Most embarrassing/funny moment on a bike

[uforgot]

Due to my recent issues with my new clipless pedals, I have been reading several forums about them. I came across one about a Timber club, and I am still laughing. mtkitchn taking down the Christmas Tree in her living room has to be my favorite! I would like to hear everyone's most embarrassing or funny moment on a bike. Oh, I don't want anybody hurt, but I can't help but smile at the ones who are trying to be so cool and impressive, (haven't we all been there?) and then they fall over...

[rocknrollgirl]

You have already had the pleasure of reading mine...first day, clipless pedals, Aussie dudes in the parking lot...TIMBER!!!! sound familiar...or should I continue.....

" I jumped a log, I jumped a log"

TIMBER!!!!!!!

Ruth

[Nanci]

I had a funny moment, MTBing with friends in North Carolina. I dropped behind for some reason, and found a really cool, really big snake. So I'm trying to ride the bike, on a kind of technical trail, without falling, without the snake going through the spokes, trying to wind him somewhere up high, trying to catch up with my friends to show them the cool snake, getting madder and madder that no one seemed to notice I had dropped back so far...Finally had to give up- it's hard to ride with a snake!

What was I thinking...

Nanci

[Selkie]

No way. You picked up that serpent? A big one, at that, and he didn't get upset? I'm terrified of snakes--saw a smooshed one on the trail today and it still freaked me out. I ran over one last year (small fella) and almost wiped out. I kept thinking that he somehow got on my bike. haha.

My embarassing moments have to do with my perpertually runny nose in the winter (one example: when one of my poorly launched snot rockets landed on one lens of my specs) and in the summer (when, for some reason, fleas and gnats seem to adhere to the sweat on my face and I end up with little black speckles). Luckily, I'm not too worried about my appearance, especially when I'm out riding!!

[DrBee]

I dropped behind for some reason, and found a really cool, really big snake.
Nanci

Very cool Nanci! I would have done the same - used to be a herpetologist before working with marine shrimp and now catfish... That must have been quite a site! What kind of snake was it???

I have a neighbor friend that is so terrified of snakes that she actually shot ... yes shot ... one INSIDE of her house with rat shot. That tends to do a number on the laminant floors.


My embarassing moment- asking a farmer (that I didn't know) to throw me and my bike in his truck and drive me back past the big scary (silent) dog that had just chased me. Turns out it was a good move - the dog was waiting for me on the side of the road. But - as my husband says - what man could turn down a girl in cycling clothes??

[Lise]

I had a funny moment, MTBing with friends in North Carolina. I dropped behind for some reason, and found a really cool, really big snake. So I'm trying to ride the bike, on a kind of technical trail, without falling, without the snake going through the spokes, trying to wind him somewhere up high, trying to catch up with my friends to show them the cool snake, getting madder and madder that no one seemed to notice I had dropped back so far...Finally had to give up- it's hard to ride with a snake!

What was I thinking...

Nanci

That is hilarious. Makes me think of the tag line somebody here uses about cats not liking to ride bikes, no matter how much duct tape you use! I'm enjoying the image of you trying to ride and herp-wrangle at the same time! L.

[Nanci]

Florida is for herps lovers!!

I think the NC snake was a rat snake or something.

My friends say riding with me is like riding with Steve Irwin (crocodile hunter).

I have four herps right now, a Glass Lizard, (Baby Russell) a Corn Snake (Maizey, getting ready to shed right now, peeked out of her moist hide for the first time in a week today, eyes have gone clear again- I expect her to shed tonight or tomorrow. I got to _see_ her shed last time!) an Eastern Box Turtle, (Fagalo) and a tortoise (Cracker Chicken).

I was talking to a guy I was riding with today, who says his 40 year old sister has a bunch of lizards- geckos, mainly. My daughter has a bunch of obscure geckos, too. I guess we just never grow up.

I wonder why some people grow up with a love of reptiles and amphibians, and others grow up fearing/hating them.

I have two really memorable Florida snake moments: 1. Caught (and released) a Short-Tailed Snake up near Tallahassee. It's classified as rare. 2. Caught a Coral Snake while trail running. This is one of my lifetime dream reptile captures! It was very small, about 10 inches. I wasn't sure right away if it was a Coral or a King, and in the heat of the moment "Red On Black, Friend Of Jack, Red On Yellow, Kill A Fellow" wasn't coming clearly to mind, so I had to capture it before it got away while I could try to remember the saying. So I had this little snake around the neck, safely not biting me, but he had his mouth open and would have _liked_ to gnaw on my fingers, and I for some reason decided that because his snout was black, he was therefore a Coral Snake. So I set him back down in the grass and said goodbye.

Nanci

[uforgot]

I ran across this on bikeforums.net while I was looking around for a mountain bike.


So there I was, cruising down some narrow winding singletrack, enjoying the sunny day. A sizeable rattlesnake was also enjoying the sun, in the middle of the trail as luck would have it. I came out of a blind turn and before I knew it the snake was under my front wheel. It sure was mad...striking and rattling and everything. I could see the white inside of its mouth the several times it struck, fortunately it was tangled in the front wheel. I leapt off of the bike in a panic, and jumped back about 15 feet. Fastest dismount I've ever done. The snake retreated to the dense brush, out of sight. It stopped rattling after a little while. I stood there, heart pounding, keeping my eye on the bushes. I tossed a pebble in the general direction of the snake, and it was met with furious rattling. Not good. I tossed a few more pebbles, hoping to drive the snake away, and eventually no rattle was heard. I slowly walked over to the bike, carefully picked it up, and rode on.

About two months ago, I almost ran over a huge rattlesnake, much bigger than the one today. I was able to stop in time though.

I feel pretty lucky to have gotten out of that with no injuries. Too close for comfort!