Effort made to sabotage first cliff path night ride
Attempts were made to sabotage mountain bikers’ first chance to ride the south coast cliffs on Saturday night, when a stake was put across the narrow cliff path.
It was the first night of the Guernsey Mountain Biking Association being allowed to ride the cliff paths with permission from the States.
On Saturday evening a small group of mountain bikers set off from Les Tielles in small groups and came across a walker.
They said they walked past the individual as they were sat on a bench before getting back on their bikes and continuing the trail.
At the end of the trail, leading biker and GMBA secretary Mark Smith said his lights showed a stake across the entrance to the trail.
‘We were going round under the 10mph speed limit, so it would have been more of a danger if we hadn’t,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t something that had just fallen over. There were no other stakes like it around there and it looked like it had been taken from one of the nearby fields and placed there. Luckily, the place where it was has a good stopping distance, but if it had been on a corner it would have been much more dangerous.
‘What concerned us most is that we had a 12-year-old with us, it’s not just us that were put at risk.’
The GMBA reported the matter to the police.
After 10 years of trying to get permission to cycle along the cliff paths, the group received approval for a four-month night-time trial from the Environment & Infrastructure Committee.
But it has not been a smooth ride in recent weeks. La Societe and the National Trust both raised concerns, and there was also a strong adverse reaction online. The GMBA has attempted to interact positively to comments.
Restrictions for the trial included all riders needing to be GMBA members and to have obtained and display the required trial licence.
More than 70 licences were distributed on Saturday, which Mr Smith said he was pleased with.
‘It’s interesting, and good fun. It’s a lot different to other rides,’ he said.
‘Saturday was cold, but it’s pretty amazing to be riding down and hear the sea below you, but not be able to see it.
‘Sunday I took my daughter down for the first time, having first checked the ends of both trails to make sure nothing else had been placed.’
Other restrictions include only using the paths between 6pm and 5.30am, riders travelling in a single direction from east to west, and not exceeding 10mph.
