Wildlife Encounters
I ride many mornings with a group that goes out at 5:45 or so. We roll about a 20-mile loop before we all have to go to work, and it's a terrific way to start the day. A good part of it is on a bike path, a rails-to-trails conversion with trees on either side, and significant portions run through a heavily wooded county park. Maybe you see where this is going.
It started off as a typical morning, where we roadies ride in a paceline. Our lead rider was chugging along about 22 mph and the rest were tucked in behind. After crossing a road, we entered the area where the woods start to get thick.
Suddenly I noticed a rather large brown dog just a ways down on the left side starting to run at us. "Hmmm . . . that's odd," I remember thinking. Having a dog do that would be freaky enough, but then we figured out quick that it was actually a deer, seemingly one with a vendetta against cyclists, and it was intent on taking us out.
Fortunately the deer had bad timing and he leaped out just a fraction of a second too early in front of the lead rider. We zipped right behind him and rode on. It took about thirty seconds to sink in what a close call it had been. Banging smack into the side of the deer at that speed would have been bad for him and us. Good luck played a part to be sure, but you can also be certain that we look a bit sharper on the side of the path and certainly are more cautious about any "dogs" we see standing nearby waiting to leap out.
Ever have any close calls of your own?
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Photo: Andrew Howe, Photodisc/Getty Images
Comments
Once, commuting home at daybreak from work, a buck ran out to cross the road after a car had passed. I was just behind the car and the deer almost broadsided me. We both stopped about 2feet from each other, he blew and ran the opposite direction. If his antlers hit me or if I plowed into him at 20mph it wouldn’t have felt great.
I have to be very cautious and watch for kangaroos on the road. They can be up to 6ft high and at 5am seem to come out of nowhere. Mostly don’t have problems with dogs except for one spot (which I try to avoid), will read your article on that next!