I was riding around the lake last night and on a little downhill in the aerobars (28-30mph) when Donald and Daffy waddle out in front of me and WHAM! duck feathers everywhere and I almost go down. The good news is the bike is ok though I got some sort of Duck Goo on my shoe but the bad news is Donald needs a new friend. Anyone else ever “run into” nature?
I was riding around the lake last night and on a little downhill in the aerobars (28-30mph) when Donald and Daffy waddle out in front of me and WHAM! duck feathers everywhere and I almost go down. The good news is the bike is ok though I got some sort of Duck Goo on my shoe but the bad news is Donald needs a new friend. Anyone else ever “run into” nature?
Large (>30 riders) group ride years ago. A chipmunk decides to try the crossing, hits the wheel of a rider a couple of places in front of me, becomes airborne, and glances off my helmet. No idea what happened to it after that.
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Three years ago during the Blue Mounds Classic road race, a pair of deer ran through the group on their way up the first climb - apparently knocked a dozen people out of the race!
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This Monday, on the little bit of bike path to our house at the end of a 3 hour ride, a big cat walks in front of my wife and I. We’re not going fast, and I steer around it to the right. My wife, a few feet behind me, tries to go to the left, but the cat keeps walking in front of her. Now she’s trackstanding, trying to wait it out - the cat wins, and she goes down. Man, was she pissed that I was laughing so hard.
I was riding behind a partner once when a squirrel darted out and ran right in between his front and rear wheels! Right through them, not a scratch!
Killed a bird when it it my helmet when he flew in front of me as I was desending down a hill.
Few close calls with birds, but I saw on TV the Downhill MTB series - this one was Canada or US, and a Bear ran out of the woods a few seconds before one of the women came past. Eek ! Close !
I hand the same thing happen to me going downhill in a local park reserve. Scared the $h!@ out of me!
My friend Joe killed a bird with his mountain bike. Accidently, of course. Joe’s about 6-6, 300lbs, has the speed and agility of a tortoise and can leap like a rhinoceros. This bird decided “Today is a good day to die” and flew across the trail about a foot off the ground; a little less than “hub high.” Joe hit him and just smacked him down to the ground … like swatting a fly, but flies don’t crunch-squeek. Joe was really upset about it, very upset, more upset than a straight man should have been. It made the ride home very somber. Joe played The Cure all the way home. Made me wish he’d run ME over with his bike!!!
I don’t ride with Joe anymore.
I rode right by a rattlesnake at Bear Creek Park in Houston once going at a slow speed. It was coiled up ready to strike when I finally saw it at the last minute. Scared the s^#t out of me.
Only actual contact was with a cat, ended up with a broken tailbone. Near misses include a bobcat, peacock, fox, beaver, moose, wild turkeys and more deer than I can count including 1 just last night. No bears or cougars yet, but they are in the neighborhood (North Cascades, Washington State). Oh, I fogot to mention rattlesnakes.
The bobcat, moose and rattlesnakes were all encountered on mt. bike rides. Everything else was on pavement.
I love this place!