Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Freewheeling => Topic started by: Afasoas on 25 September, 2023, 10:51:40 am

Title: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Afasoas on 25 September, 2023, 10:51:40 am
I think everyone at some point, when they do something often enough or long enough has a bit of a surreal experience doing that thing. Usually something to do with ingrained muscle memory.

I recall once, being hit on the head with half a house brick that someone slung from out of a car window. It knocked me unconscious for at least a second, maybe longer. I came around with my vision fading back in and my ears ringing - unbelievably, I was still pedalling. I didn't remember straight away what had happened and just carried on cycling. It wasn't until I realised I had blood running into my eyes that I regained situational awareness and started to recall what had happened.

Cycled into A&E to get my head glued up and then cycled back home.
It could have been so much worse had my legs not known what to do!


What has been, your strangest (or best) cycling experience?
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sam on 25 September, 2023, 10:55:54 am
Spending the night in a phone box in Dalwhinnie (on a winter's e2e (https://medium.com/@jollygoodthen-75205/like-a-rolling-stone-19dd0de02a76)) because of a puncture repair gone wrong.

If we're talking strictly in-the-saddle experiences, a rabbit once raced between my wheels and timed it perfectly so I didn't come off and he didn't get injured. That was passing strange.

Fell asleep once while riding. I'd say exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks but that would be insensitive.

As for best, yesterday's ride was up there, simply because I felt wonderful and the bike did too.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: ravenbait on 25 September, 2023, 01:22:29 pm
The first time we did the Dumb Run, we were standing at one of the interminable roundabouts in Cumbernauld trying to work out where we were, as the route directions I'd come up with had not accounted for there being even more roundabouts. We'd left Dumbarton at 8pm, getting to the Kirkhouse Inn at Strathblane in good time for last orders, but by the time we hit Cumbernauld we were in need of a coffee, and the only place likely to be able to furnish us with same was the 24 hour service station on the M80 junction. The last thing we wanted was to get lost in a maze of roundabouts, hence the need for a stop and a map consult. The only GPS we had was Munky's old Etrex, which wasn't very reliable.

As we stood there, comparing my routesheet to the OS map, scratching our heads, a small hatchback -- something like a Nissan Micra -- screeched to a stop beside us. The passenger window rolled down, and Aerosmith's Armageddon anthem "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" came blaring out of the window. A man who vaguely resembled a young Brian May suddenly emerged, hanging out of the window to his waist, and belted out a verse and the chorus at us, then scooted back inside and screeched off with a puff of smoking rubber.

The coffee machine was broken, by the way, and remained so until DR5, IIRC.

We had some great times on the Dumb Run. Occasionally I think about doing it again.

Sam
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sparklyfish on 25 September, 2023, 09:34:18 pm
Quote from: sam on 25 September, 2023, 10:55:54 am
a rabbit once raced between my wheels and timed it perfectly so I didn't come off and he didn't get injured.

I have had the same thing, but with a squirrel. That weird rusty wheelbarrow noise squirrels make? Even stranger when it (and me) were screaming.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 September, 2023, 09:54:17 pm
I was knocked off by a badger, a short time after leaving Glastonbury Tor whilst heading for Stonehenge on a solstice ride. We saw about 8 badgers that night.

Being randomly forumite-spotted by Glasgow Dave and Perkygirl whilst at a ramshackle feeding stop by St. Mary's Loch. ("Excuse me, are you Wowbagger by any chance?")

We were forumite-spotted on the same tour by Rig of the Jarkness in a tea room in Castle Douglas, but he wasn't brave enough to come and say hello. Forummers may remember his allegiance to Fred Wossname the Banking Billionaire and I don't think we would have got along terribly well. He made a comment a few days later on my ride report about seeing "his & hers" Thorns outside the tea room. He and his wife were lunching there as well.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Rod Marton on 26 September, 2023, 12:00:29 pm
I was once attacked by a vicious man-eating rabbit.

It was on a 600, around dawn, when a group of rabbits ran across the road. One of them attempted the between-the-wheels manoevre, but decided to do this via my foot (which was at the bottom of the pedal stroke). As it was lifted, it started scrabbling frantically. exiting through the main triangle and via my other foot. Explaining the mass of scratches across my shins at the end of the event was entertaining, to say the least.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sam on 26 September, 2023, 12:44:09 pm
Quote from: Rod Marton on 26 September, 2023, 12:00:29 pm
I was once attacked by a vicious man-eating rabbit.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Rod Marton on 26 September, 2023, 01:34:48 pm
I was reminded of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Lepus, a film which I have unfortunately seen. Regularly turns up in the list of worst films ever made.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: T42 on 26 September, 2023, 04:02:25 pm
I too have had a rabbit bolt across the road and pass between my wheels.  I was also once rammed by a roe-deer on a climb in the Jura.  And at around km 350 of a 400 in 2011, when I was still labouring under misprescribed vasodilators and beta-blockers, I was so slow on one climb that a butterfly went through my front wheel without damage.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2023, 04:28:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 September, 2023, 04:02:25 pm
I was so slow on one climb that a butterfly went through my front wheel without damage.
You were not slow – you had achieved perfect Zen harmony and stillness.

