What kind of person (or persons) would spread industrial-duty tacks to take out riders of Memorial Day weekend’s 52nd Iron Horse Bicycle Classic?
One (or more) overly weighted with that grim shade of human nature – schadenfreude.
This German word combines schaden, meaning “damage,” and freude or “joy.” In this case, we’d say evil joy. The saboteur initiated disturbed delight with tires going flat for more than 50 IHBC participants. (Unconfirmed estimates put them closer to 100.)
According to a news story in The Durango Herald on Tuesday, Colorado State Patrol Capt. Angela DeGuelle said patrollers responded to reports of thumb tacks on U.S. Highway 550 in two locations, one early in the race before the intersection with County Road 203 and another near Trimble Crossing.
Troopers had previously swept the road for debris, so the tacks were, clearly, an act of sabotage.
In one party of eight, five or six got flat tires. Michael Neukirch of Lincoln, Nebraska, came to ride with his daughter and her co-workers, which included Ande Lloyd.
Neukirch saw riders with flats, weirdly in the same spot. A “thwack, thwack, thwack” alerted him to his own tire going flat. The poor guy used his teeth to pull out the metal barb.
Bet he didn’t imagine this scenario when filling out his registration form.
Sadly, Lloyd was not able to repair his tire.
This is awful.
Like an arsonist, we’d bet the criminal returned to the scene, lurked in the crowd and watched the fallout. Heck, the perpetrator may have even offered words of comfort to sidelined riders who had spent many months training.
By press time, no suspects have been revealed. But whether a juvenile or an adult, someone capable of this criminal activity will brag about it on social media or out in a bar.
It’s all very odd because this kind of malfeasance isn’t commensurate with potential charges.
According to that story, the perpetrator could be issued a citation for illegal dumping or face criminal mischief charges. Yet, this kind of crime goes far beyond mischief and says a lot about a person.
In Colorado, vandalism is usually charged as a crime of criminal mischief. Someone could spray paint a message with bad words on a public bridge, get caught and nailed with criminal mischief. This act would be dumb and damaging. Some might even say mischievous.
But it’s not as bad as laying tacks before Iron Horse, blowing tires and dreams.
What if you learned the perpetrator is your neighbor or a co-worker? Compare this with the bridge vandalizer, whose actions would be bad enough. But the tack spreader is a different breed.
If the criminal is found to be a Durango resident, he or she will have to move or be ostracized.
Jail time would be unlikely, unless the offender has a record. We imagine inmates in the yard reacting to this new arrival with, “You did what now?”
Maybe we’ve watched too many cop shows, but we’d like some forensic work done. Could tacks be traced to a local hardware store? Inquiring minds want to know.
We’re interested in large purchases of evidence, too.
Since the 2021 nationwide launch of Operation Flashpoint, a program from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FBI, business owners, managers and employees are trained to spot suspicious, large purchases that could be used to build bombs.
But what about tacks?
It’s difficult to understand where the hate comes from.
Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at Durangotangs who prioritize trainings for extreme sports over all else. But the IBHC includes rides for pros to everyday enthusiasts to newbies talked into it during a night of drinking.
Fortunately, festivities include those of us bystanders who don’t have the fitness level, mental stamina, time to train or (fill in the blank with a better excuse) to join the IBHC club.
No doubt, the IBHC is exceptional for its beauty, camaraderie and the uniqueness of racing the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train.
IHBC brings out the best in so many. Intentionally spreading tacks leans toward the worst.
Ann Marie Swan is Opinion Editor at The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez. These views are hers alone and not necessarily the editorial board’s.
