Mountain bikers endangered hikers on Cerro San Luis trail
On Saturday, Dec. 3, about 8:30 a.m., while ascending Cerro San Luis via Serrano Drive, I started to encounter some mountain bikes. There ended up to be well over 100 of them, all going very fast. The trail is frequently steep and narrow with blind corners. Few bikers had warning bells and they didn’t slow down when meeting hikers — especially those leading the pack. When asked, a few said it was a birthday ride with no sponsor. I suggested they needed a permit for a ride this size and warning signs posted at the trail heads to warn hikers.
These were not Cal Poly kids, who usually have commendable trail manners. I later encountered a hiker who was almost hit — no slow down or apology. One biker said they were mostly local. There were about a dozen hikers that I saw.
Hopefully, the local biker leadership can rectify this dangerous uncivil behavior. Some bikers were contrite — the leaders were not.
Jim Farmer, San Luis Obispo
This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Mountain bikers endangered hikers on Cerro San Luis trail."