A disabled rider who was challenged for riding his electric wheelchair on trails in Indiana has called for kindness and empathy after a clip of the incident went viral.
Tom Morris was riding in Brown County State Park when he was stopped and challenged by two able-bodied riders who told him he was breaking the rules of the park. In fact, he was not breaking any rules as his adaptive equipment is allowed on any trail in Indiana. The clip has since picked up more than 200,000 views on Facebook and has been shared widely on other social media platforms and other news outlets too.
While a lot of the response to the video has been angry, Tom has asked people to use it as a moment to reflect and approach each other with more consideration.
| I posted that video for one very simple reason and that was to bring awareness. That night that the video was taken, I waited until the next morning not knowing if I was going to post it. When I woke up the next morning I opened up some social media and the very first person that was on my feed was a young boy, Eli, an 8-year-old boy with spinal bifida who is wheelchair bound. All I could think was what if this were to happen to him or someone like him? He doesn’t have a voice or a platform like I do.
The only reason I posted that video is because I want to advocate for people that maybe don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves. That video was never meant with intentions to do harm or ill will to those two people. I don’t know them, I know them from one interaction, and I have nothing but love and kindness for them. This is not a revenge thing, this isn’t anything like that.
People have reached out with a lot of support and I appreciate that but on the other hand what that man and woman’s comments to me were, they weren’t very nice but some of the stuff that’s written in those messages is challenging and that’s not who I am and that’s not the message. The message is kindness. As we move forwards I would just really appreciate if we could look at each other with a little more empathy and try and get out there and make this place a little bit better.—Tom Morris |
Tom has apparently been contacted by Terry Coleman, the deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources in Indiana, and was told that the state has purchased a fleet of off-road wheelchairs for its citizens to use. He encourages anyone with a disability and without access to their own wheelchair to use them and explore the state parks and trails of Indiana.
Note on doxxing
While we unequivocally condemn the actions in the two individuals in the video we will not tolerate any attempts to identify them in the comments. We will be moderating the comments and any threats of harm, attempts to locate the couple or identifying details will result in a suspension.
Sorry. I know violence does not solve problems, but guys like that need some.
Or ebikes arw too fast...
Ok, so fast xc riders or fast af dh riders cant ride either then?
The minute we suggest a violent or punitive reaction - or worse, act on it we lose the moral imperative to demand change. The same way reformed criminals make powerful advocates because they've made huge mistakes, we can get this guy to make positive impacts because he's made his own mistakes.
If Tom (the OP) can ask for that after being the target of this terrible behaviour, we can honor his request as well.
Seriously, f*ck people like that guy.
forums.mtbr.com/vermont-new-hampshire-maine/real-reason-kta-got-gutted-1126679.html
www.cnn.com/2020/09/13/us/bike-disabilities-paralyzed-bowhead-corp-trnd/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29
Man....i accidentally downed you instead of up....my bad
Consider this apology as an up vote
e-bikers are like vegans - they like to be soo visible
How well is that war on terror going, by the way? War on drugs, perhaps? Hmmmm. No? Maybe Vietnam? Iraq? The list really does go on.
See that is my point. That guy in the link has a bike that has so much cool stuff going on that I want a comprehensive review of what everything is and how it works. I don't mean the next statement to be ignorant but I see that the rider does not have use of both legs yet they is a shifter and gears. I would love to see more about the bike and rider to understand they whole picture of the bike build and how its. All bikes are their own form of art mixed with personalized functionality. PB, I WANT THIS BIKE REVIEWED TOO...please
????????????????????????
Or fast Enduro riders
To be honest we put big brakes on a bike for a reason and that's mainly to avoid the grandma and her dog.. jk but true that hikers here in the Bay area pose a huge obstacle when trying to get some laps.
Um hello, wouldnt be a trail here but for lik ol mt bike club. Still, most slow for all. But ya, u do get those idiot's middle.of.trail, not listening for bikes/no spatial awareness that its steep gnar section.
