Just some random thoughts here:
I learned about this case from another thread and a Bicycling Magazine online (bicycling.com) article. (I’ve NEVER seen Bicycling Magazine put out an article on a missing person before this.) I do a LOT of biking but it is almost exclusively road cycling and I have only a very limited knowledge of mountain or gravel biking. After scanning through all the posts to this point I’ve come up with some points or questions.
I’ve never really seen a thing on the type of bike or cycling Suzanne was engaged in. Road bike? Mountain bike? Gravel or cross bike? Everything I’ve read here and in the media seems to IMPLY she was mountain biking but I have not seen a verification of that point. When I first heard that Hwy 50 was closed, I assumed she was riding a road bike on Hwy 50. I have watched one YouTube video that seems to mention more, but the mods have specifically mentioned that one as off limits. Which leads me to my next point.
I’ve seen nothing put out by LE asking local bikers – IF she was riding off road – with a description of her bike and helmet and maybe her jersey. For those of us on the road when describing another cyclist will usually use the brand, model and color of the bike they usually ride or race and maybe their kit if they are a member of a team and frequently wear their kit. A couple of reasons for this. One is when we are wearing our helmet and sunglasses it makes it more difficult to ID someone. Another is we might recognize someone from farther away just by their bike. I’ve seen nothing in the media asking who was on the trails that day and did they see her.
Trailhead boards. Some trailheads have a sign-in board – voluntary in most cases – where users can sign-in on the off chance they come up missing. I’ve seen nothing on that, although that may also mean there are no boards on the trails.
Local clubs or associations. I only found one on REI’s website. Salida Mountain Trails. REI lists 11 rides and 46 trails in the area of SMT.
Salida Mountain Trails
SMT’s website.
Salida Mountain Trails - Volunteer Trail Construction in Salida Colorado - Home
SMT’s Facebook page.
Salida Mountain Trails
There is nothing about Suzanne on either SMT’s page or FB page. Of course, Suzanne is likely not a member. But I would have thought if family or LE reached out to SMT members there might be something on the website. When anyone is injured, harassed by non-cyclists or has a bike stolen we share that info on our FB page. Nada here on Suzanne. I did note that the FB page has some posts about vandalism on the trails. One where someone buried a board with nails in it on the trail and another where someone sawed partway through bridge supports.
Local bike shops. About a half dozen in the area. Only one, Salida Bike Company (apparently only a bike repair shop and not necessarily a seller of bikes) has anything on their web site or Facebook page. I’d say this is unusual and probably indicative of not reaching out to the local cycling community.
Suzanne’s proficiency and experience on a mountain bike. Not mentioned at all. From what little experience I’ve had on a mountain bike, I’ve found it required more bike handling skills that what I acquired from road cycling. Going to REI’s web site on the immediate area the majority of the trails are rated difficult – probably based on the steepness of the climbs or the level of bike handling skills required or both. Many appear to be single track trails. So I can assume she was reasonably comfortable on these trails based on the difficulty ratings? Assuming is all I can do as the local cyclists seem to be silent and I don’t get that aspect.
Lastly, cycling electronics. I wonder if Suzanne had some sort of cycling electronics such as Garmin, Wahoo or Polar. The handlebar mounted units the size of a cell phone like the Garmin 530 have GPS to help plot out your route and in some units can help you back to the trail if you took a wrong turn or get lost. Where cell phones might not have coverage these usually do since they don’t rely on cell tours. They also record the user’s route. In the case of handlebar mounted units if it is still with the bike LE can at least determine where she rode. In the case of a wrist unit they can be paired with a smart phone and the route can be determined. Some cyclists used a handlebar mount instead of wearing a wrist unit on their arm. In almost all cases, if the unit is found the route up to where the bike is found can be determined by plugging into a computer and downloading the data. Why is this important? Many cyclists are crazy about posting their daily activities on Strava or MapMyRide. By determining WHERE Suzanne had been a check of the online sites like Strava can provide possible witnesses that saw her on the trail. If she was mountain biking on the trails.
Again, I may have missed posts that address these points. But I have looked cycling web sites, local bike shop web sites and Facebook pages and LE web pages/Facebook pages.
bbm Thanks for posting ^ this. Even if public records show properties/real estate titled, say, as tenants by the entirety or joint names with rights of survivivorship, a couple may hold other assets in other forms of ownership. Checking a/c; cert's of deposit; 401(k), IRAs; mutual funds, life insurance; brokerage a/c; stocks, etc.? As you say, we don't know how this couple holds other assets. Maybe in one or more trusts.
