A cyclist riding the Chief Isadore Trail escaped with minor injuries after being rushed by a mother grizzly yesterday evening near Mayook.

The rider managed to deploy bear spray at the last moment to halt the charge.

Chief Isadore Trail/Trails BC Facebook site is warning riders to be bear aware after the charge.

“We had a incident on the Mayook section of the trail last evening. A lone rider from Merritt who was scouting out the route of the BC Epic 1000 to Fernie ran into a sow grizzly and two cubs at around the 26 km post, six km away from the Ha Ha Road trailhead. The rider was rushed by the bear. Fortunately, he had bear spray as the bear got right up to the bike and the cyclist was able to discharge the spray. In the resulting confusion the rider was thrown off his bike and sustained minor injuries,” the Chief Isadore Trail site outlined.

The bears fled, but the bike was damaged and the rider’s cell phone battery was dead, so he had to walk out until he got to the Baker Forest Service Road, which he followed down to close to the highway where he was picked up by a local resident.

The trail site recommends riders and trail users to always carry bear spray and make noise while riding. Also, travel in groups and if you must insist on traveling solo, have a backup battery for your phone in case of emergency.

Chief Isadore Trail, a hybrid gravelled 43 km trail between Cranbrook and Wardner, was officially opened July 1, 2017.

Half of the trail is resurfaced rail grade and the other half is an enhanced 1.2 metre width gravelled single-track.

Lead image: The Chief Isadore Trail between Mayook and Ha Ha Road trailhead. e-KNOW file photo

e-KNOW

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