[HoarseMann]

Very nearly caused a toad to croak this morning and there seems to be a lot more debris on the roads too. So it got me thinking – what’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to swerve to avoid?

Topic

[matthewn5]

A huge falling tree, years

A huge falling tree, years ago when I was riding in the Adelaide Hills in Oz, going downhill on the New Norton Summit Road where the Tour Down Under now sometimes passes. Came around a corner on my Raleigh Record 10 speed, and there was the tree falling down across the whole road and beyond, a massive thing, lots of big branches bouncing up and down, throwing up dust in the air. My friend and I were able to clamber over the huge trunks, and continue on our way. Bloody lucky I wasn’t a bit faster or I wouldn’t have been typing this now.

[mdavidford]

andrewkilbey wrote:

Albino peacock in full mating mode

 

[Chris Hayes]

Wild boar ‘piglets’ when

Wild boar ‘piglets’ when cycling in the forests on Corsica… I thought that they were piglets when I first saw them at a distance, but as I got closer I realised what they were.  I then cycled past very quickly because the mother wasn’t too far behind.

[Canyon48]

shutuplegz wrote:

Scariest: Badgers, at night, darting out or one time running along in front of me in the shadow between front wheel and light beam. All I could hear was claws on tarmac until I slowed a bit and saw the badger! I went past it but could still hear it running after me! Went into the red for a few moments to get away from it!

I’ve had the exact same! It is surprisingly scary, they also make quite horrible grunting noises when they are chasing!

[hawkinspeter]

It had to use its horns as

It had to use its horns as its bell doesn’t work

[Laura Laker]

This fella tried to butt me

This fella tried to butt me as it passed 

[andrewkilbey]

Albino peacock in full mating

Albino peacock in full mating mode

[brooksby]

Was there a race horse

Was there a race horse trainer sitting on it?

[The _Kaner]

I didn’t have to swerve to

I didn’t have to swerve to avoid this…it wasn’t exactly moooo’ving.

 

[The _Kaner]

dave atkinson wrote:

i *was* taken out by a badger on a howies night ride from cardigan to abergavenny. solid things, badgers.

 

Taken out… for dinner and drinks, like? 🙂

[brooksby]

A very startled rat.

A very startled rat.

[half_wheel79]

A couple going at it with

A couple going at it with extreme vigour on a large concrete plinth right next to the cycle path. This was around 9pm on a summers evening so still daylight and they even saw us from quite a way off and just carried on. Gave them a round of applause as we passed by.

 

[BadgerBeaver]

Ronan Keating

Ronan Keating

[shutuplegz]

Scariest: Badgers, at night,

Scariest: Badgers, at night, darting out or one time running along in front of me in the shadow between front wheel and light beam. All I could hear was claws on tarmac until I slowed a bit and saw the badger! I went past it but could still hear it running after me! Went into the red for a few moments to get away from it!

Spookiest: a large Barn owl, also at night, swooping silently in front of me.

Bestest: An actual otter in broad daylight.

Oddest: a perfect, undamaged and fairly sizeable Aubergine!

[jaymack]

20 odd years ago having just

20 odd years ago having just moved to the south downs a rabbit took me out on a twisty descent. The blighter had been hiding in the shade of the over hanging trees and leapt out when I was less than a yard away. Stupidly I yanked on the breaks and the inevitable tumble ensued. As I lay a crumpled wreck thinking how blue the sky had suddenly  become one of my then very new riding buddies shouted out in her best Elmer J Fudd voice “come here w’abbit…”. Needless to say the offender wasn’t seen again and my brand new 9 speed shimano 105 right hand shifter bore the scar of that encounter for many a long year. 

[Author]

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