I received word of this violent encounter between a pair of drunks in a car and a group of cyclists somewhere in the vicinity of Oroville, California. The “two girls” in this narrative are in the riding group. The assailants are apparently in their 20s; the cyclist giving the narrative, Chuck, was participating in the Davis 600 brevet. Chuck is 60-ish years old and rode about 100 miles into the foothills of the Sierra Mountains before he was attacked.
As I passed the lookout, a guy in a car screamed at me saying he hated cyclists and this was his road. I ignore and keep riding. I know that there were two girls coming up behind me, I then heard him state that he had a 22 pistol and was going to shoot the next rider.
As the two girls came by one was on the phone to 911 telling them what was happening. Just then the car came flying by me and up the road and pulled up next to the front group of riders. I assumed it was the loud individual. The car then pulled out and did a u turn back towards me and then did another u turn and waited for me.
As I rode by there was a man and woman in the car screaming at me stating that one of the girl riders pulled a gun on him and his wife and he was going to kill somebody. I politely told him and his wife to **** themselves and started to ride off. He then stated that if I rode on he would run me over.
Rather than confront his car from behind I told him to get out. He did and came over and struck me in the head. He was about 26 years old and 5ft 9in. I decided that it did not need to go any farther so I took him down hard. I held him on the ground and told him stop. He did not stop but continued to try to hit me.
This is where it gets dicey: his wife jumps behind the wheel of the car and spins it around to run me over, only I am on top and dive out of the way and she runs over her husband. He jumps up and attacks me again like nothing happened. When he came after me I slammed him back down on the street. His wife again tries to run me over only once again running over her husband this time he was totally rolled up under the car so far I could not see him. I could hear him moaning and crying for help. She backed off of him dragging him into the street.
He then popped up and came at me again. What ever he was on made him impervious to pain, I then pinned him to the side of his car. His wife then came out the window trying to hit me. I dropped him and grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out the window. He once again came at me and I kick him in the groin, at which time he just stopped and asked me to apologize for kicking him there and of course I did. He was running out of gas and so was I, I did not wish to cause any permanent damage but I but did what was needed to stop him.
It was at this time that his wife drove up the embankment and drove over my bike and then drove off leaving him there.
At this time another rider came up and I asked him to call 911. The kid then directed all his attention to him and I just set there until the police came.
When the ambulance came he refused treatment and denied ever getting run over and that I had caused all the damage to him.
I did not press assault charges against him; he was already in a world of hurt. He was arrested for DUI and she was arrested also for DUI and assault with a deadly weapon.
I got a bump on my head from where he hit my helmet and crushed it into my head.
I look back and think of what might of happened, if he had not come across me but went ahead and run over the other riders, he is in jail for only a DUI and he was the only one hurt except for my bike.
Postscript from the rider: “The worst part is I now have to go out and do another 600k because this gave me a DNF.”
First someone gets shot on a 600k in BC, now this? I hope this is the last of these nuts for a while, cause I’ve got a 1200k to ride this weekend.
If this narrative is true, Chuck is my hero, and he should have pressed charges, if only to deal with any counter-charges.
It is true. I was in the lead group ahead of Chuck and fortunately missed it but there are many eyewitness accounts from other riders. Drunk cagers are very abusive at night – on my 600K brevet near Winters the prior weekend, I had a water bottle hurled at me by a passing cager and many, many abusing me verbally, with their truck horns or buzzing me with their boat trailers.
After Chuck’s incident, I’m considering carrying pepper spray since I don’t have Chuck’s self-defense skills to rely upon!
I missed the outbound drama though it was the talk of the Tobin control. Inbound about midnight in Oroville I had a group in a car yell at me from their and throw something at me as they sped past. What is it with these people?
But I also had two very kind drivers stop to offer help when I had a mechanical on Table Mountain Blvd.
Chuck is The Man!
When I was younger I trained in marshal arts and for a very short time fought full contact,I found there was no winners and it hurt to much. Now I just wish to ride my bike and enjoy the outdoors.
Holy moly! You’re Batman!
This guy (and woman) are still a serious threat to cyclists. “I did not press assault charges against him; he was already in a world of hurt” doesn’t cut it for me. I’m sorry for what you went through Chuck, but think about your fellow cyclists who maybe don’t have the self-defense skills (or strength as women) to deal so well with this type of attack. I would urge Chuck to think about his fellow cyclists and to press charges! We have to get these people off the road. That is a really scary incident. As a long distance rider, I know that support can be spread out on longer rides, so help may not be readily available in the most desolate areas -= this could have been really, really bad for someone without the ability to defend themselves so well. Guess I’ll have to carry pepper spray on my long rides – US drivers can be so scary – I’d feel safer riding almost anywhere in Europe.
I am still waiting for the police report. I am pressing charges on the woman for assault with a deadly weapon. the guy I am testifying agents on his DUI charge. he will never get a licence to drive a car again because he was on probation from a previous DUI.I never tried to hurt him in the first place I just wanted him to back off from his crusade and seeing him all broken up on the street, at the time I just wanted to get back to my ride. looking at his foot he may never walk right again. I know he was a asshole but he sure paid a price for what he did. I think that his wife thought I was going to kill him and was just trying to help, just her brain was not working right with the drugs. I wish it had never happened and them setting in jail may feel the same way. this has not played out yet and I hope to keep everyone informed as to the results.
Keep riding it makes up better people.
Chuck
Should’nt the woman also be charged with three counts of hit and run, since she fled the scene?
Wow what a horrific incident! Glad Chuck was not hurt and his actions sound about right for someone well trained in self defense. These people definitely need to be prosecuted both to get them off the streets (they obviously pose a danger to themselves and others) and to serve as a deterrent for others that think this type of behavior is acceptable. Just my 2 cents worth.
Damn. I rode by Oroville a little over a month ago on a 70 mile adventure and we had a couple of hate incidents also. But we only witnessed the drivers yelling at us to stay off the road. On our return at the restaurant we stopped at, late night there was an obscene and loud group partying outside who were friendly. They were drinking but my son and i agreed they must be on crank which seems to be an epidemic around here. It really brings violence out in people. I heard it was developed to give to soldiers in combat to keep troops going against pain and hunger. Glad you are OK and thanks for pressing charges.
Don’t buy it!! If this guy was run down TWICE by a car and got up, how could this guy so easily “take him down”??!! I call BS!!