It didn't take long for the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club (SLOBC) to find tacks on Corbett Canyon Road Thursday.
Since the first sighting four years ago, there’s speculation that someone is behind this.
“We thought they were deliberately placed. You don't usually drop thumbtacks out of a car,” said Tim Rich, San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club Coordinator.
Cyclists tell me they’re always on the lookout for tacks and stop to pick them up so others don’t end up with flat tires.
“I picked one up probably a mile back and my tire didn't go flat until like the next hill," said Kathy Starkey, SLOBC Ride Leader. "And so then I had to stop, obviously, and change the tire. “
What concerns them is the necessity to ride on the speedy road to avoid the scattered tacks.
“You kind of look at both ways as you're going out in the road, and then you're picking them up and dashing back in," Rich said. "It's hazardous.”
However, they say tacks aren’t going to stop them from riding along this beautiful road.
“I can't believe the person is continuing to do it," Starkey said. "And I don't know what he thinks he's gaining by doing it. He or she, whoever, they, them. It's not deterring us, because we're going to pick them up every time we see them.”
The California Highway Patrol confirms these incidents are considered vandalism or attempted vandalism and has involved the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
No arrests have been made but if damage was $400 or greater, a person could be charged with a felony.
The cyclists tell me that at each tack sighting, at least one tire is damaged.
“Ten bucks per tire, 84 sightings, you do the arithmetic on that,” Rich said.
Despite the challenges, these cyclists cherish the freedom they find on the road but have one message for the individual responsible.
“Quit. Please stop it. We won't be intimidated. We have a legal right to the road and we want to be respected as we respect automobiles,” Rich said.