 8)
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 September, 2023, 04:28:40 pm
My brother had a chaffinch commit suicide by flying into his front wheel quite a few years ago. He thought it may have been attracted by the flashing of the spoke reflectors.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Philip D on 26 September, 2023, 05:07:27 pm
On the hills around Hannington, near Basingstoke, on a warm summers night, an owl flew just ahead of me for a couple of hundred meters. Didn't make a sound.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Lightning Phil on 26 September, 2023, 05:09:16 pm
An owl flying alongside me at head height as the last light of the day fades away. Experienced that a few times.

Large herds of deer in the early morning as the mist hangs about 2 feet above the fields, basking everything in silence.

Mtn biking up near Coniston under a big bright full moon and not needing lights.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: FifeingEejit on 26 September, 2023, 05:16:20 pm
When I worked at the local big hospital, I would occasionaly ride in.
One morning with the haar in I was battering along the waterfront in blissful silence as the sound of what little traffic there was on the road beside was muffled and invisible too,
when a buzzing noise arrived behind and to the left of me suddenly, shortly after the road bridge tender buzzed past just off the wall splashing the still waters of high tide and passed ahead and away into the haar.

Plenty of others with animals of course.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: T42 on 26 September, 2023, 05:27:16 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2023, 04:28:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 September, 2023, 04:02:25 pm
I was so slow on one climb that a butterfly went through my front wheel without damage.
You were not slow – you had achieved perfect Zen harmony and stillness.

 8)

Aye, gasping for breath at 4 kph and trying desperately to keep upright.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sam on 26 September, 2023, 05:29:08 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/5c4wUwY.jpg)
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 26 September, 2023, 05:50:03 pm
Hmm, strangest?

Possibly cycling to Leeds on a winter morning. Forecast was bad, really cold (-15 was recorded nearby) and a bit of snow already fallen.

There was hardly a car on the dual carriageway bit of the A64. I had a whole lane to myself and an occasional car passed in the other lane.

It was really lovely right up until my tyre punctured (rear, natch), and I then discovered that patch glue doesn't work at -15C. Had to walk to tadcaster (fortunately I was passing at that point) and wait for the bike shop to open.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Socks on 26 September, 2023, 06:50:39 pm
My best would be a ride at one of the FFCT rallies.  Nice route and scenery, thousands of cyclists on the road.  Hot, sunny weather. Lunch stop in the centre of a medieval castle, drinking a cold beer and eating a ham and cheese baguette while watching and listening to a traditional Breton dance and music display. Felt like one of those perfect moments.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Peter on 26 September, 2023, 07:31:08 pm
Mais pas de blaireaux?  Pas de Bernard?!
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Ian H on 26 September, 2023, 08:49:30 pm
We were staying in North Berwick, whose notable features are the Bass Rock and The Law: two volcanic plugs which can be seen for miles around.
E and I set off for a gentle three day tour skirting the Lammermuirs, visiting Duns and Lauder along the way.  Returning north we passed through Haddington on familiar roads, only to be suddenly unsure of where we were.  The Law should have been visible ahead of us, but it wasn't there.  We passed signposts telling us we were going in the right direction, but we were still disorientated.  Suddenly it appeared for a moment and we realised there was a haar above us enveloping anything higher than about 60m. 
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2023, 09:06:45 pm
One of my most pleasurable ever bike rides was entirely unremarkable. From our flat in the city to the in-laws in the country. Only 30km, no topographical features of note, just a gentle climb through the city then entirely flat into the countryside and through the forest. But one occasion sticks in my mind as I took a slightly different route, it was a blazing hot summer day, and I meandered through a new part of the forest with lakes and things.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Pickled Onion on 26 September, 2023, 09:21:16 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 26 September, 2023, 04:28:40 pm
My brother had a chaffinch commit suicide by flying into his front wheel quite a few years ago. He thought it may have been attracted by the flashing of the spoke reflectors.