If not ride over his foot
Nevertheless this couple’s behaviour is more despicable than any anti e-bike comments on PB.
That’s like saying motorized wheelchairs are the same thing as electric cars, since both have four wheels and an electric motor...
The guy in the video automatically jumps into action seeing someone on an Ebike and condemns him. Once Tom informs him he's disabled I think the guy doubles down on his position out of embarrassment and just being an idiot. The female rider realizes it's wrong and tells the guy he should have just shut up.
Look back a year at some of the comments on Ebike articles on this website, they sound a lot like the angry guy in the video.
"Mountain biking couple are caught off guard by a disabled man riding a go cart on a mountain bike trail . They are not well versed on ADA compliance laws they never knew they had to know when this moment in life came their way. Disabled man keeps riding go cart without sharing the law so the upset and rude couple can comprehend the shocking sci-fi contraption that just rolled up on them. Man posts video & gets countless clicks on his for profit social media platforms. Likes, hits and over 2 Mil TikTok shares continue to climb
.
Preaching kindness, Disabled man does the opposite of being kind. Leaves original video full of shock and awe with couples faces up. Gets revenge over and over every time it's shared."
Is there any better feeling than rolling away knowing your right before someone can even try to calm down or apologize...and then posting your side online to confirm how right you are?
The infinite loop of indignation, cancel culture, me generation, shock, persecution, hate & self righteousness continues with every share and click.
Something similar to this happened to a Bowhead user up here in New England. Except they posted pictures of his vehicle online asking who they were and accusing them of essentially what we saw above in this video.
It's his responsibility to behave in a manner he expects others to if he wants to affect change. You can't behave poorly (even if it's not "as bad" as the people coming at you) and expect others to behave better or respond with kindness. Not a single social construct we have that turns from negative to positive interaction ever came of a guy just riding away like he did.
He startled them. They'd never seen it. If he wanted them to "show kindness" just like his subsequent videos preach, then he would have been the kindness he wanted to see in them.
All he had to do was state what it was and why it was allowed. We're humans. Not omnipotent. Most of us don't know what's allowed by the ADA guidelines.
Turn, explain why you are able to use. Start a dialogue. All of this reeks of the failings of social media & video 'reactionism'.
There are tons of the greatest quotes in the world he could have applied:
1. Be the change you want to see in the world
2. When you pray for patience, you should expect there to be opportunities to SHOW patience. He had the opportunity, but drove off and posted online.
Only after the hatred, threats of violence and multiple places online that posted all their vital contact info came about did he post anything to his "followers". Posting a video to your followers doesn't do anything to cool things down or resolve things.
I just tried to look up the ADA compliance info myself for trails. It's a 140+ page document for the US Forest Service.
The whole "nasty" and "angry" thing I have a problem with too. The old dude was at most whiny. People over exaggerate his temperment so they can overreact to him. It was a trivial encounter at best.
Maybe Tom's intent was to encourage understanding, but you'd think that would involve insight in the original post advising of ADA compliance info, his authorization to ride there and how he could have better handled the encounter himself. Sure, maybe he's right...but somewhere in the middle is the answer.
I'm not comfortable with the persecutory responses of all this.
If someone could enlighten you or I or bring us together, because PB has built in a special "EARMUFFS" feature in the comments, we get relegated to the garbage bin of discussion.
I've even ran into scooters and twice now those OneWheel faux electric skateboards poaching trail.
It's within reason to assume we all know what a whirring battery is now and it's reasonable to assume it's one more rule breaker now that they are so brazen.
If we could rewind time, have Tom let them know that it's legal and he has clearance to use it, they have the opportunity to respond. All this tech is crazy new and if you're going to be the one using it, it would help to understand how trail users are seeing nothing but violations of etiquette. Maybe Tom doesn't realize how many violations of rule these 2 riders have seen over the last few years and how the conflicts have escalated as the technolgy ramps up.
