North of Cincinnati, in Colerain Township, sits Buell Road, and an urban legend that promises death within 7 days to those foolish enough to tempt fate by summoning a phantom bicyclist. Yeah, kind of sounds like ‘The Ring’, only without the VHS tape (who even owns a VCR anymore?). The road twist and turns for a bit before coming to a straight away, this stretch of straight road is where you can supposedly conjure a little boy on a bike.

The legend says that if you stop on the part of the road, and flash your headlights 3 times, leaving them off after the final flash, a boy on a bike will come around the corner behind you. If he reaches your car before you turn the headlights back on, you will die within 7 days. Who he is, or why he has it in for headlight flashers, I don’t know. Having tested this myth out a few times myself, I can tell you I’ve never seen the boy on the bike, nor have I ever died the following week. Stopping on an unlit road at night and turning your headlights off probably isn’t good idea anyway, so I’m going to recommend you don’t bother trying.

While researching this legend, I found nothing to suggest how or when this one got started. It is worth mentioning that this is the site of the May 29th, 2007 wreck that killed 14-year-old Lauren Dietz & 15-year-old Miranda Phelps. A car with 5 students from Northwest High School wrecked here, killing these two young girls. There was still a memorial at the site the last time I visited (pictured below). However, this legend was around long before this accident, and doesn’t appear to be related to it.

Directions

From I-275, take the US 127 / Hamilton Ave. exit, and go south towards Mount Healthy. From there, turn right on Civic Center Drive, then left onto Pippin Road. The first street on your left will be Buell Road. Follow it until you reach the Straight away. You’ll know you’re there when you see the memorial site (Assuming it’s still there).