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Home / Mountain Bike Trails / Europe / Slovakia / Video

Watch: Bear Charges Mountain Biker at Slovakian Bikepark

A video showing a bear running toward a mountain biker on a forested trail.

By Video Share
May 8, 2017 Last Updated: July 22, 2024

24 comments

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Watch this mountain biker get charged by a bear at a bikepark in Slovakia! Thankfully, nobody was harmed.

A close-up of a black bear standing in a grassy area, with soft sunlight illuminating its face and body. The bear has a curious expression as it looks slightly to the side, surrounded by a blurred natural background.

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24 Comments

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Carolinadude North Carolina // 2015
May 12, 2017

I live in NC, and so we mountain bike around plenty of bears. Looked to me like the bear was actually chasing the first guy on the bike, but when that second guy on the bike came barreling up behind in at full speed ahead, at the same time yelling at the bear, the bear suddenly saw himself as prey. In my opinion the second mountain biker probably saved his friend's life by not turning around to save his own ass. That’s the kind of friend you wanna have when your mountain biking for sure—one that will stick with you even when a large bear is chasing you, lol. That being said, I always carry a extra large can of bear spray on my water bottle cage.

1 reply

Zoso 2016
May 9, 2017

@isawtman: Oh please. These occurrences are extremely rare. Using a few anecdotal vids to limits trails in "bear country" is clutching at straws. There's a whole lotta areas that could be considered such. We should also limit biking where a snake could bite yer ankle. Oh, and close down Whistler since the bears are all over the place there.

0 reply

isawtman 2013
May 9, 2017

zozo, Here is a study on the subject "Schmor (1999) interviewed 41 mountain bikers in the Calgary region who cycled in the Rocky Mountains. The responses indicated that 84% of survey participants had come within 50 m
of a bear while mountain biking and 66% of the encounters clearly startled the bear."

0 reply

mongwolf Mongolia // 2011
May 8, 2017

Have you ever heard of the old sing-along-song, "The Other Day, I Met a Bear"? Ha!!!!!!! So very true for these riders.

0 reply

Jeff Barber Georgia // 1998
May 8, 2017

I love how his buddy seems to have no idea the bear was even there. Would love to have seen this one at real speed and not just slow motion to get a sense of how quickly the bear appeared and disappeared.

0 reply

Todd H. Georgia // 2014
May 9, 2017

I crested a hill in North Georgia while riding a service road in the Cohutta wilderness way back in like 1987, and nearly ran over a fairly small black bear. I'm sure that bear was way more frightened than I was, because he turned into a black blur and was gone in an instant- I didn't know they could move that fast.

0 reply

triton189 2015
May 9, 2017

Ignore isawtman, he is just a troll with an anti mountain bike agenda! Go preach elsewhere.

0 reply

isawtman 2013
May 12, 2017

You guys can live in a fairy tale fantasy land all you want. I'm sorry that I bring a little piece of reality to you, and you can't handle it.

0 reply

Chrisfarley Oregon // 2017
May 9, 2017

Ken, if you look back there were actually two who noticed your judgmental and ignorant comment. Then you made another one! So let me make it three.

0 reply

kenwrightjr Georgia // 2016
May 8, 2017

Mongwolf, your condescending reply to my initial post was unnecessary and unwarranted. Why? I'm glad you asked. Because my comment was based on MY initial view of the short video and mine alone. You and everyone else saw it much different than I did and yet you decided to be the only one insulted by my viewpoint. Your comments are childish and that you seem to want to "scold" me is laughable on an open and free site where opinions vary abound. My question as to WHY they stopped was based on NOT knowing where the bear went and therefore they appeared to be foolish at that MOMENT in time to stop and start looking around. Who do you think you are to question my point of view on this short video clip? I'll answer that for you - No one. But you're right, I wasn't there and heaven forbid had I known that a world renown bear expert like yourself was on this site to give us the scoop of how bears attack then possibly I would have just came to you first and asked. And seeing to how you can obviously count, I'll end this with - Sixthly(?) You weren't there either so keep your snide comments to yourself and allow other people the freedom to voice their opinions however they feel when you haven't a CLUE as to what they saw or perceived to see.

0 reply

Rob R Wisconsin // 2016
May 11, 2017

Hey Ken get off your high horse and lighten up especially since you called the riders idiots firstly ????

0 reply

Pamela Thompson 2017
May 9, 2017

Great reply!

0 reply

OhioFatBiker Ohio // 2016
May 8, 2017

No bears were harmed in the making of this film... the same cannot be said about shorts, someone needs a new pair. Holy crap.

0 reply

Zoso 2016
May 9, 2017

So close all the trails in bear country to everyone then.

0 reply

isawtman 2013
May 9, 2017

Well, The statistics for Bears and Hikers are different. According to the study, mountain bikers had a disproportionately high rate of encounters with bears. That just goes to show that mountain biking IS DIFFERENT than hiking.

0 reply

kenwrightjr Georgia // 2016
May 9, 2017

Sure thing doofus. If it makes you feel good. lol

0 reply

kenwrightjr Georgia // 2016
May 9, 2017

Thank you Pamela. It was irritating to have to do that on this awesome site but, if we don't speak up then our voices are silenced. No matter the level, no matter the time.

0 reply

Zoso 2016
May 9, 2017

Thanks triton. I thought his name was familiar with EVERY SINGLE thing I've ever read about wilderness and bikes.

0 reply

kenwrightjr Georgia // 2016
May 8, 2017

We don't know where the bear went but why on EARTH would they stop even for a moment? lol. Is idiocy a part of riders being attacked by bears? SMH

0 reply

mongwolf Mongolia // 2011
May 8, 2017

First of all, your comment is so disrespectful and rude that it doesn't deserve a reply, but I will anyway. Secondly, bears can run 35mph and can reach top speed very quickly, so even on a mtb you are going to have a hard time outrunning them. Thirdly, you are never supposed to run away from a bear at a high speed to not invoke their attack instinct. Fourthly it looks like the trail was taking a another turn back to the right and the bear had already changed course in that direction. Fifthly, from the point of stopping it appears that the riders avoided the bear and the charge ended, therefore, their decision obviously worked. The attack instinct in the bear seemed to dissipate. Honestly, you weren't there, so you sound a bit ... ... well I don't want to be rude towards to you ... ... so suffice to say that it would probably better not to criticize.

1 reply

Jared13 California // 2011
May 8, 2017

Since we don't know where the bear went, we cannot judge the actions of the riders. If you look at the trail at the end of the video it looks like it makes a right and potentially double backs. The bear could have ran down the hill and been waiting on the trail for them.

0 reply

mongwolf Mongolia // 2011
May 8, 2017

Wow, that is no small bear and he is "hauling'". Scary, scary moment.

0 reply

isawtman 2013
May 8, 2017

another example why mountain biking should be limited in bear country

0 reply

wozza Australia // 2013
May 9, 2017

Its a bit hard when there are drop bears all over Australia

0 reply

Tagged: bear, slovakia, video, trails, slovakia

First published May 8, 2017 @ 11:15:06