The fact that he was legally wrong (class I ebikes are treated as pedal bikes on bike paths here) is besides the point. What ever happened to mind your own damned business?
- Most people may not actually know about adaptive wheelchairs on trails and having this posted on a website as widely read as Pinkbike is a good thing.
- People will think twice about being a*sholes if they know there may be consequences. The a*shole level in this video is high enough where a little public shaming is probably healthy. Just don't doxx the guy or go to his employer, this is sufficient.
It's mountain biking. There are enough c*nts out there already. We're all set with that.
When I saw this video a few days ago I didn't put together that it was posted to be the voice of disabled riders. And I still really doubt that was why he posted it but after it blew up he decided he had better say something.
It's neither here nor there, but to me it's more surprising that someone who makes their living in that manner and is super fit when it comes to pedaling a handicap bike with his arms didn't go e-bike first. But probably had more to do with one not existing that he had access to.
May I ask you what a guy in a go-carts legs are doing when he rolls up?
Again, not excusing anyone's behavior, but you have hindsight in this instance and the guy in the video reacting didn't. He sees a guy in a go-cart.
EXACTLY RIGHT!!!
DISABLED MAN DOES COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF KINDNESS...
my questions is? Should he have been on that trail in the first place?!? Huh? Was it Legitimate for disabled personnel use?? Or did he just feel "entitled" to go on it and get in the way of able bodied people and cause my potential harm to himself and then #speakout about his 'experience' on social media like a typical feminist who hates herself and her life...
ALL YOU LIBERALS WHO SAY THIS COMMENT IS "OFFENSIVE" AND HAVE TO SPEAK OUT TO CALM YOUR SNOWFLAKE FEELINGS CAN ALL GO EAT A BAG OF DICKS!
Think Logically, there is always BOTH sides to a story, especially if its all over the internet.
Cancel Culture is a Liberal thing, when a liberal snowflake doesn't agree with you, all they want to do is cancel you...
Cancel Culture is nothing new and its happened since the middle ages.
As to your point about people not knowing complex park access laws, that's fair enough but why would they then feel empowered to enforce them without understanding them? I don't understand the jaywalking laws in the US but if I wandered around calling people out for walking across streets would you defined my actions as noble nonetheless?
Blaming the victim is about the cheapest form of a*sholery. Sorry bud, it had to be said...
Everyone is using their magic power of hindsight to act like they would IMMEDIATELY identify a handicap 3 wheeler. That is utter fairy tale. They're being pious and self righteous.
And I still assert that 2 wrongs don't make a right. Tom posting in subsequent posts about how kind he is are horseshit so long as he leaves his original video up to share and repost and spread hate.
I'm all for forgiveness. Not sure why you are able to forgive me for things that I say to upset you. Eventually I explain to you why I've said or done something to give you perspective. You and I work around it and move on.
But Tom is spreading that video all day every day in the same manner that started the hostility toward the guy and the old dude obviously is NOT on EQUAL SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTING as Tom. He can't possibly ever gain enough VISUAL AND SOCIAL FORGIVENESS online or in person to get back any form of dignity.
He's always going to get crap this one blip on the radar. If he apologized right now, you know Tom wouldn't jump back in his original post and edit it to have the guys apology on the end.
It reeks of vengeance and passive aggressive hostilities
Sucks For them. Maybe don’t be a Ken and Karen next time and they won’t go viral.
Crucify them for all I care. Welcome to 2020.
If the dude apologized, Tom absolutely would jump back in his original post and edit it to have the guys apology on the end.
Tom didn't choose forgiveness in the moment, and was justifiably upset & had time to cool off. His choice of action was to post a damning video that vindicated himself, got revenge on his adversary and if he wanted an apology, he's not stated he'd take one since.
I'm sure he thinks in his own head he is has some noble concept that the video circulating is somehow enlightening people, but at what cost to the offender? Far...far greater price than any of us could imagine I would guess. It's bordering on cruelty at this point.