A cycling friend told me he had a small bird fly *through* the spokes of his front wheel and out the other side, apparently unharmed (or at least still able to fly).
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Pickled Onion on 26 September, 2023, 09:23:48 pm
Quote from: Phil21 on 26 September, 2023, 05:07:27 pm
On the hills around Hannington, near Basingstoke, on a warm summers night, an owl flew just ahead of me for a couple of hundred meters. Didn't make a sound.

This is quite common, I think they are following the light on the road to hunt by. But yes, it's quite an amazing experience.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Pickled Onion on 26 September, 2023, 09:39:50 pm
Not sure about strangest, but this was pretty odd.

Cycling home one evening, people in a car by the side of the road flagged me down, they were lost and asked directions to some hotel, they were late for some event. So I gave them directions and carried on.

A little while later, I saw the car again, pulled over, the occupants looking at a map. So I stopped and explained they were going the wrong way and gave the directions again.

They thanked me, said that was really helpful but how did I know where they were going? I took a better look at them, and said: well, when you get there, you'll find two people who look exactly like you and drive the same car!
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: peterc on 26 September, 2023, 09:41:18 pm
Riding back from work many years ago sometime in the middle of winter, dark, with a little wind with a some of frost forming.

I had just had that unconscious relaxation you get after leaving a busy bit and getting onto a separated cycle path

I must have turned downwind and ended up riding at the same speed as the wind was moving creating a peaceful bubble of still air

All the floating water/frost droplets started to sparkle in the blue cone of my bike light

For a few seconds I had my own personal snow globe
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: benborp on 26 September, 2023, 09:49:21 pm
Two experiences climbing mountains in Taiwan. One, similar to others' however I had two butterflies spiraling around each other and flitting backwards and forwards through the spokes of my front wheel.
The second was during the first big downpour of the season - within seconds the huge drainage channel had filled and the road itself was under several inches of water. All spectacular enough and then the fruit arrived - every form of tropical fruit grown in the mountains was being washed off the trees, out of the forest and then bobbing along the road.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Ian H on 26 September, 2023, 09:54:34 pm
There was the time a bat briefly entangled itself in my half-opened rain jacket.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Adam on 26 September, 2023, 10:41:23 pm
I've had a close encounter of the bat kind.  About 7 years ago when I was leading a FNRttC to Brighton on a new route, we cut across the A25 at Bletchingley and then dropped down a lovely downhill stretch.  I was probably doing about 25 mph when a bat suddenly reared up in front of me, doing an emergency stop in mid air with its wings outstretched and its body hanging vertically, all illuminated by my bike lights, before it flapped upwards and out of the way.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: IanDG on 26 September, 2023, 10:51:12 pm
Quote from: Rod Marton on 26 September, 2023, 12:00:29 pm
I was once attacked by a vicious man-eating rabbit.

It was on a 600, around dawn, when a group of rabbits ran across the road. One of them attempted the between-the-wheels manoevre, but decided to do this via my foot (which was at the bottom of the pedal stroke). As it was lifted, it started scrabbling frantically. exiting through the main triangle and via my other foot. Explaining the mass of scratches across my shins at the end of the event was entertaining, to say the least.

With big pointy teeth?
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: IanDG on 26 September, 2023, 11:18:16 pm
Early morning when I lived in Stornoway. Heading across the moor and thought I saw a man and a dog walking up the hill ahead. When I got to place there was no one around. A trick of the light?

Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Jaded on 26 September, 2023, 11:19:55 pm
Some weird bloke texted me and said get out here on your bike.

With flashing lights.

In the snow.

So I did, and well, it was amazing.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Basil on 26 September, 2023, 11:23:45 pm
Two experiences similar to posts above.
1. Riding down the lanes to Llandysul from our old place 5 miles out. A long downhill tree tunnel, when a buzzard dropped out of the canopy and accompanied me for quite some distance. Absolutely awesome.
2. That 'Air speed zero' thing when you match the speed of a tail wind and hear the silence at night.

Strangest reaction.
During one of my earlier rides from Brum to Llandysul, I called in to a pub for a pie and a pint with only 15 miles left to go. The barman, noticing my kit, bleary dusty eyed, ridden all night eyes, asked me where I'd come from.
I told him, but not a flicker of surprise or reaction from him.
"And where are you going to?" He asked as he continued to pull my pint.
"Llandysul"
He stopped mid pull. "WHAT?  You're bloody mad"

For months afterwards I searched maps for somewhere near to that pub that sounded a bit like 'Birmingham'.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: IanDG on 26 September, 2023, 11:31:22 pm
Quote from: Basil on 26 September, 2023, 11:23:45 pm
Two experiences similar to posts above.
1. Riding down the lanes to Llandysul from our old place 5 miles out. A long downhill tree tunnel, when a buzzard dropped out of the canopy and accompanied me for quite some distance. Absolutely awesome.
2. That 'Air speed zero' thing when you match the speed of a tail wind and hear the silence at night.

