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What have you run over?

Mar 10, 2009
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I was on the home leg of my two hour ride this morning when I ran over a LIVE animal. Yes, friends, a live one. Riding back on a single lane back road at a gentle 15mph when a bunny lollops out of the bushes in the side of the road and starts to make his/her way across. I spy said bunny about 30 meters ahead of me and being in general good spirits called out something like "Hey, woah". Needless to say, bunny ignores me and keeps hopping. So, a second later we're in collision mode so I hip swerve, miss with my front wheel but feel the sickening bump as I run the poor sod over with my rear wheel. Being in the zone, I didn't stop but threw a quick look to see Roger disappearing back across the road whence he came. Are rabbits stoopid or what?
 
Mar 11, 2009
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A mongoose a few years back. Did not actually run over it though, it just ran out of the tall grass by the road and hit my front wheel. When it twisted from the impact it hit my lower leg and ran back into the grass. Kind of scary because if one of them bites you, you are supposed to get rabies shots as the vast majority of them here are rabies carriers.

WD
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Not me, but I was chatting with another rider in the Gatineau Hills two weeks ago as we just passed a black bear cub (we didn't wait around to see if mum was around!) and he was telling me his mate ran straight into a deer at 40 kmh the previous week. Bike, rider and deer all OK, but took a while for him to dust himself off. Apparently it was the second time he has hit a deer while riding his bike!
 
Jun 16, 2009
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I had a rainbow lorikeet fly into my front wheel once, needless to say the bird didn't hold up well. And I brushed a kangaroo riding at about 45kph at dusk recently. Felt the fur on it's back on my calf as I swerved around it, so thankful I didn't make real contact.

I've had to bunny hop more than a couple of snakes (fun on a road bike) and have had some close encounters of the emu kind while riding XC, but luckily have never actually been hit by one.

Right now my problem is magpies trying to hit me...
 
Mar 19, 2009
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Cats

Had a cat run out from under a line of parked cars, straight into my front wheel where it got trapped behind the mudguard stay (this was in the 80s when you only got one). It ran off when I stopped and the mudguard was never the same again.
 
Jun 26, 2009
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I remember a tiger snake crossing the road in the Herald Sun Tour once. Didnt phase the Aussies but the Euros all S..t their pants. Had a ground hog run through a training group in Allentown Pa and managed to pass between my front and rear wheel without touching either one but he got a good clout on the head from the pedal. The best one was recently while on a cycle path on my mountain bike. I had a woman come towards me with a young poodle not on a leash. I slowed down expecting her to grab it but instead she put her hands over her face and screamed as it proceded to change direction right into my path where it received both Bontrager knobbies accross its ribs. After checking to see that the dog was ok i told the woman what a stupid **** she was.:rolleyes:
 
May 6, 2009
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Just glass, rocks, bits of metal that have slashed my rear tyre (made me 30mins late for work) and I have also had a fishing hook go through my rear tyre.
 
Jun 26, 2009
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The first time I raced in Belgium I ran over what I thought was a brick wall that had collapsed onto the road, then someone told me it was cobblestones :D
 
Jul 6, 2009
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near misses mostly involving squirrels deer coyotes snakes etc.. my problem is birds always ****ting on me its happened dozens of times some say its good luck i cant imagine why.
 
Jul 17, 2009
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I once almost ran over a really beautiful, tropical-looking peacock... right in the middle of Picardie, France. :confused: It would have hurt both of us since I was descending at about 70 km/h. Even more curious is the fact that when I looked back to see WTF a peacock was doing in the north of France, I was a couple more bright-coloured peacocks wandering in the woods! :(
 
Jul 23, 2009
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Ok- mongoose, kangaroo, tiger snakes... you guys have run over some pretty cool stuff. Can't compete with that!

I ran into a black bear on a mtn bike ride three yrs ago, came around a tight corner and there was the poor bear just awake from hibernation, sunning himself on the south slope and munching grass. I swerved, he swerved, and my back end hit his. Both of us got the hell out of there. No damage done.

This thread is timely. Two days ago I left for work at 4:30 am. Still very dark and I forgot my headlight. No traffic on the back roads so I thought I'd go by star light. I saw a patch of black ahead of me that turned out to be a large deer... was congratulating myself for my alertness and forgot the #1 rule with deer - watch out for the second one. Right into my front wheel, luckily it was uphill so no harm done to the deer or wheel. My ego is a little bruised though. At least it wasn't a moose....
 
Jul 27, 2009
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beroepsrenner said:
The first time I raced in Belgium I ran over what I thought was a brick wall that had collapsed onto the road, then someone told me it was cobblestones :D

hahaha that is hilarious!