But the damage is done and others have copied it and it will live on. It's already been spliced countless times into YouTube rant videos, TikTok (my kids showed it to me when it hit 3 MILLION views)
We get it, you don't like eBikes. Let it go man, you are alienating a lot of people that know you. If one of your daughters was a paraplegic how would you take these two accosting them on the trails? This isn't a good look man, I'm pretty disappointed to be honest.
See what I did there?
In Ainsa Zona 0 (Huesca,Spain), an EWS place,they have no rules against ebikes , it is just stupid,non ebikes are minority there.
That thing of "ebikes are worst for the trails" is a nonsense,even more when your locals trails are non natural one´s or IMBA style.
For the last 6 years I worked from time to time with a small company as mtb trail guide in Madrid,working with mixed groups of regular enduro bikes and ebikes,0 problems it is just the same. To me are just the same,a bike with to wheels and here (Spain) almost everybody thinks like me,we are ridding bikes.
1) Don't be a dick
2) Ruining someone's life over a single violation of #1 is a violation of #1 in itself.
Carry on you beautiful people.
We live in such a divided state these days we need to respect others who actually do back down from the wrong idea.
We've confused consistency with honor - its a classic behavioral psych problem and in sales its used this all the time to get agreements.
One of the coolest social trends in MTB at this moment is to hate ebikes and anybody on one.
All the offender did was toe the line blindly after making a knee jerk reaction. Then he stayed consistent - because thats what self respecting people do. Its also a way to make quick decisions - stay consistent.
That said, i don't have the answers, i just see the same patterns repeating in every social movement and hope we can figure out how to have rational dialogue with the goal of understanding and compromise.
Ill keep dreaming...
If they have self respect, they will come forward with an apology.
But note that the others responding to you want to pursue the Cancel Culture line of thought. It's the internet age. If you don't like them, NEVER FORGIVE. ...cancel them, their life, their reputation, their home...persecute the crap out of them.
Scott Townes you're being 2 faced. You are saying you'd never dox someone or participate in it...but you're OK with watching the dox ???
And to add- changing your views to reflect newly acquired information should be encouraged as a sign of growth and maturity, not ridiculed.
I saw screenshots of their personal stuff and seen some truly violent and awful things that have been attempted and/or suggested that have had to be taken down. Note that PB had that blurb about "doxxing" because it's been really bad.
We're all douchebags sometimes.
What if we laughed about it instead of went to war? What if we had some social norms that supported owning up to emotional actions that you'd rather not own up to?
All Im saying is that we need some cushion for douchebags (all of us really) to to back off without shame.
Even in this video - the bad guy says "you should of lead with that" thats where a simple concession of "shit man, Im really sorry. I didn't realize why you where on that" coulda been a total game changer in this situation.
I think Im trying to say self image, as in who you believe yourself to be. Like this guy believes hes in the right. Being wrong would be against himself so he cant allow that.
Thanks for taking the time to share it.
The sport where guys spend $10k on a bicycle, then another $10k on making it look retro, post picks of it hovering in space and then never ride it?
The sport where hundreds get online and bitch and moan at each other day and night in places like the PB comments section?
The sport where grown men curse each other out like they were going to slit each other's throats in a text but would never even say a word face to face?
The sport where pros film themselves poaching secret trails that locals want to keep on the down low so they can get clicks?
The sport that bathes itself in carbon fibre everything at the cost of the environment?
I mean...seriously. You are going all in on that Cancel Culture rant pretending one guy needs out for one thing. Nobody in this sport is anything special.
No one in this sport is sacred. We all are wrong at some point. Some guy got put on camera and you're putting you want to put the guy in cement shoes and cast him out of the cool kids mtb club? Man, you sure do think highly of normal people with common faults just because of 2 knobby tires being our 1 commonality.
Some cultures do this better, as Americans we suck at it.