Strangest reaction.
During one of my earlier rides from Brum to Llandysul, I called in to a pub for a pie and a pint with only 15 miles left to go. The barman, noticing my kit, bleary dusty eyed, ridden all night eyes, asked me where I'd come from.
I told him, but not a flicker of surprise or reaction from him.
"And where are you going to?" He asked as he continued to pull my pint.
"Llandysul"
He stopped mid pull. "WHAT?  You're bloody mad"

For months afterwards I searched maps for somewhere near to that pub that sounded a bit like 'Birmingham'.

Was riding north from Corsock a few years ago and something bashed my helmet (the plastic thing on my head). Looked up to see a buzzard flying away. Year or so later I was talking to someone and he told me that it's the only route he wears a helmet due to a buzzard that likes attacking cyclists.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: T42 on 27 September, 2023, 08:16:19 am
Buzzard attacks are common enough here in the vicinity of nests.  They go mostly for the folk in bright colours.  The councils even put up warning signs about it:

(https://pbase.com/image/170441538.jpg)
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 September, 2023, 09:30:29 am
Gosh. Buzzards regularly used to fly in front of me from tree to tree in the aforementioned Polish forest but they never attacked. I've never been shadowed by an owl or tangled with a bat. I'm quite jealous! The most I've had is having to duck to avoid a late take-off by a pigeon!
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 27 September, 2023, 09:38:32 am
One I vividly don't remember is when I used to do the same 8 mile commute each day, a large part on unlit roads. I remember leaving one lit village and was then in the next one. No recollection of the couple of miles in between.

Wasn't overly tired and not under any influences I think due to doing it so often brain switched to thinking about other things
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: smileydave on 27 September, 2023, 09:43:02 am
Quote from: Ian H on 26 September, 2023, 08:49:30 pm
...only to be suddenly unsure of where we were...

On my weekly commute home a few weeks ago, on the regular route, a single footpath sign pointing in the wrong direction was enough to convince me I'd missed my turn, and the general saminess of north london architecture did nothing to disabuse me of the notion. It took a good 20 minutes until recognition dawned and I snapped back to normality
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: HTFB on 27 September, 2023, 09:43:53 am
Buses ou bendybuses? Il faut en choisir un.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Ian H on 27 September, 2023, 10:46:13 am
The infamous Devon buzzard attacked riders on my Kernow 600.  I was at the control in Bude (in Bude with the spirit of audax) and several riders came in having been attacked.  Drew Buck had his hat stolen.  A following cyclist retrieved it after the bird discarded it, and a happy Drew and his headgear were reunited.

One magical afternoon in North Devon there was a commotion in the ditch beside me and a buzzard emerged flapping heavily, dragging some largish prey which was too heavy to get easily airborne.  I vividly remember making eye-contact as it flapped alongside.

Not much later a barn owl kept silent pace just ahead of me, scanning the verges first one side then the other, before veering off into woods.

Riding the first Crackpot 1000, I was first on the road for a while, heading south over the moors from Minehead as dawn broke.  The dew was steaming off the land, rabbits were darting about.  I followed a stag clip-clopping along the lane before it turned off towards a huddle of steaming deer.  I followed a hare or two, and probably other animals (if I could remember).  Birds were singing everywhere.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: redshift on 27 September, 2023, 10:50:38 am
It's a long time ago now, but this ride report (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47197.0) is still both the strangest and the best I can currently recall.  Not done anything quite that epic since.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Basil on 27 September, 2023, 10:53:56 am
Quote from: Ian H on 27 September, 2023, 10:46:13 am
I was at the control in Bude (in Bude with the spirit of audax)

 :D
Very good 👍
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Jasmine on 27 September, 2023, 11:05:12 am
I had a bird (blackbird I think) fly full speed head-on into my face. I was travelling over 20mph at the time in a race so couldn't stop to have the WTF moment

On a randonnee in Washington state I thought I'd hallucinated a moose standing in the middle of the road on a long steep descent in the middle of the night. I found out at the next control that it was a real moose, as one of the volunteers was about 2 minutes behind me in their car.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: rr on 27 September, 2023, 11:44:42 am
Quote from: Wowbagger on 26 September, 2023, 04:28:40 pm
My brother had a chaffinch commit suicide by flying into his front wheel quite a few years ago. He thought it may have been attracted by the flashing of the spoke reflectors.

