GOLDEN, Colo.—Bicyclists are worried after tacks, box cutters and broken glass were found strewn along routes for two professional bike races later this month.

Jefferson County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley says the objects are being purposely placed on trails and roads popular with bicyclists that could trip them up or blow out their tires.

Next week Golden will be flooded with elite cyclists competing in the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge that begins Monday, and the Deer Creek Challenge on Sunday.

“We’ve had five or six incidents where things were put along popular bicycle roads,” Kelley said.

Kelley said the incidents caused several flat tires but no injuries.

Cyclist Mike Hearne tells KMGH-TV (http://bit.ly/ocIthw) the pro cyclists are going to be riding fast in big packs and a crash could injure riders.

“For the cyclists at the Cycling Challenge, I mean those guys are going to be doing 30-35 mph in a big pack and their wheels are going to be inches from each other. So if somebody gets a tack in their tire, you can take down dozens of guys with one crash,” Hearne said.

A spokesman for the Pro Cycling Challenge did not return phone calls, and a spokesman for the Deer Creek Challenge could not be reached.

Kelley said Jefferson County road crews will be sweeping the roads before the races.

Kelley said there has been a lot of tension between motorists and bicyclists, especially on the Deer Creek Canyon, where box cutters were found. She said a meeting was held last year between cyclists and the homeowners association in an effort to negotiate a truce.

She said broken glass was found on Lookout Mountain Road recently that “appears to have been purposely placed on the shoulder of the road.” She said there were no accidents and no injuries in that incident.

The scenic winding road 16 miles west of Denver will be one of the more challenging and most treacherous climbs in the Pro Cycling Challenge.

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Information from: KMGH-TV, http://www.thedenverchannel.com