So you're saying none of the stuff I listed are bad actions by MTBers or you're saying none of stuff happens where you ride? Either way, humans behave the same almost everywhere so I doubt your riding zone is the exception and filled with only saintly folk.
As for me riding much, I get to ride all the time. I have it good where I live for that. I also have it bad because it's overrun with more MTBers who don't give a crap than do.
It's almost saddening that no one in these forums is a true child of 80s metal.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blow_My_Fuse
Ugly hateful people.
So it was only when he said he couldn't walk that that it dawned on them that they were being dicks. And he should have apologised but i get the feeling he was embaressed.
Not an excuse for not apologising, but I don't think he's as much of a monster as people are making out
Handicap equipment explains to me he is in it, because he has a handicap. I.e. he does not have the use of his legs. That was immediately clear to me after his first reply.
Not excusing him, but he wasn't as monstrous as people are making out imo
Sure, they were surprised and initially pissed, but he just go-carted off into the distance without helping them understand what they just saw. If you're going to preach kindness, you have to be willing to show it yourself.
Takes 5 seconds to say "Shocking vehicle I know. But I cleared it with the rangers as ADA compliant." Nobody riding that gocart could possibly think everybody will see them coming and go "Oh...obviously that go cart is being driven by a disabled individual executing his rights to operate what appears to be a fully ADA compliant device."
Could just as easily be said that the aggressors should know the rules on these pieces of machinery if they are going to try to trailside police. THEY were wrong, start to finish.
The rider who took the video owes these people nothing. Doesn't allow them time to cool, doesn't need to de-escalate a situation he didn't create, and definitely doesn't owe them the favor of not posting this video.
@privateer-wheels: While he may not owe anyone anything, since we are talking about empathy Tom is going to need to appreciate that people who have never seen a vehicle like this may not realize that it's not just some guy on a motorized toy.
That in no way justifies the way this person approached him, just pointing out that it's a situation that you can anticipate happening so it would be wise to have a plan for dealing with it. Guy in the video is still a total jerk though.
Why would I? They’d blow by me because they know they’re not supposed to be there. Or if they’re stopped, they’d just take the f*ck off. Not only that, I don’t f*cking know those people. If they’re brazen enough to ride a real dirt bike in to MTB trails, I’ll assume the worst about them. You know the best way to get hurt or shot or stabbed? It’s to go around telling strangers what they should or shouldn’t be doing in public.
I’ll call the park rangers and law enforcement. Because it’s not my f*cking job, nor do I have any authority to tell them to do anything. If you wanna play cop, then you should be a damn cop.
Big difference between that and actually confronting someone which is maybe what you're talking about?
So what then? Every ride costs $5 to pay for rule enforcement? Seems like a plausible future, all because people can’t manage to follow the rules and respect the work of others.
I don’t want to be a hall monitor. I just wish everyone could be respectful enough to actually follow the rules so we can all enjoy what we’ve built without risking access or grant funding. Unfortunately not the case, currently.
I said EMBA, not IMBA. EMBA is our local trail association who is responsible for trail building and maintenance. They are the point organization for interfacing with other user groups and the government. They are the ones advocating for community enforcement. No one said ridicule. The best thing to do would be to kindly inform of the rule breaking, and offer suggestions for other trails that do allow e-bikes. The fact stands that it is currently against rules to ride e-MTB on many popular local trails. This isn’t a value judgment. It just is currently not allowed.
If you feel so strongly about allowing e-MTB on trails where they’re not currently allowed, the “better” thing to do would be to lobby for changing of rules and regulations regarding trail use.
To be clear, I was suggesting that legal trail users could, in the future, pay a fee to ride, part of which would go to enforcing that illegal users stay away. I’m not a legal expert, but I imagine that someone has legal latitude to enforce appropriate trail use. But as above, far better to inform than punish. Your suggestion that we just let people break the rules because no one can enforce the current rules is absolute rubbish. Think about what you’re saying. Really think. You don’t even need to respond. The ramifications are far-reaching and scary.