I had a pheasant do this.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sam on 27 September, 2023, 11:55:53 am
Quote from: redshift on 27 September, 2023, 10:50:38 am
It's a long time ago now, but this ride report (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47197.0) is still both the strangest and the best I can currently recall.  Not done anything quite that epic since.

Ride reports don't get much better than that.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: rafletcher on 27 September, 2023, 12:00:39 pm
I think the most memorable moment was one morning in September a several of years ago, climbing up onto the Causse Noir, possibly from Meyrueis. Once at the top, the air had that blissful autumnal stillness with a promise of warmth to come, and it was absolutely silent. Wonderful.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Pedal Castro on 27 September, 2023, 01:10:58 pm
 On the way home from work on a very dark night and my light died a mere 4 miles from home so my strategy was listen carefully and if I heard a crunching gravelly sound as I was moving into the curb area I would pull sharply on the bars to the right back onto the tarmac but when that action was required I found out I was on a completely the wrong side of the road.... however the verge was nice and soft.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: T42 on 27 September, 2023, 02:52:21 pm
On a sleep-deprived 600 years ago my eyes began to cross on a fast descent, with the effect of making the broken white line in the middle of the road stand up out of it in 3D, giving a fair impression of concrete blocks.  I made it to the bottom intact, found a picnic spot and stretched out on a table for 15-20 minutes.  Made it to the finish without incident.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: matthew on 27 September, 2023, 03:00:10 pm
I can think of two events that stand out:

Best. I had spent a week in the Forest of Galloway, cycling around from a base at a camp site all the while looking out for a red squirrel without seeing any, then on the last day as I was leaving to ride back to Dumfries and the train home I was riding through the Wood of Cree and looking into the forest when movement in front of me on the road caught my attention. There was a red squirrel running across the road.  ::-)

Luckiest. commuting to a summer job as a poor student oaf. I was entering a mini roundabout to go straight on when two cars came from my left, the first went across in front of me, the second followed blindly and went behind me. Some how on a damp road where I couldn't change my line I had hit the gap between the two cars. I had to stop at the roadside to let the adrenalin flush from my system and acknowledge the pedestrian I had scared something silly. To this day I don't know what the drivers saw as neither of them stopped.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: rower40 on 27 September, 2023, 04:25:44 pm
Quote from: sam on 27 September, 2023, 11:55:53 am
Quote from: redshift on 27 September, 2023, 10:50:38 am
It's a long time ago now, but this ride report (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47197.0) is still both the strangest and the best I can currently recall.  Not done anything quite that epic since.

Ride reports don't get much better than that.
Agreed.  I was going to post a reference to the Three Recumbents Of The Apocalypse ride but it can't compare (and I can't find it in Ride Reports!).  Kim & Charlotte, take a (second) bow please.
Edit to add - Here it is. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36983.0)
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Peter on 27 September, 2023, 10:22:10 pm
The Abergwesyn road on Yr Elenydd.  Those who have done it will know.  No animals or birds were involved in making that memory.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: Quint on 26 October, 2023, 02:28:31 am
Quote from: Rod Marton on 26 September, 2023, 12:00:29 pm
I was once attacked by a vicious man-eating rabbit.

It was on a 600, around dawn, when a group of rabbits ran across the road. One of them attempted the between-the-wheels manoevre, but decided to do this via my foot (which was at the bottom of the pedal stroke). As it was lifted, it started scrabbling frantically. exiting through the main triangle and via my other foot. Explaining the mass of scratches across my shins at the end of the event was entertaining, to say the least.

     I could see it, absolutely brilliant, haven't stopped laughing and wife is getting worried
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: drossall on 26 October, 2023, 05:23:16 pm
Strangest was probably decades ago, as a teenager, riding near home with a friend. I suddenly realised that I had no idea whatsoever where I was, or where we were going. After a second or two, it passed, and I knew where I was once more - the road was a familiar one.

Nothing like that has happened to me before or since.
Title: Re: Your strangest (or best) cycling experience ... to date.
Post by: sam on 26 October, 2023, 05:49:02 pm
Quote from: drossall on 26 October, 2023, 05:23:16 pm
I suddenly realised that I had no idea whatsoever where I was, or where we were going.

(https://i.imgur.com/TW1bWpz.jpg) (https://twitter.com/jollygoodthen/status/553196434699603970)

This happens to me every once in a while on my regular loop, which I've done thousands of times and hope to do thousands more. I can get so lost in thought that I look up and think Where am I? (https://youtu.be/5IsSpAOD6K8?si=LiyqT4S86470aVbG) (Funny, I thought that song had a line that said exactly that, but it doesn't.) It can then take a few turns of the cranks to (re)place myself.