Scary Experiences on Your Bike

[Accy cyclist]

Then there was the incident a good few years ago when i was out one bonfire night,doing my compulsive 'I have to ride every day,no matter the weather' ride,when one of those rocket thingies,that are supposed to be fired upwards came whizzing about 10 feet ahead of me,across my path.

 

[RoubaixCube]

@Accy cyclist

I think both my legs were pretty bruised. Right thigh from the impact as the angle his car was positioned meant that i was 'deflected' off and left thigh and bruised shoulder from hitting the ground.

It was a quick trip to A&E after a taxi home for an x-ray then a week on ibuprofen to ease the swelling before i could walk comfortably again.

 

[Pale Rider]

The cow stopped just short.

A couple of similar experiences as a child on a farm tell me that is what usually happens.

We had soppy Friesians who would tend to lick you to death, and we didn't keep (full grown) bulls.

It seems the breed of cow makes a difference when it comes to temperament.

Years later, I was shooting the breeze with a Yorkshire farmer who had a larger cross breed herd, still dairy.

He said you needed to know what you were doing when herding them, which he tried to avoid doing on his own.

Adult bulls of any breed can be fierce, thus it pays to remember the old saying: "Beware horned beasts."

 

[Lovacott]

Thread inspired by @Lovacott contemplating fast descents in the dark... what's scared you on a bike?
The more bizarre the better - Alien encounters, volcanic eruptions etc

Cheers for that....

I was cycling from Wembley to Watford along Wealdstone High Road at about 6am in November 1991.

I was approaching the entrance to a side road on my left on which a bread van was being driven towards the junction. The driver looked right towards me and I'm sure we made eye contact. But instead of stopping to give way to me, he just carried on driving as I was passing right in front of him. The front of the van hit me and knocked me and the bike over. I hit the ground and raised my arm to grab whatever I could of the van to stop me from going under the wheels.

There was a bus stop right next to the side road and there were about half a dozen people waiting for the bus. They saw what happened, saw me clinging on to the bumper and a couple of them jumped out into the road waving their arms to stop the van.

The rear wheel of the bike was crushed flat but the frame and the rest of it survived intact. Because it was cold and rain was forecast, I was pretty heavily clothed and all I had was a large bruise down my right flank and a mashed elbow to go on top of all the mashed elbows I got when I was a kid.

The bread van driver took my details and said he'd get his boss to pay for the damage to the bike if I didn't get the police involved.

Stupidly, I agreed and I didn't hear anything for a couple of days. I ended up ringing the bread company (can't remember their name but their depot was in St Albans). I spoke to the boss, he knew all about what had happened and he basically told me to F off.

I ended up going to the rubbish dump which used to be next to Wembley Stadium and buying a tip bike for eight quid just for the rear wheel (and it had a better saddle and a old school dynamo light set).

 

[Low Gear Guy]

Many years ago white LED lights were not available and the available bicycle lights were ineffective. I was riding home late on an autumn evening when I came across a mysterious orange glowing object with a face by the side of the road. As I couldn't make it out I decided to quickly leave the area. I later realized it was probably a roadside pumpkin with a candle. These were not common in the UK at that time.

 

[Lovacott]

I was riding home late on an autumn evening when I came across a mysterious orange glowing object with a face by the side of the road.

I just watched him giving an address from the White House and he does look pretty scary.

 

[gbb]

Only two for me, one lasted a couple seconds, one that's happened several times seem to last forever.
First, night riding in pitch black countryside (told this one before somewhere) good beam of light 10ft in front of me, suddenly a shape loomed up from one side in front of me....whaaa !!!!!
I had no time to react, rode on as the shape passed, a foot or three would have had me off at maybe 16mph....a badger. I involuntarily shouted 'farrrk off' as it appeared.

The others, the dreaded shimmy. It must be me, maybe I dont feel comfortable fast descending, it's happened maybe 6 times on different bikes, once I'd scarcely started gathering speed for chrissakes and the bike started shaking like a goodun.

 

[gbb]

Watching my 10 year old get a massive speed wobble descending at well over 20 mph.

I still don't know how he saved it

And I had a scary moment of reflection after taking my granddaughter out once, we flew down a hill, legs outstretched, woohoo ing all the way down. I thought about it afterwards...you bloomin idiot, suppose she had lost it. Thatd have been a circa 10 year old in hospital.

 

[MontyVeda]

Cycling home from my sister's in the dark on Xmas day... unlit country lanes and some twonk of a moton comes hurtling towards me on a LH bend (RH hand from their direction). I'm where i should be and they're taking the racing line, probably presuming the roads will be completely empty. I almost shat myself

 

[MichaelW2]

Being overtaken uphill by a large truck going 5mph faster than I was riding. It took so long to pass and I could have reached out and touched the wheels they were so close.

 

[Pikey]

I had a coach close pass me on an A road a few years back, in fact it was more of a rub past than a close pass. He was going too fast and couldn’t be bothered to wait or move over. Felt something brush my shoulder as he went by, put me into a tank slapper drifting ever closer to the rear wheels as he sped by. Felt like the whole thing went on for about ten mins at the time... probs only about fifteen seconds in reality. Certainly brown trousers time that was.

 

[fossyant]

Crashes haven't been particularly scary, despite some nasty injuries. Tank slappers at high speed don't half poop you up - usually having mudguards on over winter and high speed in high winds. Pharp.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I was hill bombing in Richmond Park, in tuck, going about 43mph when an oncoming car pulled onto my side of the road. I managed to bunny hop onto the verge.

That was the last time I ever bombed a bill, and it was probably four or five years ago now.

 

[LarryDuff]

Had a speed wobble twice in the last fees years. Both times the whole has oscillated alarmingly and I thought I was sure to come off but thankfully I didn't. Subsequently found that if it happens you should clamp the top bar with your knees.

 

[fossyant]

Switching from road to mainly off road was a bit scary after breaking my spine with a driver/bike incident. The sudden loss of traction on a regular basis took some getting used to, as did the 'gnarly' descents, but it comes. Stuff I used to have to get off the bike and carry it down, I just ride now. It's down to experience and watching what other's do. I'm no demon descender as I play it careful - don't fancy the injuries, but I'm over twice as quick down local off road descents than I was two years ago. That's from riding lots and with others and picking up tips. It's been a new ball game to learn from road.

Due to the injuries I got in an accident 5 years ago, I've not ridden on the road since (other than a little bit between trails/tracks on a big trail bike), but only recently got the best road bike out again. I'm not riding it locally as that's where I've been mashed up, but have taken it down to our caravan in North Wales. I'm picking slower roads/back roads.

The thing is, it was my wife who said why don't you take it down there. I usually drag the trail bike down there and do some local tracks on it. I do have a few very quiet road routes, so will be using it there - I'm not ready to deal with lots of cars, and given I'm riding a bike that is un-replaceable (custom built from finest Columbus SLX) I'd literally kill someone if they bent it.

My broken spine and more the impact on family had stopped me from getting back on the road. The road bike is a bit scary as the bars are half the width of the MTB, and the thing just shifts at warp factor. I've just got to get used to the steering and the lack of suspension 'bob' !