Weirdest thing you have seen on the run/bike?

Triathlon Forum
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This Winter has played havoc on the roads around here, as I’m sure it has elsewhere

Yesterday, while dodging potholes, I saw a local Public Works crew attending to one such beast

This one was about a foot and a half wide, three feet long, and maybe 9-12" deep. I couldn’t tell precisely how deep because it was filled with water

Now, I would have thought that the road crew would have taken a portable pump or something to empty it first, but nope … they were dumping the hot asphalt right into to cold water, with much splashing and steaming

This did NOT look like a sound solution to me, and will probably require re-work, but what do I know?

202

Three days ago driving during the day in city 100K from me. Huge pothole marked with cones and flashing light and setup with yield to traffic sign. Last night doing same drive at night all there is is a flashing light. Couldn’t have seen the yield to traffic sign until too late. If I had not done the drive by three days earlier likely would have had accident.

203

Gravel road riding in farm country with a few team mates. Road by a large barn with a few country boys enjoying adult beverages. Previous encounters in this area involved rolling coal and middle fingers. An hour later on the return loop home we prepared for the worst (unleashed dogs, beer can toss, etc).

Ha that story reminds me of one. Go out super early for a ride, riding through a small town with a big tail wind. It is about 7am and I see up ahead a party is still in full swing and has spilled onto the side of the road. Lots of burly looking guys drinking beer. I start to worry that I am going to hit trouble, so I put on a spurt of pace (my Garmin says 48km/h), and hope no-one accosts me. Then I see beside the road one of the guys on a BMX starting to accelerate, to much encouragement from the partygoers. Needless to say he lasted about 3 seconds, but a good laugh all round!

204

I was looking forward to running outside after work all day, but my start time slipped a little with having to stop for groceries, then pick up D’Kid from work, then making a small plate of dinner for D’Wife, becuase she doesn’t like to work out on an empty tummy

Even though I was staring about 45 minutes later than I had planned, dammit I was getting out there. It was getting close to sundown, so I put on my shorts & a glowy long-sleeve shirt, and got out the door

I could hear Mister Softee chiming some where in the distance, as well as the whirring of the peepers in the swampy areas nearby

I was startled a bit coming down the hill that starts the last mile … dude, I know the calendar says Mid-April, and yes, the ice cream trucks are out, but it’s kinda chilly, and there *still *is a threat of snow lurking about, so there is no fucking need for you to run your fucking sprinklers, and NOT in the fucking dark … that is Summertime shit, asshole

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A home with TWO Miatas in the driveway

One 1st Gen with the flip up headlights, the other was 2nd Gen with the little oval ones

One of them had a rear spoiler on it, but I forget which right now

One might have been a convertible, too

I’m *sure *they’re not going anywhere, so I’ll have to get a pic, next time I’m over that way
.

206

Long Island Marathon 2017… about 5 miles in, I hear screaming and yelling, everyone running, confused, starts to look around and there is a fully naked(!!), middle aged man screaming at all of the runners, next to his car… Apparently the traffic caused him to go nuts.

Story: https://www.newsday.com/...on-course-1.11749342

LeBrun, who declined to identify the man, said he was driving a four-door sedan and was alone in the car when he decided to jump out and take his clothes off.
The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m., police said. The man was upset he couldn’t get through the Merrick Avenue and Privado Road intersection because it was blocked for the marathon, LeBrun said.
“He parked his car and walked into the middle of the pack of runners, screaming anti-government rhetoric,” LeBrun said. “He kind of jumped in there and also started running a little bit.”

207

On my run this morning there was a “murder of crows” tearing apart and arguing over a dead squirel. Even when I yelled and ran by they did not flinch and kept picking at the squirel.

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Trained in Tampa, Florida for a summer two years ago. Every morning I was on the bike I would inevitably encounter a runner who would pull his shorts down to expose himself as I rode by. I just assumed it was someone from LetsRun and he knew I was a STer.

209

Not necessarily “weird” but last night, as I ran past the Little League field, I was happy to see that young miscreants still hang out on their bikes by the fence , with no interest in the game, just trying to look cool and on the verge of causing trouble
.

210

Russian Beluga Caviar…

About 20-30 1 oz tins at a T-Intersection a couple miles from the International Airport.

Most tins were pretty smashed up, but I still was able to gather about 10 undamaged tins.

Luckily weather had been cool and they had bee shaded (by tall grass and the railing), so the product was still good.

Turned out to be an expensive find anyway, as I had to come up with some appropriate bubbly…

Those are like $4000 bucks a can…its actually Sturgeon (beluga sturgeon) roe. Id have picked them ALL up lol

211

There’s a wooded stretch of road toward the end of the second day of the City to Shore …

Or beginning of the *first *day, if you only do the ride down on Saturday

Do you mean that twisty, turny part between Rt 73 and the Halloween house? That’s near where I live; I drive it to & from work everyday

Kettle Run Road right before Braddock Mill Road, I think?

Is Kettle Run Road less than 12 parsecs?

No, but I certainly have done it in less. I’ve outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you. I’m talking about the big Corellian ships now

212

No, but I certainly have done it in less. I’ve outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you. I’m talking about the big Corellian ships now

Big deal . . . tell us what’s important: Do you have the current KOM on that segment?

213

No, but I certainly have done it in less. I’ve outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you. I’m talking about the big Corellian ships now

Big deal . . . tell us what’s important: Do you have the current KOM on that segment?

listen - there are no double letters in my name so clearly I did not cheat…and no I was not wearing my Garmin - the GPS gets wonky once it gets close to wormholes. You can ask chewy, he was there.

214

While I’m here, I may as well play along. These happened within the last 3 years . . .

