Do you avoid road kill,cow muck and the like?

[Colinio]

Actually I'm increasingly aware of the possibility of hitting a deer in our part of the world. A few months ago my cycling buddy and I had to brake very hard to avoid two deer, which jumped over the fence into the road in front of us - a driver coming up the hill towards us also had to brake sharply. Last week driving to work I missed a deer by a foot, only because it saw my car and hesitated in its suicidal dash across the road. Even a small deer would knock you off your bike and I dread to think what would happen if you hit one while doing 45 mph down a hill.

Unfortunately, I hit one coming down a hill when it leaped right in front of me and froze.

Head first over the handle bars. Cuts to knees, elbow, dislocated shoulder, very heavy bruising to right hip.

Not nice at all. I had about 2 metres to try and brake. No chance really. GPS says I was still doing 34mph when I hit it...

The deer are practically out of control near there and I have since found out there are a few hundred car accidents with deer every year there. I wonder how many other cyclists have had this problem...

 

[middleagecyclist]

...I wonder how many other cyclists have had this problem...

Ben Madden did. An experienced teenage road cyclist, he hit a deer that jumped into his path while he was travelling at approx 40mph. He died from his injuries. One of my colleagues had a nasty incident while she was driving. A deer jumped from woodland and landed on her bonnet and windscreen. She was lucky to walk away with only bruises. Her car, just a few months old, was a write off.

Perhaps there needs to be higher fences +\- ditches in places where deer can suddenly spring from cover into the path of vehicles?

 

[smokeysmoo]

I hit a deluge of fresh cow muck last Sunday coming back from Blackpool. It was right across the carriage way and also right on a bend at the end of a downhill, this meant

a) I couldn't do much to avoid it due to speed.

b) I was reluctant to move too far off my line for fear of skidding on the wet surface.

It was certianly fresh, you could hear the slapping noise as I ran through it

At least I was leading my mate at the time, he had to make some sudden head movements apparently to avoid the muck spreading my back wheel was doing

 

[MrJamie]

Im forever dodging squirrel corpses on the country lanes, dont think ive hit one yet.

A few months ago a SMIDSY Squirrel jumped out of a bush in front of me, once in my path he stopped and while i braked gently to give him time to him flee he decided the best way of escape was to run in the exact same direction as me, queue more braking and a cartoon style squirrel partly disappearing below the front of my wheel then re-emerging at full speed. I really didnt want to hurt the little guy, but his stupidity suprised me and he was lucky to live for another day

 

[smokeysmoo]

I really didn't want to hurt the little guy

Why?

Rat's with good PR, that's all Squirrels are

 

[MrJamie]

Why?

Rat's with good PR, that's all Squirrels are

Never a fan of squishing wildlife is all Ive stopped to move a frog off a cycle path lol

 

[smokeysmoo]

Never a fan of squishing wildlife is all Ive stopped to move a frog off a cycle path lol

I'd go with that. I'd stop for the frog too, but the squirrel would have to take it's chances

 

[Octet]

Cow and horse muck is a difficult one to avoid on the country lanes, but if possible I would go around road kill.

 

[SoloCyclist]

I tried to slipstream a tractor that passed me once. I got an absolute facefull of some god awful stuff he was transporting in his trailer. Think it was dead pigs! You live and learn I suppose.

Yes to avoiding road kill. there was a fox last year on my commute and I swear I must have rode over it every day. poor memory

 

[nick.b]

i try and avoid it, but not always possible dependant on traffic and the road, i rode through a recently splattered deer once, it wasnt nice.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Im forever dodging squirrel corpses on the country lanes, dont think ive hit one yet.

A few months ago a SMIDSY Squirrel jumped out of a bush in front of me, once in my path he stopped and while i braked gently to give him time to him flee he decided the best way of escape was to run in the exact same direction as me, queue more braking and a cartoon style squirrel partly disappearing below the front of my wheel then re-emerging at full speed. I really didnt want to hurt the little guy, but his stupidity suprised me and he was lucky to live for another day

Reminds me of an incident I had a year or so ago.

I was riding along minding my own business when a squirrel comes shooting out of the hedge on my right, tries to run through the front wheel but headbutts a spoke and falls back dazed for a moment before disappearing back the way he'd come. Daft creature.