Why are you so irritated? I think some self-reflection and pause might help you better participate in the conversation.
These local organizations like to think e-bikes are a gray area and like to lump them with actual dirt bikes, but there's a 3 class e-bike system that 25 states have already adopted. Class 1s are what we're most familiar with. I don't even ride e-bikes. But I'm informing myself with knowledge and regulations for them. I might get an e-bike one day when they stop looking fat and ugly. Because like it or not, eventually they're going to be a normal sight on trails all over the country.
Technology is evolving exponentially and just because a non-motorized bike currently has permission to be on a strip of dirt in the woods doesn't entitle everyone to strap on a battery and hit it too. Our forests, rivers, wildlife and open spaces need to be protected far more than your right to shralp a battery bike in the future.
I am perfectly fine with municipalities and each individual trail system accessing natural places making their own individual decisions about what access they grant
.
I am fine with humans holding each other accountable on the trail because government is for providing basic protections (like establishing wild & scenic places we can't ruin). We hold one another accountable daily and using a cop out to refuse to be a decent and respectful law abiding citizen just because someone with a badge isn't in your face babysitting you is a horrible way to conduct yourself.
When you're at a family gathering and Aunt Bessie's little turd kid is trying to climb the curtains or punch the dog when she's not around, the rest of the family can keep that punk in line.
Society turning a blind eye on each other on important matters weakens us. Sure, too many Karens running around these days, but if people would show the respect their parents taught them to show, they wouldn't be out poaching trails on e-bikes making up lame excuses about who has a right to keep them in check...when it's just YOU that can't keep yourself in check.
Oh I care about the woods. I care more about equity and the ability for everyone to enjoy them whether disabled, able-bodies, and anywhere in between. Public land is public land and is for everyone to enjoy. When the law decides certain equipment can be used on that land, that's how it is. Stop being f*cking selfish with your, 'I want the public, taxpayer woods to myself and f*ck everyone else' mentality. This elitist mindset is why e-bike advocates have had enough of you and people like you's bullshit and are being more vocal.
Don't preach to me about conservation and preserving the environment when you're just as guilty as I and everyone else for buying bike components and frames. You think that stuff doesn't have wasteful and toxic byproducts harming the environment? Think again.
I'm not the a*shole excluding, alienating, and ostracizing a group of people who many not otherwise be able to enjoy the wilderness and trails without e-bikes that your entitled, elitist, and able-bodied smug ass takes for granted.
So kindly go f*ck yourself. And yes. They are wrong. And you are especially wrong in particular.
Does it work all the time or just most days?
I've not said anything disparaging about disabled people or taking their rights away.
Ooooh that's straight to my cold, dead heart. Is that the best you can do? Or are you done here?
Oh and for all of your 'pristine wilderness' and 'preserving rivers' talk, why don't you go pick up the broken beer bottles, craft beer cans, and food wrappers at the top and bottom parking lots of Kitsuma?
also, aren't you the guy who once said disabled people should pick themselves up by the bootstraps and not ask for handouts?
But I never pick up the condoms. Someone might can re-use those.
Good. I can respect that.
m.pinkbike.com/news/cyclists-revoked-access-to-parts-of-the-kingdom-trails.html
Oh lord. There’s a worse precedent.
Just read through that thread. Wow. Just. Wow. I. Can’t. Even.
You seem very desperate to paint me as your personal Frankenstein monster.
It comes first when the guy tells him it's a handicap piece of equipment and then asks, "who the are you?" Uh-oh. Ken realizes he made a mistake and is, in fact, no one with any authority. Then Karen doubles down with, "You should have led with that..." No, Karen. The correct response is, "Oh man. We are sooooo sorry. We didn't realize what the situation was. Please accept our apologies." The double down is the best part.