I've just ridden over a mouse before it was running over the road then - crunch. And the other day when riding with a friend down a hill a bird flew into her and got stuck in between her front fork and wheel for about 5 secs. Revolting to say the least!

Also, when my father was riding in Europe a few years back he ran over a snake right down the middle and then round the next corner had to stop for a herd of goats that were all over the road.
 
Jun 9, 2009
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One day, on a hot summer's training ride with a group of about fifty riders in north-central Florida, I had a punctured reas tire. The pace of teh ride was relatively easy, so I didn't ask anyone else to stop in order to help with the bridge back to the group. I pulled over under a shade tree and changed out the tube, got back one the bike, and started time-trialing to get back with the group.

Then things got wierd.

The earth started to rumble and shake. I had lived in florida for about a decade and had never heard of earthquakes on that sandbar of a state, so I was a little freaked out. I decided to up the tempo so I would reach the group a little quicker.

Then things got wierder.

The asphalt in front of me started to crack open, right down the yellow line in the middle of the road. I hugged the right side as close as I could, but the crack widened in front of me. From inside the crack, I could hear sounds the like of which I had never heard before. The guteral screams of a thousand lost sould poured from the abyss that had formed in the road.

Even wierder...

A beast sprung forth from the deepening pit. It had the form of a large black dog, but with three heads. It stood about six feet tall at the shoulder though it carried its heads close to the surface of the road in an ominous hunch. Fire flew from its mouths and rays of red light pierced the sky from its eyes. I dismounted, took my front wheel off to use as a shield, and drew my frame pump to use as a weapon. I must have been a formidable sight, for as quickly as the beast appeared it leapt back into the hole from which it came. The earth shook a bit more and the crack in the road sealed with a thunderous clap.

Relieved...

I put my bike back together and continued with my pace until I rejoined the group, riding gently along at 20 m.p.h.

For some reason, I can never get anyone to believe that story.
 
bunny hopped a fallen rider in a road race. my rear wheel just touched him.
big crash in a group ride, i stopped with a fallen rider between my wheels.
also squirrels,small dogs, and all kinds of roadkill(ugh):eek:
 
What have I run over...

1. The arm of of a rider who crashed in front of me in the final sprint of a race (unfortunately I ended up with two broken vertebrae as a result).

2. A wild turkey on a training ride in the middle of nowhere.

3. A stupid kid who ran out in front of me (thankfully I didn't come off but by the time I stopped he had picked himself up off the road and carried on running).

4. And perhaps most oddly (or not), on the same road that I hit the turkey, I once ran over a couple of porn magazines that were lying in the middle of the road.
 
Jul 27, 2009
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David Suro said:
One day, on a hot summer's training ride with a group of about fifty riders in north-central Florida, I had a punctured reas tire. The pace of teh ride was relatively easy, so I didn't ask anyone else to stop in order to help with the bridge back to the group. I pulled over under a shade tree and changed out the tube, got back one the bike, and started time-trialing to get back with the group.

Then things got wierd.

The earth started to rumble and shake. I had lived in florida for about a decade and had never heard of earthquakes on that sandbar of a state, so I was a little freaked out. I decided to up the tempo so I would reach the group a little quicker.

Then things got wierder.

The asphalt in front of me started to crack open, right down the yellow line in the middle of the road. I hugged the right side as close as I could, but the crack widened in front of me. From inside the crack, I could hear sounds the like of which I had never heard before. The guteral screams of a thousand lost sould poured from the abyss that had formed in the road.

Even wierder...

A beast sprung forth from the deepening pit. It had the form of a large black dog, but with three heads. It stood about six feet tall at the shoulder though it carried its heads close to the surface of the road in an ominous hunch. Fire flew from its mouths and rays of red light pierced the sky from its eyes. I dismounted, took my front wheel off to use as a shield, and drew my frame pump to use as a weapon. I must have been a formidable sight, for as quickly as the beast appeared it leapt back into the hole from which it came. The earth shook a bit more and the crack in the road sealed with a thunderous clap.

Relieved...

I put my bike back together and continued with my pace until I rejoined the group, riding gently along at 20 m.p.h.


For some reason, I can never get anyone to believe that story.

I wonder why... :p
 
I think we had this thread before somewhere but here goes

I (nearly) bumped into a cat, dog, small child, other cyclist, bear, kangaroo...but the wierdest one was the time a deer came flying through the air and knocked me off my bike!

I was minding my own business on the Reading Road just outside Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire UK - it was early morning mid-week ride. A deer was standing on the side of the road just ahead which was fine until it bolted across the road into an the path of a volvo. The deer was hit by the volvo and went airborne - it came flying through the air like a giant furry frizbee and knocked me clean off my bike.

