Cyclist, 68, killed riding in Fish Hoek

A FISH HOEK cyclist was stabbed to death during an alleged robbery while riding in Brigantine Avenue in Sun Valley yesterday.

The 68-year-old Fish Hoek resident was robbed of his mountain bike by an unknown assailant who fled the scene.

A police search for him is under way.

“The circumstances surrounding the death of a cyclist are being investigated after he was attacked and stabbed by a suspect on the trail next to Brigandine Road, Fish Hoek, at around 9am.

“The suspect fled the scene with the victim’s mountain bike and is yet to be arrested. The victim, who is in his sixties, has yet to be identified,” said police spokesperson André Traut.

The attack yesterday came less than a month after Lynne Manson Kullin narrowly escaped death after she was held up at knifepoint and robbed of her bicycle and a cellphone while cycling from the Fish Hoek Main Road.

Cycling groups have noted the spike in attacks on cyclists and say robbers were after their bicycles.

In January, police arrested a 32-year-old suspect after he and his accomplice allegedly attacked a group of five cyclists on the old Helshoogte Pass near Stellenbosch.

The cyclists sustained minor injuries after the suspects, armed with a knife and sticks, charged at them on a Sunday morning.

The same month, Somerset West resident Francois Visser had a narrow escape after two men allegedly attempted to rob him of his bike while he was riding on the R44 towards Stellenbosch, just past the Lord Charles Hotel in the Heldervue area.

Pedal Power Association chief executive Robert Vogel said that he would not divulge the identity of the cyclist killed during yesterday’s incident out of respect for his family.

“This attack was opportunistic and the assailant had the intention of taking an item even if that meant taking a life. The Peers Cave area has been a noted hot spot, and on the other side of the hill there was recently a female rider robbed and attacked in the area,” said Vogel.

He said the motivation was not for the bicycles themselves but the robbers taking something of value for which they could fetch a price.

“We urge riders to familiarise themselves with these crime hot spots and avoid them, to allow the authorities to clean them up. Ride in groups and remain vigilant of your surroundings at all time,” said Vogel.

He said the association extended its condolences to the family of the victim, who was a member of the Recyclers Club.

Anyone with information is requested to contact the Fish Hoek police station on 021 784 2720 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.