In a post shared on Facebook, the affected cyclist explained he had been riding downhill at high speed when he hit a nylon wire stretched across the path in Kirchberg, Haut-Rhin (not to be confused with the Luxembourg district of the same name). Although in this instance the rider was able to stay on his bike, there have been other incidents across the world which resulted in serious injury to cyclists.
According to the Grand Ducal police, these targeted incidents are not separately included in their statistics. Should such an incident occur, it would be considered “intentional bodily harm” (“coups et blessures volontaires”). As a result there are no exact figures on such incidents in Luxembourg.
However, the police said they had not seen any evidence or data indicating these incidents were becoming a phenomenon in this country. A spokesperson advised that anyone observing anything suspicious, or anyone affected by such an incident, should report it to the police.
An RTL reader got in touch to share their experience of mountain-biking in southern Luxembourg. “Personally, I have never come across any string or wire as described in this incident”, he wrote.
“But what is often the case is that rocks or branches are placed at regular intervals along the path, often for 100 to 200 metres. Although this is not as dangerous as a wire at neck height, the intention is still clear: they are placed there in order to cause injury to mountain bikers.”
