From MTBR: Mugged and Robbed @ Aliso/Woods Canyon (merged)

Found this on another forum (it did not happen to me) and thought it might be good to get word out.

Yesterday Evening I was riding my mountain bike in aliso viejo @ Aliso/Woods canyon park. I was coming down one of my favorite trails, RockIt, when I came up to approximately 20 cross country riders climbing up the hill. I was at the rock garden portion of the trail which is pretty wide. The train of riders was all on the left side of the trail so I kept my speed up, stuck to the right side and kept going.

One of the riders yelled something at me as i went by about it being a cross country and not a downhill trail and to slow the F down. I was almost past the riders and had plenty of room so I kept going.

As I got to the last couple of riders one of them turned their bike sharply into me, knocking me off of my bike. Five or six of them came down, threw me into the bushes and cactus, beat me up a little bit and then stole my bike, car keys and all of my bike tools out of my backpack.

They made off with my Santa Cruz Vp-free which I had almost $6k invested in. I had to walk 2 miles back to my car and then hitch-hike home to get my spare keys as my phone and wallet were locked in the car.

If anyone knows the group that rides 20 strong at Also (a friend thought it might have been the Laguna Rads), you were a part of the group and dont think what your buddies did was cool, or has any information about these guys I would really appreciate it. Also, if you come across someone selling my bike, please call the cops.

My bike
07 Small Santa Cruz VP Free in anodized greyish purple
White Fox 40 w/ no decals
sunline direct mount stem
Hopetech M4 Brakes
Saint Cranks
1X9 drivetrain with MRP G2 Chainguide
Mavic 729's laced to hadleys (the rear is an old 108pt engagement)
shaddow XT rear deraileur
sunline V2 pedals
Transition saddle
Thomson seat post

I would like to get the bike back, but Id rather find out who these guys were. I filed a report with the Sheriff's department. If you have any info please chime in or call the OC Sheriff.

Thanks for everyone's time. Happy Trails!

 

Crazy Story - Mugged / Bike Stolen on Rockit in Aliso..

Wow - Crazy story over at MTBR about a guy who got mugged and his bike stolen last night on Rockit at Aliso ...http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=722293

Hmmm...anyone know anything about this?

 

this seems like a joke

 

Before passing the word around some fact-checking is in order. Who is the OP? Phone number? Sheriff case number?

 

definitely a hoax

 

That's what happens when you don't yield.

 

do the rads even climb anything

 

I do love the image of a roving gang of spandex-clad XC bikers, pissed off and ready to pound on anyone who doesn't yield to them uphill.

 

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/59120-mugging-aliso-woods.html

 

Some serious holes in the story on that thread... If I had a 6k bike, there is NO way it's going anywhere without me, REGARDLESS of how much I was in the wrong. There is so much traffic in Aliso, anyone within my screaming distance would have heard me (houses would have called the cops). If I had to throw rocks - whatever...to get someone to call the authorities or find others to dissolve the situation.

Just seems like it would more likely have happened on April 1st.

 

more importantly is phantom pooping on the trail acceptable ?

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/25774-truly-shittty-ride.html

 

If the 20 XC riders are on their bikes how do they make a speedy get-away with a heavy FR bike? Just 1 more of the many holes in the story.

 

So the spandex clad XC riders made off with a downhill bike.......do they know how to ride one?

No one called police?

 

I like the steep rock garden section,xc riders trying to peddel uphill with a 40lb dh bike on his shoulders, wouldn't have gone far.

 

yeah..

 

I'll agree that it wouldn't be the first time there was a conflict between uphill xc climbers and downhill riders, but this seems highly unlikely. First of all, I can't imagine that any serious XC riders who, based upon the description, were most likely on a training ride would actually go out and mug someone for a bike. $6000 Santa Cruz? Most XC race bikes are well above that in value. Getting 20 XC riders on a training ride to collectively agree to mug someone, steal their bike, take their keys without anyone of the 20 complaining about it? Highly unlikely. Have this happen on Rockit at Aliso on a Wednesday evening without anyone seeing it? While i have not been there on a Wednesday evening myself I understand that this trail at that time is more crowded than Grand Central Station in New York during the rush hour. Finally, they take his bike and car keys but they leave his car in the lot?

One of 4 options I see here:

1) A notoriou street gang purposely dresses in lycra racing outfits, learns proper XC climbing technique and enters Aliso with the intent of stealing valuable bikes for resale on the black market. They time their collective ascent perfectly so that the downhill rider is caught mid trail by the tail end of the group.
2) Person who posted on mtbr is a wierdo who just did so to provoke a response from mtbr forum users, or maybe has some kind of grudge against a particular group ride or team and wants to get them in trouble.
3) Person who posted on mtbr has a grudge with a real mountain biker who has a bike that exactly fits the description and wants to f with them by causing others to report the true Satna Cruz owner.
4) Real xc ride and the descender pissed them off for not yeilding to the uphill riders. Maybe the last couple had to dismount because the group slowed down or stopped, got pissed at the guy descending, knocked him off the bike, roughed him up and threw both his bike and his keys into the bushes just to just f with him. (Don;t get me wrong, this would still be very wrong, probably criminal, but still unlikely as I can't iagine all 20 riders would agree to it and none would have said, stop it! Say what you want about the XC crowd but they are usually serious cyclists for whom something like this just doesn't fit their mentality.

 

I was out at Aliso last night. In the almost 2 hours I was there, I'm sure I would've noticed/heard a group of "20+ XC Gang of D-bags" climbing around. I'm not saying the post is inaccurate or false, but I find it very odd. I saw the rangers out posting trail closure signs at the top of Mathis to warn people that they have to get to the Lower Ridge via Dripping Cave. I'd think if there was some gnarly commotion, they would've been involved and promptly notified. I also saw no cops there when I left around 7:10ish. I'm not implying anything here, but I think more investigation is necessary before getting all riled up.

 

[7/6/2011 23:36:54 : pos3 : GARPNERKL] [Cleared with unit 482] [7/6/2011 23:36:46 : pos3 : GARPNERKL] Unit : 482 DR=240/242 AND 487 [7/6/2011 22:15:58 : pos10 : SMITHAS] CANYON VISTAS NBH: 921C4 92656 33.58512,-117.74355 930 IN A WHITE SUBARU PARKED ON THE STREET BY THE PARK, SUSPS WERE A GROUP OF ABOUT 20 SUBJS, LOSS WAS CAR KEYS, MOUNTAIN BIKE, BIKE TOOLS OCC`D AT APPROX 1900 AT THE 10-20 GIVEN, WEAPONS WERE HANDS.... MEDICS REFUSED

http://ws.ocsd.org/Blotter/BlotterSearch.aspx

 

This sounds like someone trying to smear the Rads. How the hell can people riding their bikes up Rock It steal another person's bike? Did they leave a bike behind? Did they part it out amongst themselves and ride away? Ludicrous.

 

Took three hours to get the cops there? I understand after walking out and no keys etc... I would have thought another rider would have passed by with a cell phone. None the less, it was reported.