Downhilling is Not a Crime!

This is a story about how some lady tried to get me arrested for downhillingThis is for all the downhillers. Don’t let someone on a power-trip try to discourage you from your sport.

I was heading out to ride for one of the first times after 2 ankle surgeries and a back surgery in the last year. Behind my house is a lot of open space with a decent sized hill and tons of dirt paths to ride on. It’s not much for a downhiller but it’s perfect for some one like me who is getting back in the saddle after not downhilling for almost 2 years. So I threw on my iPod and set out and though it was a tiring ride to the top, I knew it was going to be worth is for the ride down. After catching my breath, I get in gear and start bombing down the first trail. I come over the last peak on the hill before the bottom and see a lady standing there in the middle of the path, so I slow WAY down so I don’t hit her. I cut to the right side of the path to steer clear of her and so I don’t freak her out. As I do so she moves to the same side… So I move over to the left side thinking that she’s just not sure where I’m going. When I get to that other side, she moves to that side as well. So I just keep swinging wider and wider to the left… and so does she! I slow down a little more and as I pass her she takes a swing at me! I just barely duck out of the way enough that she only slightly clips my right arm with her hand. At first I thought to myself “HECK Yeah, I still got the downhilling maneuvers!!!” but then I realized that the crazy lady just tried to freaking hit me! I slow to a stop and pulled my headphones out to hear the crazy lady yelling “DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO RIDE HERE!?!?” I turn around and see her briskly walking down the hill towards me. I tell her “I can ride here if I want to.” So she continues on about how it’s a walking trail and it is illegal for me to ride there. So then she asks me were I live. I’m not about ready to tell here where I live but I do let her know that I do live close to blue park that’s about a quarter mile from there. After I tell her that she stops and looks at me and says, “Are you HIGH?!?!... What blue park?! You MUST BE HIGH!” At first I didn’t think she was serious; but when I realized that she was I knew she would keep right on antagonizing me. “Are the trees blue… is the grass blue… What part is blue… huh?!” Now I’m beginning to think that she is the one who is high and responded “NO! The slides is blue… the poles are blue… THE PARK IS PAINTED BLUE!... You need to chill out!” Obviously she’s not very bright, and if she actually know the area where she lived, she would know that there was a blue park not to far from where we were. In fact, you could probably even see the park from were we are standing if there weren’t some trees blocking the view. She starts telling me that I should just go ride there at the park and naturally, I tell her no. I explain to her I can ride here on this exact path because it’s not like I’m doing any damage, and before I could finish what I was saying she buts in with “YES YOU ARE! You are destroying the eco system!” Without thinking I jumped back with, “And you AREN’T?!” She points down to the ground at my tired tracks and says, “Look at what your tires are doing!” I laughed and responded. “And your feet don’t do JUST as much ‘damage’ on the dirt trails that were made by people walking all over around here.” After stumping here with that one she tries to continue on her power trip with, “Well how do you contribute to society?!” And let me tell you, that questing has everything to do with why I shouldn’t ride my bike on the trails. I tell her that I am a student. She once again continues, “You probably live with you parents.” I nod, she continues furthermore, “I know your type. You’re a moocher! You live with your parents and don’t have a job and take advantage of your parents and every one you can!” First of all, for those of you who may not know, I am part owner of a record label and though I can’t afford to live on my own because of my 5 surgeries in the last 3 years, I work very hard. However, at this point I was just fed up with the crazy woman and she wasn’t worth my time to tell her all this, so I just look her dead in the eye and slowly and clearly say, “YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!” We stood there for a moment looking deep into each other’s souls, then she says, “Well…I’m going to call the cops and you can have fun riding in the back of a cop car when they arrest you!” I told her to go right ahead because then I can file a report for assault. So she turns around and goes marching off. At first I kind of wanted to leave because even if the cops did show up I didn’t feel like dealing with it. Then I realized that I’m going to stick up for my sport and I wasn’t going to let some crazy lady ruin one of my first days back on my bike. So I kept riding and waited around for the cops to show up for about an hour before my back and ankle where too tired to ride any more. So she probably did call the cops, but they probably realized how stupid she was when she told them that there was some one biking on a path. I was kind of disappointed the cops didn’t show up because I really would have liked to see what she would have done when I DID tell the police that she assaulted me!
So next time you go for a ride, don’t let some crazy lady on a power trip try to stop you from doing your sport.