Ran over a squirrel!!

[bikerbarb]

Well, today I had a first. I was flying down a hill, well deserved after a steep climb in a suburban neighborhood. There in the road ahead of me was a squirrel. I could tell he was deciding whether to run forward or dart back. At the last minute he darted back and I rolled right over! Yikes! I thought it was his neck, but could have been the tail, as when I looked in my rear view mirror, he wasn't dead in the road. I mostly was glad that I was able to recover, though I'd hit the brakes, and not wipe out! Do I attribute it to the light weight and stability of my new Roubaix Pro?

[Bikingmomof3]

Augh, I almost did that the other day. The squirrel darted directly infront of me , luckily I was able to swerve violently the other way just in time.

I am glad you are unharmed.

[DebW]

I knew someone who ended up in the hospital when a squirrel ran into his wheel (as opposed to the wheel running over the squirrel). Glad you (and maybe squirrel too) survived the encounter.

[SouthernBelle]

I've some success in yelling at them if they freeze in front of me.

[Kalidurga]

Well, I feel a tiny bit better now about not being the only person to do this. When it happened to me a few months ago, I wasn't able to check on the poor thing because by the time I turned around and rode back, it had disappeared into the underbrush.

I've decided that squirrels are incredibly stupid. The one I hit had been in the middle of the trail, but as I approached it ran off to the side, then turned around and ran back just as I was passing. Since then, I've begun to watch them and, more often than not, that seems to be what squirrels do. Rabbits, on the other hand, will run off the side of the trail and stay there.

Here's to more rabbits than squirrels on your trails...

[chickwhorips]

i break all the time for little parkie squirrels running across the road. bf gives me a hard time and says not to because i'll just hurt myself. its just a reaction. i don't think about slamming on the breaks, just happens.

[Bluetree]

I ran over a couple of large crows a few months ago with my car.
I was descending a parking lot ramp (only enough width for one car) when I see this pair of mating crows in a spiralling "love flight". Next thing I know, they've taking their little dance right down into the path of my car... I guess they were too preoccupied to see where they were going. I didn't have time to brake or room to avoid them.
I saw them disappear under my hood then heard (and felt) a loud "THUNKA THUNKA THUNKA" as I ran over them. Aghast, I looked into my rear view mirror and I see the two crows, one hobbling around in a daze, the other kinda flapping around on its back.
Surprisingly, they did get up and fly away, albeit somewhat awkwardly. I can imagine the avian post-coital conversation; "Honey, you made me see stars last night!"

[eclectic]

When doing our victory lap around the park after a metric century we came upon the resident gaggle of Canadian geese blocking the trail. I was able to maneuver around them but my riding partner was a bike length back. I guess I ticked old papa goose off because he attacked the back wheel of my riding partners bike. Luckily RP was able to stay balanced and get around the rest.

No matter how pretty they are and how cute they look I steer clear of them Canada honkers can be MEAN! ! !

[han-grrl]

Well, it is quite timely i see this thread, because this past weekend, on the mtb trails, a squirrel ran into my back wheel on a descent. my husband saw it fly into the air. ummm...it didn't make it. I cried :(

my husband said that if i had done anything differently i probably would have been very injured, and i didn't hit the squirrel it ran into me. well, i like to think that but i still feel very sad.

[chickwhorips]

Surprisingly, they did get up and fly away, albeit somewhat awkwardly. I can imagine the avian post-coital conversation; "Honey, you made me see stars last night!"

they'll never have it that good again i'm sure. ;)