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Several snakes and squirrels. Lots of rabbits on my fast gravel track way home from the pub. Scary but only hit 1. Biggest scare was a pissed road ride home. long fast down hill spinning out in top, probably about to puke. "saw" some shape "ghost" across my path left to right. Then gone although maybe my right arm touched something. To sacred to stop. Spooky. Got home and found white deer arse hairs on my right jumper elbow.Culd have been messy.
Bat flew into my face when I was riding along at dusk many years ago. Clung on for a good few seconds.
I ran over and Adder in Grizdale thinking it was a stick, went back for a look as something just didnt seem right, the wiggly fella wasnt best pleased. Suffice to say I didnt get to close.
Also took a hornet to the eye whilst riding in Kranska Gora, the little blighter got behind my glasses, luckily for me it didnt sting me before I managed to extracate him.
Hit a Bee on a fast downhill on my road bike, the impact snapped the arm off my riding glasses (c.35mph).
Had a magpie fly into me on the motorbike while doing 80mph, luckily hit me on the boot (heavily padded) but still managed to bruise my foot through it. Magpie died but did not explode like a pigeon.
I got 'buzzed' by a buzzard but it didn't actually hit me at Whites trail so strictly speaking doesn't quite make this thread.
It was very scary though.
Actual impact.....badgers x2.
Close calls..... deer, practically jumped over me.....squirral, ran between my wheels while I was moving..... sparrowhawk, near eyeball to eyeball coming round a wall corner...buzzard, swooped on prey two foot from me.
Badger - glancing blow at night
Bat- stuck in helmet vent and very freaky
Sheep - soft for half a second then very solid
Owl (nearly) - massive one, in Canada. Swooped out of a tree overhanging the trail at dusk + new lycra (it was the early '90's!)
Clipped a snake - it appeared in the trail, I tried to hop it and mistimed it. Guy behind me said it moved pretty sharpish so hope no much damage was done 🙁
Plenty of dopey deer around here too. They often won't move very fast/far so have had a few close calls on tight singletrack. It's also pretty scary startling timid autumnal ones who move en masse across the trail at high speed.
Had a bat in the pus night riding as well. Not pleasant.
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-killed-a-rat-or-it-really-killed-it-self-picts ]I got attacked by a suicidal rat last winter![/url]
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Had a Duck run right into my front wheel, i thought the bladed spokes would have had its head off but it looked ok when i saw it on my way back from work.
Same stretch of towpath i have had a heron fly right into the side of my head.
Herons sound rather scary up that close.
and a dog once. I was going relatively slowly and it was paying more attention to the other dog it was playing with when it backed into my path. dog yelped but it was ok , I went over the handlers
Had an impressively useless fall last winter when a badger ran out in front of me. Instinct kicked in and without thinking I instigated the start of emergency avoidance procedure than results in you sitting dazed on your rear end in a muddy puddle with scratches everywhere...