Nature Attacks

spdoman7

Have you been assaulted by an animal or insect on your ride?

For example, this morning I was dive-bombed and attacked by a bird apparently protecting its nest.

Scares the hell out of you when a bird is squaking and pecking at you helmet and you are also dealing with traffic.

WHAT YOU GOT?

KaktusJaque

I cant remember getting attacked by a bug or animal; lots of close calls tho such as going near a rattle snake that was ready to strike as there was a rider in front of me spooked him, and hearing the rattle was quite unnerving. (I actually ran over another diamondback on another occasion.) However, I have been attacked by Jumping cactus quite a few times, those little *kitten* also like to attack tires. They dont want to give up either as they have little barbs at the end of their quills.

I can imagine a bird pecking away would be disturbing!

TheBrolympus

My twin brother was stung repeatedly on the *kitten* by a wasp while we were Mountain Biking. I could not stop laughing. He was standing there, with his bike shorts pulled down, screaming "How many times did it sting me?"

Archon2

There is a set or short hills I like to do sometimes on my road bike. The sides of the road pass through a very wet and swampy area loaded with hungry clouds of these very creatures that Satan himself must have devised...



If I am going more than 12mph up the little hills, then they can't seem to alight on my neck and legs. But when my speed drops to less than that they arrive. Needless to say, this is really good incentive to keep up the pace.

KaktusJaque

Archorn's post did bring back some memories. I didnt recall them because I didnt think of them as attacking bugs, in any case In the desert here, there are these little black flying things, have no clue what they are, but they are very small, like a few grains of sand small. When stopping for a break I guess they are attracted to the salt/sweat on you body and they begin to swarm around you. They dont bite or anything, just land on you and itch by walking around. But the worst thing you can do is smash them, like if they land on your arm or something because the dead ones just make the live ones pester you even more, I guess they get mad that you killed one of their own, or they become more attracted to the bug guts. In any case weather you smoosh them or just sit and rest, you cant stay long before they get too bad, so its back to riding and no more resting!! Only happens in the summer months tho.

TheBrolympus

Horse flies or biting flies are the worst!!!

brocantrs

There is a flat section along my route after a series of hills that I would leisurely pedal through until some horseflies discovered the area! I found out that they flew less than 11 mph because that was the slowest I could go and not get bitten. So much for my little breather!

Bikerchickmomma

Red-winged black birds when biking through swampy areas (where they nest.) Glad to have been wearing a helmet. Dogs, which chase moving things. I yell at them VERY LOUDLY, sometimes using unlady-like language. It often gets the attention of the owners. For the dogs' safety, they don't belong on the road. Bee in the helmet is bad. Canadian geese...very near-collision. (That one had me nervous.) Hoards of bugs along the lake . Keeps my mouth shut when biking through the "black cloud."

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I've gotten dive-bombed by a bird on my commute twice at the same spot (and I've only commuted like 4 times this year).

brocantrs

BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »

I've gotten dive-bombed by a bird on my commute twice at the same spot (and I've only commuted like 4 times this year).

It's waiting for you right now!