Cyclists Fight Off Terrifying Cougar Attack In Washington

A group of five female cyclists in Washington state fought off a horrifying attack by a cougar for 15 minutes with nothing more than sticks and rocks to protect a badly injured friend.

The riders, all in their 50s and 60s, watched in terror as the beast leapt at one of their friends and clamped its fearful jaws onto her face. The attack last month launched a valiant defense of their friend, 60-year-old Keri Bergere.

The group, which belongs to the Recycled Cycles Racing team, was 19 miles into their trip when the harrowing encounter began.

The cougar came out of nowhere and attacked Bergere, knocking her and her bicycle into a shallow ditch. The wild animal was immediately biting her jaw, and she knew that her life was in serious danger.

The victim vividly recalled the incident. “I felt something to my right, I looked to my right, I saw the face of the cougar, and the next flash I was on the other side of the road. He had my face pinned down in the dirt and at that point, I thought I was a goner.” 

Bergere told local media that she thought her teeth “were coming loose, and I was gonna swallow my teeth. I could feel the bones crushing, and I could feel it tearing back.”

She said she was suffocating and could taste blood in her mouth as she was viciously attacked. But then her friends sprang into action.

Fellow cyclist Tisch Williams described the frenzied scene. “As I turned around Keri was off to the side of the trail with the cougar on top of her that looked like it was dragging her into the woods.”

Williams continued, “I just started beating it with a rock over and over and over. I thought the cougar was going to murder my friend.”

Annie Bilotta joined in the fight to save her friend’s life. She said the four women yelled and held the wild animal down and whatever else they could think of to help.

She vowed to never go cycling again without having protection.

The group estimated it took 15 minutes to pry the cougar off of Bergere, who endured nine hours of surgery to save her life. Despite the trauma, the victim pledged that the women will continue to ride Washington’s trails.

Wildlife officials found a “subadult” cougar nearby and removed the animal. There were reports of a second animal nearby, but a search by a hound handler did not turn up another beast.