end, perfectly flat, excellent visibility. Essentially an outdoor track. I live less than a mile from Jaylew and 4 miles from the dam. We both train there all the time.
You have it all correct regarding the riverbeds and names.
“Go straight and that’s Los Coyotes?”== when you head north, just passing the bridge on the left hand side, you will go under Katella… then under the 605 freeway… on the right hand side is a small wooden foot-bridge where the guy was robbed at knife-point…
FYI, if you go north past Whittier 8 miles to where it crosses Arrow Hwy you’re on the Santa Fe Dam. The dam and the path north of the dam to the bottom of Azusa Canyon/Hwy 39 is very safe and the perfect training area. The dam is 3 miles end to end, perfectly flat, excellent visibility. Essentially an outdoor track. I live less than a mile from Jaylew and 4 miles from the dam. We both train there all the time.
I agree that this is a great place to train as I always see police patroling the dam, but there are two things to watch out for: North of the 210 I and my wife have seen packs of dogs, they have not bothered us yet, but I have spent three days in the hospital from infection of a 12 stitch dog bite(no fun at all). The second thing is to not park your car on the south side of the dam, my truck has been broken into there, you are much better parking north of the 210 at a park in Duarte.
Another great trail is the Santa Ana trail that ends at Huntington Beach, you can start off of the 91 and make it a fifty mile ride, or start at the Big A and have a nice 25-26 mile ride.
Wow. Crazy stuff. I only ride the paths these days on the weekends, usually very early before the bangers wake up from their hangovers. No issues at all, though those couple tunnels south of Whittier are friggin’ dicey. I just know I’ll run into a shopping cart or something in there some day.
It is at the point where you need a little extra visible protection with you on trails. We have feral dogs of the four and two legged variety in Michigan. I keep a very visible sheathed 5 inch blade strapped to my frame anytime I’m on trails after literally having a run in with some strange types a couple years ago. They thought I was going to harvest their dope.
I’ve never had any problems with gangbangers while riding or running. Only rednecks in pickups while on my bike. The last time I had a run in was when they threw a half full beer at me. I hollered back “NEXT TIME THROW ME A FULL ONE.” They slammed on their brakes and tried to intimidate me and asked what I said, and I repeated my statement. To my suprise, they broke out laughing and tossed me a full beer.
Never any problem with dogs. They make for good interval work. Even with over 25 years of running I have yet to get bit. I suspect its the same reason I don’t get stung by bees too often (only impact stings), its a pheromone thing. They sense they’ve pissed me off and know they won’t get out of a tangle without getting hurt.