  1. Sunday afternoon training ride. The route comes to a “T” in the road. At the “T”, there’s a silver PT Cruiser sitting still with the driver’s door open and, on the wrong side of the road going the same direction, a small white sedan. Leaning in to the passenger’s window of the sedan is a young woman in a sheer-ish formal evening gown and/or nightgown, extremely low cut and with a slit up to about the waist. The sedan leaves and, as I approach the intersection, the woman in the evening/nightgown walks back toward me. She calls out, “Is there a flasher on your bicycle?” (Huh?) I slow, but don’t stop, respond “No,” and rapidly turn left and up the hill at max speed.

  2. Riding in rural Summitville, Tennessee at about 8:00 a.m. Walking up the road is a young woman in an 80’s classic short yellow poofy dress with cut-out sleeves, non-matching boots, and a purple spiky half-mohawk, and she’s carrying a large black bowling ball (no bag). (There’s not a bowling alley for at least 20 miles in any direction.) We say, “good morning.” She says something about how hot we look in Spandex. We don’t stop.

215

While I’m here, I may as well play along. These happened within the last 3 years . . .

  1. Sunday afternoon training ride. The route comes to a “T” in the road. At the “T”, there’s a silver PT Cruiser sitting still with the driver’s door open and, on the wrong side of the road going the same direction, a small white sedan. Leaning in to the passenger’s window of the sedan is a young woman in a sheer-ish formal evening gown and/or nightgown, extremely low cut and with a slit up to about the waist. The sedan leaves and, as I approach the intersection, the woman in the evening/nightgown walks back toward me. She calls out, “Is there a flasher on your bicycle?” (Huh?) I slow, but don’t stop, respond “No,” and rapidly turn left and up the hill at max speed.

  2. Riding in rural Summitville, Tennessee at about 8:00 a.m. Walking up the road is a young woman in an 80’s classic short yellow poofy dress with cut-out sleeves, non-matching boots, and a purple spiky half-mohawk, and she’s carrying a large black bowling ball (no bag). (There’s not a bowling alley for at least 20 miles in any direction.) We say, “good morning.” She says something about how hot we look in Spandex. We don’t stop.

Where do you live haha and I would definitely stop next time and just f*ck with these people lol

216

She calls out, “Is there a flasher on your bicycle?” (Huh?) I slow, but don’t stop, respond “No,” and rapidly turn left and up the hill at max speed.

I don’t think she was asking if you had a blinking light on your bike.

217

Where do you live haha and I would definitely stop next time and just f*ck with these people lol

Middle Tennessee . . . and life’s experiences have taught me not to spend time around mad dogs or crazy, half-dressed women. Life’s too long for that.

218

Where do you live haha and I would definitely stop next time and just f*ck with these people lol

Middle Tennessee . . . and life’s experiences have taught me not to spend time around mad dogs or crazy, half-dressed women. Life’s too long for that.

Ok. The mad dog I get… But what life experience taught you that other thing?

Id understand if randmart said that…

219

She calls out, “Is there a flasher on your bicycle?” (Huh?) I slow, but don’t stop, respond “No,” and rapidly turn left and up the hill at max speed.

I don’t think she was asking if you had a blinking light on your bike.

I’m still not sure what she was after . . . but good sense prevailed over curiosity. I didn’t need to know.

Another weird experience that probably loses something in translation . . .

We were riding on a familiar road on Christmas Eve a few years back. It was a cold, rainy day. Up ahead, I see a guy pulled to the side of the road. He’s on a 26" mountain bike and he’s wearing a tattered orange jump suit under a tattered brown winter coat. He’s got a big pack on his back. He has a very long, unkempt, graying beard and long, unkempt, graying hair under a floppy brown western hat. He looks exactly like the “bear man” in the 2010 movie version of “True Grit.” He flags us down to stop us – his mannerisms portray a great deal of urgency – as if there is grave danger ahead.

Once we stop, this guy’s mannerisms are exactly like the “bear man” in True Grit. Even his voice – the tone, the halting cadence, the accent – it’s as if the “bear man” has copped a mountain bike and come out for a ride. (If you don’t know the “bear man” character, find him on YouTube. “Is anyone in need of medical attention?”) At any rate, he warns us of a very large loose dog up ahead. (We know the dog.) He explains that the dog is extremely dangerous and that we should carefully reconsider our route. He points to a tattered leg of his jumpsuit and notes that “the animal I speak of is the dog that just did this to my clothing.” He then says that, “If I encounter the dog again, I will strike him upside the head with this here machete!” whereupon he draws the machete up over his head out of its holster strapped to his back.

We assure him that we are prepared to meet the dog and defend ourselves, if necessary. (In this part of rural Tennessee, most cyclists ride armed, in case of mad dogs or rednecks.) Suitably assured, the “bear man” allows us to pass. As we ride away, before we say another word, we turn to each other simultaneously and say to each other, in our best “bear man” voices, “Is anyone in need of medical attention?” Hilarious.

We named the Strava segment on that stretch in his honor. It’s “Bear Man’s Trail.”

220

So the “Why Do Runners Find All the Dead Bodies” thread kind of sparked an interest in what weird stuff people have seen on the run and bike in real life, hopefully no dead bodies. Personally, I have seen more car accidents than I care to remember but a personal favorite was a man dressed as a cowboy riding a full grown, long horn bull down a major street in Gainesville, FL.

  1. Been flashed w/ hooters
  2. Saw a guy riding a unicycle in downtown Berkeley at midnight wearing a full body pink spandex suit that covered head-to-toe.
  3. Saw an escaped psychiatric patients roaming the streets

Ooh, seeing double double, double vision