I hit a horse once – complicated story – but the short version is that I was going about 20mph when I hit it broadside – next thing I remember is being on my friend’s couch – apparently the horse was fine, but my bike was totalled and I was a mess for about a week or so.
In November, I was running through my neighborhood…total suburbia…and it was just getting dusk to dark. I was moving a a pretty good clip and a deer stepped directly in front of me onto the sidewalk. It came from behind a set of bushes that ran from the house down to the sidewalk. I obviously did not see it. I slammed into it and knocked it over we ended up with me laying ontop of the deer on the sidewalk. It took me a second to realize that it was a deer as my first thought was that I jsut plowed into a kid walking out onto the sidewalk. Well, it was kicking and scrambling to get up and I popped up pretty quickly. It ran about 10 yards away and was looking at me. My heart rate was thru the roof and I gave myself a quick once over as I had soo much adrenaline pumping I didn’t know if I was hurt at all. All was fine and I continued on my way. It was a 10 point buck. I hadto leave my clothes in the garage as they reeked of what I would describe as ‘musk.’
In IL, NW suburbs, friend Brad was doing a 6 am bike ride a few weeks before IM Canada. He had a large deer run right into him from off the road. Broke several ribs, punctured a lung, cuts and broken frame. Brad was laying in the middle of the road in the early rush hour on the backside of a hill on a road with a 35 mph speed limit. Luckily, a driver stopped and called an ambulance before a Tony Kornheiser listener hit him in is 3,000 lbs. SUV. Brad missed IM Canada after making what could only be called an amazing recovery. He went on to race in LOU the following year and qualify for Kona (again). No word on how the deer did 'Lil Tommy. (WLS reference from the 1970s)
WLS - Animal Stories… Nice!
Fermi Lab. Just missed a coyote while in aero. He charged out from behind a line of spruce. He twisted sideways to avoid my wheel. We made serious split second eye contact. Both asking “Where’d you come from?”
The squirrel I hit grabbed the front wheel, came flying up and latched onto my arm. I shook him off, he fell under the bike and I got him with the back wheel. He ran off without dropping whatever he had in his mouth. Glad there was something there or I may have had to deal with more than a scratched up arm.
I never have, but I just came across a YouTube video of a mountain biker getting hit by a deer. Kind of makes you wonder if there is anywhere that’s safe to ride outdoors. I better just stick to my trainer.
glad you are ok!
I’ve come soooo close a couple of times…deer everywhere here…scariest was descending a steep hill and came so close could feel it whizzing by…my HR crazy too
Last year I had a deer run out around 10 yards in front of me. Shocked me as I am usually looking for dogs.
I’ve just missed deer, but did hit a wild turkey. He died, and I suffered a second degree shoulder separation three weeks before an Ironman. I guess I still came out ahead. Good luck,
Seamus
I remember that story from a crazy bike accidents thread I started last year. I was hoping you’d tell it on this thread too. 
I never have, but I just came across a YouTube video of a mountain biker getting hit by a deer. Kind of makes you wonder if there is anywhere that’s safe to ride outdoors. I better just stick to my trainer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oymHHyV1M
hartebeest in that video, actually - a kind of antelope. same idea though, and i’m sure the guy it took out didn’t really care what it was.
i’ve come pretty close - lots of deer around here. i’ve also come inches from some kind of large bird in a race…took off from the side of the road and crossed right in front of me. scared the crap out of me. i’ve just missed a few squirrels, and once i’m about 99% sure one of them ran under my bike between the wheels while i was going about 20 mph. yikes.
Beats having your ride end with your head being stomped on by a mother elephant.
http://www.tourdafrique.com/blog/indianadventure/encounters-of-the-unwanted-kind
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That would be an antelope.
Friend from Greenwich, CT collided with a deer while on bike training ride several weeks out from IM Lake Placid. Hit it hard and crashed, broken ribs and pretty banged up.
didn’t Matt Lauer had that honor on Long Island once?
A few years ago doing century ride in central MA while on a speedy down hill, a deer was on the road boxed in by cars coming up the hill on opposite side of the road and guard rail and cars on my side of road, so the deer was running up the shoulder of the road road towards me and appeared to be trying frantically to to get off the road back in the woods. We didn’t collide but it scared the crap out of me and it all happened so quickly and I had limited options of where to ride without getting hit by car or deer.
I’ve just missed deer, but did hit a wild turkey. He died, and I suffered a second degree shoulder separation three weeks before an Ironman. I guess I still came out ahead. Good luck,
Seamus
How did he taste?
We have a ski hill that is about 7 or 8 miles from town. The ride up to the lodge is a fairly spirited 2000’ish foot climb over maybe 6 miles. If you don’t have a lot of time it is a good little bike workout. A local triathlete was descending off the hill one morning with abundant acceleration and momentum and broadsided a deer trying to dash across the road. The human was quite f’ed up, but fully recovered after a few months. I don’t know about the deer, it got up and ran away, although my friend reported finding a plug of deer hide in his bar ends.
Late fall ride - light gets dark before I know it and I am riding in the dark on the way home.
Going as fast as I can to get home and I feel a huge BLAST of air go by and clip my front wheel.
Damm deer…
My friend has, recently, with severe injuries that landed him in the hospital for a week. I just sent him this thread!
My buddy was mountain biking in over in Jacob’s Ladder about 2 years ago when he rounded a corner and there was a herd of mountain goats. One of the billies charged and nailed him. It fractured his pelvis!