It hurts to say these words but I find its necessary . It should take more then just owning a mountain bike to call yourself a mountain biker . Unfortunately it's no longer the case . Mountain biking use to be a social filter but the recent growth of the sport would support otherwise . As a sport we have lacked in the education department and are now earning the fruits of the lack of efforts . We've made our sport look and sound so incredible that everyone who now enjoys it come with many different attitudes . Some good some not so , but we forget to educate in order to create a better environment for all to
share . How often are the local club facebook pages filled with negative comments ? I had to sign off on my local club page because the constant bitching was getting too annoying and a big waste of time .
As a user group we've lost our moral compass a little , maybe its time we figured our shit out and moved forward . There's no room for hate , spite , greed or any other negative vibes on trails . Mountain biking brings so much joy to all that experience it , I don't see why we shouldn't be able to spread a little more of it in the process .
Remembering in the end we are simply cyclists who enjoy time spent in the forest and we are very lucky to do so .
Happy trails Tim , I hope I see you out there someday
✌️
What I do know is that in this example, where the rider is disabled, there is absolutely no complaint from me... Ebikes are incredible for trail access for people with disabilities, whether hidden or not. The real issue is with ebikes is people wanting instant gratification and/or to be lazy, and as they reap the reward of that themselves, perhaps we all need to chill out about ebikes a bit?
Gets beef with ignorance, isn't even rude, just corrects them and strolls away with a polite but obviously sarcastic remark.
11/10
So, you know, he probably hears the whine of the electric motor before the rider arrives, then - not being familiar with adaptive wheelchairs - it all probably added up to some snap judgment of it being some kind of electric recreational vehicle. Then of course, the couple appears guilty of the classic human failing of rather than just apologizing, stupidly clinging to an obviously wrong position that they've committed to, because they've committed to it (e.g., "you should have led with that").
This happens in many contexts. Mask shaming is pretty common these days for example, but, I have a friend who has serious panic attacks from wearing masks and has been yelled at for sometimes putting her mask down briefly to try and calm down. So, like others have been saying, take this as a time to think about subtlety, nuance, and complexity in ALL of its manifestations, not just those that reinforce your priors.
In any case, a very terrible encounter, no doubt, but like with most of these cases, I don't think that there's much to "learn" here beyond the narrow confines of this incident. If we need to learn anything, it's that the reason why these flashpoints are so enraging is precisely because they are so beyond the pale of ordinary behavior, i.e., they are not representative of the typical encounter riding. All the cries of "what is wrong with people", are overwrought.
Were you riding with anyone? What happens when you crash or flip over. Major respect for getting out on the trails.
You should do a video on your bike / cart, showing how it works and lets you get out on the trails.
Keep getting out and enjoying the trails.
Maybe its a lack of common sense but if someone is piloting a 'vehicle?' like that, with their feet strapped in, its pretty obvious they are disabled.
But moreover, who is this sanctimonious dick to dictate rules to other park users?
If It were me, I would contact whoever manages the trail system before riding anything motorized... Regardless of physical condition...
I would love to see him speak anyone biking in Scotland like that,am sure he'd receive some traditional Scottish hospitality ????????????????????
????
I.e why didn't you say that in the first place
So to me, that means they didn't realise he had a disability and the first time he said 'hamdicapped vehicle' wasn't understood
I know it seems like I'm really standing up for these guys, but Im only trying to clear up the misunderstanding
And I object to people being crucified on social media..particularly over a misunderstanding
Picture of the actual adaptive vehicle Tom was riding doesn't leave much room for misunderstanding:
cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/tom-morris-adapted-e-bike-2-facebook.PNG
That said, they probably had no idea what they were looking at, and there's a reason why a lot of MTBers (including me) don't like e-bikes on their local trails. The practical consequence of their presence: it doubles the speed of riders on a lot of terrain. It also lets a lot of people get to remote trails or on top of difficult climbs that you used to have to "earn" with your legs. This means more novices who don't know how to ride with etiquette or skill. I've had e-bikers scream at me to "get out of the way" passing on technical ups or coming down trials where I have the right of way. One guy on a Turbo Levo wanted to fight me after my friend, a tiny woman and excellent MTBer, politely pointed out the right of way rules after he nearly wrecked us. I'm sure they're fun, just like motorcycles are. But they don't belong on most public trails.
