Posted on 05/06/2018 5:40:25 PM PDT by BBell
Two cyclists, one German and one Polish, are feared dead in Mexico after authorities found a body in a ravine and other signs they may have plunged off a cliff, investigators said on Friday.
The two men -- Holger Hagenbusch of Germany and Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland -- had been traveling the world by bicycle, but were reported missing in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.
Investigators believe they may have lost control on a treacherous road between the towns of San Cristobal and Ocosingo and tumbled into the ravine, said local prosecutor Arturo Lievano.
"It's a very accident-prone area," he told radio network Formula.
"It's a very narrow path and the ravine is approximately 200 meters (650 feet) deep. Biking there is actually a very high-risk activity."
Lievano said the German and Polish embassies were working with Mexican authorities and had shared documents and photographs.
"We have clothes, a t-shirt, personal effects and a body" that was discovered on April 26, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.de ...
Maybe they should have just walked the bikes?
downhill runs reach beyond 50 mph
at that point one mistake is death
provided your bike is tuned to withstand the set up a natural frequency, you still have to fight nerves and break pads
you need remarkable balls to successfully navigate a downhill mountain leg
period
The downside of extreme risk-taking is that you may not survive it. Many don’t completely grasp that.
............I think theres a much higher chance that bandidos stopped them, killed them and took their stuff.
The Mexican Cops, like many of our cops, don’t want the truth told.
So what do we have here? Eurotrash bicycle dick’s who spend thousands to travel to and bicycle in one of the most godforsaken countries in the world. If the terrain/ rattlesnakes didn’t get them the cartels would.
I did an 11 mile downhill run on Mt Ranier when I was young and stupid. Pushed off from Paradise Inn and didn’t turn the crank once all the way to Longmkre, WA. No helmet. A French “Bertin” bike that was no great shakes. Couple of motorcyclists came up beside me and one of them taps his speedometer and says “You’re doing 45.” The folly of youth. On the return climb, I remember somebody poking their head out of a van and snapping my pic. You didn’t see many mountain bicyclists in those days.
So what do we have here? Eurotrash bicycle dick’s who spend thousands to travel to and bicycle in one of the most godforsaken countries in the world. If the terrain/ rattlesnakes didn’t get them the cartels would.
Back in the late 1950s, when I was around 9 years-old, I had an air speed type speedometer mounted on my handle bars and went down a steep hill on my typical 1950s style bicycle. I got up to almost 50 mph according to the speedometer and finally slowed down at the bottom of the hill. Amazing that I survived as the brakes barely worked.
Another poster alluded to the fact that they were probably robbed and killed. Knowing the culture, they were probably robbed, then raped, then killed, and their bodies and bikes dumped into the ravine.
A forensic autopsy in a first-world country is warranted.
I have traveled on that road by bus, and the only road in the US that seems similar to me is the east side of Tioga Pass going up from Nevada to Yosemite. It is a scary road and an accident should not surprise anyone.
I’m suspicious too just bc Mexico is Mexico. Has to be dirt roads, or at least crummy asphalt. Chiapas is very dangerous, lots of bandidos. The cops are on the take. Did they find their bikes??
Was this two bicyclist or two individuals on a tandem bike?
I had one of those! Mine was about 6” in diameter as I recall, and was made of transparent red plastic. Very cool.
RIP to both. A little respect for the dead would be nice.
When I was about 11 in 1952, I had a redSchwinn 26 inch with the tank on the frame and coaster brakes. Mom & Dad got me a mechanical speedometer for Christmas (BIG mistake!). I installed it and put it to the test when it started warming up the following spring. I remember it reading 45 down the hill in front of our house...the next thing I knew I was waking up about 8 AM the next day. Knocked out cold for about 12 or 14 hours. Mom and Dad called the doc after they hauled me inside. He said “Is that him screaming.” Dad replied “Yeah.” Doc said “He’ll be ok.” Never did visit the ER! I was told I hit a pothole and went headfirst over the bars. How I made it to adulthood I’ll never know!
I think the fact that it happened to two cyclists at around the same time lends credence to that theory.
Correction...1962, not 1952.
I’m not THAT old (yet).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.