A BALWYN North man says cyclists could be seriously injured by tacks deliberately left on the road.

David Devlin was riding in a group on April 2 at 7.10am on The Boulevard, Kew when he came across more riders repairing punctures on the roadside.

Later in the morning a friend, who was riding ahead of him, fell off his bike. It was found that tacks had caused a tyre puncture,

Mr Devlin said The Boulevard was popular with cyclists, particularly early in the morning when visibility is limited.

“Whoever is doing this has to understand the danger of what they’ve done,” Mr Devlin said.

“Some idiot with something against bike riders is putting cyclists at harm.”

“If you’re coming (riding) down the hill and into a bend on very thin tyres it is very dangerous to do something like this.”

Boroondara Inspector Steve Frost said he often rode along that stretch of road.

“There’s plenty of room for bikes and cars along there,” Inspector Frost said.

“There have been at least two occasions where tacks have been left on the road in the last few weeks. Clearly someone has a bent against cyclists and as it gets darker, it’s more likely they are able to do this without being seen.

“It’s a malicious act with the potential to cause untold damage to both people and their bikes.”

If you see someone putting tacks on roads, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.