Accessibility devices are obviously an entirely different issue. But I get why they were mixed up.
Thanks for recording and sharing this poor behavior. Let’s all do better than those two idiots did.
I have done over three-thousand miles on my eMTB on trail I wasn't suppose to be on and have never had anyone challenge me about riding my eMTB like this guy was doing. This guy is going to get his ass-kicked by someone and his wife/girlfriend is going to have to watch.
There is an unreasonable venomous hatred for anything E-Bike in the USA. These bikes don't make you faster if you are already fast. They allow the weaker riders to ride at trail speed and help anyone go longer. This hive mentality hurts the industry and is holding back the MTB community. LBS aren't selling many E-MTBS in the USA as a result of this hate. The hate makes people feel the need to cause trouble for anyone on an E-Bike including those who are disabled.
Doubt anyone will read this, but if you do, I hope I put some ideas in your head. Have an open mind the next time you see someone on an e-bike. Even a fit rider wont be faster than any best effort segment on a normal bike.
But then consider, what if you are 65+ or have an injury like Paul Bass or Martyn Ashton? The line doesn't seem clear anymore between e-assist, e-powered, and actual environmental impact concerns. Trailhead signs are usually not that complicated.
Well said Tom! Those words of wisdom are an inspiration to try harder to be patient, kind, friendly, and more empathic.
Honestly, what kind of idiot couldn't tell this guy was seriously disabled at 1st glance? Honestly? What a dick.
I have no idea if this is happening here too, but I’ve shared on FB to spread your wise and humbling words.
Thanks again - I’m naive enough to have imagined this doesn’t happen in the trail community where you are or over here - a grim day for me during a grim year......
Seriously, what's wrong with them ? If they want to piss other riders off, they must stay at home or whatever and don't ride a bike... sucker...
It's clear you've missed that. Maybe just try not being a d*ck, see how that goes.
Take away the obvious factor that this is clearly a bike designed specifically for disabled people, and add in the potential for not understanding the situation to it's fullest.
While I agree, that we all need to do out part to protect our trails and support out communities, the major error this guy made was assuming, rather than inquisitively questioning before coming to his conclusion.
While I feel that his behavior was for lack of a better word, disgusting; I also feel this is a learning opportunity for people to educate.
I feel this is the stance more people need to take with the issues of the world today.
It reallg doesn't matter if your a liberal supporting rights for all, or a conservative holding onto the morals and values of yesterday, were all guilty of making those assumptions and aggressively coming to our conclusions whether your motivated by historical values or your so called "woke".
I think the message of empathy is truly the path we all need to take.
Lets all stop waiting for the other person to stop talking just to voice your own opinion, and actually listen to what each and everybody have to say.
Only then can we get past our differences, align ourselves with one another, and at the very least, agree to disagree.
Live and let live.
Thank you kindly Tom Morris for your message of empathy.
Here's to hoping the right people are listening.
Tom: ride on!
Judging by comments on "what they deserve" there's a whole lot of people here that are far bigger a*sholes than they were. All talk, no critical thinking.
This is one of the worst in trail action I could imagine...I trust the karma thing,that dickhead had a very bad Karma now,I wish him flat after flat tire,maybe he can learn how important is being able to walk.
It would be real easy to see Tom's wheelchair (he wasn't riding an hand-bike) like an electric ATV and think he's some guy abusing the trails.
suspension, or captain dickhead and his concubine with 140mm
dualies??? Ride on, Tom!
Why is everyone so freaking sensitive??
The issue is, where is the Grim Donut????????????
Trump 2020