I was somewhat dazed the deer was a little worse than me - it didn't get the chance to practice it's highway code anymore shall we say. I honestly thought i must have dreamt the whole thing - but the skip in my off true front wheel convinced me otherwise.:rolleyes:
 

Dr. Maserati

BANNED
Jun 19, 2009
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Lots of squirrels lately - up until then it was dogs and unfortunatley other riders.

I did have a teammate a while ago who managed to have a collision with a cow!! Needless to say he came off second best.
 
Jun 26, 2009
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David Suro said:
One day, on a hot summer's training ride with a group of about fifty riders in north-central Florida, I had a punctured reas tire. The pace of teh ride was relatively easy, so I didn't ask anyone else to stop in order to help with the bridge back to the group. I pulled over under a shade tree and changed out the tube, got back one the bike, and started time-trialing to get back with the group.

Then things got wierd.

The earth started to rumble and shake. I had lived in florida for about a decade and had never heard of earthquakes on that sandbar of a state, so I was a little freaked out. I decided to up the tempo so I would reach the group a little quicker.

Then things got wierder.


The asphalt in front of me started to crack open, right down the yellow line in the middle of the road. I hugged the right side as close as I could, but the crack widened in front of me. From inside the crack, I could hear sounds the like of which I had never heard before. The guteral screams of a thousand lost sould poured from the abyss that had formed in the road.

Even wierder...

A beast sprung forth from the deepening pit. It had the form of a large black dog, but with three heads. It stood about six feet tall at the shoulder though it carried its heads close to the surface of the road in an ominous hunch. Fire flew from its mouths and rays of red light pierced the sky from its eyes. I dismounted, took my front wheel off to use as a shield, and drew my frame pump to use as a weapon. I must have been a formidable sight, for as quickly as the beast appeared it leapt back into the hole from which it came. The earth shook a bit more and the crack in the road sealed with a thunderous clap.

Relieved...

I put my bike back together and continued with my pace until I rejoined the group, riding gently along at 20 m.p.h.

For some reason, I can never get anyone to believe that story.

Are you sure you are not a Belgian kermis rider ???
 
Mar 17, 2009
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I had a family of swans cross my path on a cycling trail.
The biggest one, had to take flight to avoid me while the others
ran, and the ******* **** on my arm.
 
Aug 18, 2009
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Squirrel: I think he was trying to commit suicide as he was skittering back and forth on the path, then just as he looked to be bounding safely off to the side, I swear it looked like he ran over and stuck his head under my front wheel. Sigh. Some hawk got an easy meal that day.

Had a six point buck almost collide with me on the trail. Early morning, just before dawn and I'm cruising along, and suddenly this deer jumps out all of about three feet in front of me. Fortunately he continued running... along the bike path. I'm shouting stuff (whatever came to mind) just to get him off the path. He finally bounded into the bushes thirty or forty feet along the way.
 
Mar 5, 2009
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I have not hit anything but I have come really close to crashing riders, rattlesnakes, a Gila Monster, a pack of wild boar (javalena), and coyotes.

My favorite stories about riders hitting things are these though:

Dan Schmatz hits an Armadillo at the Tour of Missouri in 2006 - http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/sep07/missouri07/?id=results/missouri072 (see the How It Unfolded section).

Sid Taberly hitting a bear in Sand Pointe, Idaho on a training ride ahead of a NORBA race - http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=news/2005/jul05/jul21mtbnews
 
Jun 22, 2009
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I hit a bird with one of my pedals. Flew right into me and then flew off the
other direction.
When I lived in central Florida I used to ride this area that had two
Irish Setters that loved to come out and run along side me for a little bit
and than turn around and run back home.
This one day they saw me and came charging out to the road but instead of
turning and running beside me one of them ran straight in front of me.
The dog saw we were going to collide so it put on the brakes and I ran
over it's front paws. It went yelping back to it's home. About a mile down
the road here comes it's owner in his El Camino yelling at me that I hurt his
dog. So I stopped and explained to him what happened.
I don't think he believed a word I said. I kept trying to tell him that I
enjoyed it when his dogs came out and ran beside me, and I would never
do anything to purposely hurt them. That it was an accident.
In the end he drove away saying I shouldn't be out there riding on the road.

I also ran over a corn snake when I lived in central Florida. Coming down
a small incline at about 30mph I saw something that looked like a small
speed bump across the road. And then I saw it was moving. I mistimed
my bunny hop and hit it with my rear wheel. Scared the bejebus out of
me. I am terrified of snakes. I think I shook all the way home.

I ran over a very big raccoon on my motorcycle doing right around 65mph
at night. That was very scary. Pretty sure I only hit his/her head though
because as big as it was I definitely would have gone down had I hit it
anywhere in the body.