Patchelicious Posted November 11, 2014 Share I've never seen a snake riding but after hearing multiple stories over the last 2 weeks and reading this i'm getting a little nervous... For anyone feeling the same... from the http://www.tygerbergmtb.co.za/flora-fauna/snakes.html link someone posted earlier: "People who are afraid of snakes should consider the following annual mortality statistics taken from Sharklife.co.za: Sharks 7 in 25 years, venomous snakes 15, lightning 200, drowning 408, burnt to death 871, road accidents 18 000, smoking 29 000, AIDS 370 000." Yeah but I don't crap my chamois when I see a puddle of water.... Oh and if you get bitten by a shark while out on a ride, you are doing something wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raydek Posted November 11, 2014 Share Yeah but I don't crap my chamois when I see a puddle of water.... Oh and if you get bitten by a shark while out on a ride, you are doing something wrong! I dunnno hey, those floating bridges can get tricky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko35s Posted November 11, 2014 Share Can Admin please close this thread down ....... how the hell and I expected to still cycle on the mountain after all of the above!You need to avoid Tokai then, saw a monster size Cape Cobra yesterday. Riding from the top of Vasbyt towards the bottom of Boomslang about halfway along the way my youngster (in front as usual...) shouts and I see the snake reared up just to his right. Ben swerved left and at the same time the inner pacifist in the snake won through and it ducked into the bushes. It was close and bloody big - I will be very observant up there now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Stubbs Posted November 11, 2014 Share Had a decent encounter with a beeeegggggg Black Mamba riding at Giba here in KZN last week. Crashed in a rock garden a minute later, still trying to calm down. Moral of the story, rocks gardens are way more likely to get you than snakes (touch wood) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 11, 2014 Share You need to avoid Tokai then, saw a monster size Cape Cobra yesterday.Riding from the top of Vasbyt towards the bottom of Boomslang about halfway along the way my youngster (in front as usual...) shouts and I see the snake reared up just to his right. Ben swerved left and at the same time the inner pacifist in the snake won through and it ducked into the bushes.It was close and bloody big - I will be very observant up there now.Don't worry...there are bigger snakes keeping me away from Tokai right now .... https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/144024-sans-parks-tokai-mtb-price-increase/ I really have no problem with a snake, as long as I can see it ..... when riding through long dry grass on a hot summers day I flipping fly through it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droenn Posted November 11, 2014 Share Most snake bites come from people (usually young males!) interfering with the snake. Give it room, let it do its thing. I've luckily only come across snakes on jeep track when descending and have been able to brake and swerve (with heart in mouth) behind to let it on its way. No idea I'll do when I come across a puffadder or cobra chilling on some singletrack.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Sywurm Posted November 11, 2014 Share Me neither.I got 2 in 3 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musketeer Posted November 11, 2014 Share No idea I'll do when I come across a puffadder or cobra chilling on some singletrack.. Had this experience last year 3 times at Meerendal and once at Majik. Had to jump one of the guys... or rather tried to jump it... nearly k@kked myself on all 4 occasions. The other times there was enough space to pass at mach 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meezo Posted November 11, 2014 Share Me neither.shoulda used comic sans I got 2 in 3 months.snakes don't ride man... mind you, racing snakes are quite common on table mountain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_Ranger Posted November 11, 2014 Share Had a similar experience with a snake crossing the road in front of me at Tokai. Snake was so long it's head was just entering the trees on the left as it's tail emerged on the right of the road. Lucky I saw the movement and slowed down in time, otherwise I would have run over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NixM Posted November 11, 2014 Share My partner rode over a snake on the single tract on day 2 of W2W. She crashed because she was looking to see if it was stuck in her rear wheel, there is no hope for that one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raydek Posted November 11, 2014 Share Had this experience last year 3 times at Meerendal and once at Majik. Had to jump one of the guys... or rather tried to jump it... nearly k@kked myself on all 4 occasions. The other times there was enough space to pass at mach 5. Yeah, have jumped what I think was a really big mole snake on Contermanskloof, utterly shat myself... Was admiring a mouse on Meerendal once, sunbathing on the trail and next thing the mouse was food to another black slithery reptile. And other than snakes, a Caracal once pounced onto the trail about 5 meters in front of me at Meerendal, continued to run like this for about 10 seconds constantly looking back at me with a look of "hey human, why are you chasing me, be afraid" and then pounced off into the bushes and disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splat Posted November 11, 2014 Share My partner rode over a snake on the single tract on day 2 of W2W. She crashed because she was looking to see if it was stuck in her rear wheel, there is no hope for that one .That is one of by big fears when riding: see a snake, get a fright, scream like a little girl, swerve/bunny hop to avoid it and then fall. On it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 11, 2014 Share shoulda used comic sans snakes don't ride man... mind you, racing snakes are quite common on table mountain Based on your strava times you must be one too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneman Posted November 11, 2014 Share What I take out of all these carefully considered opinions is the following: - don't call it a bunny hop, because if you see yourself as a bunny then the snake will eat you- always carry a sandwich- when you tell the story the next day, always make the snake bigger. Thanks for sharing those links and contacts - saved on my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porqui Posted November 11, 2014 Share The chance of a puff adder biting you a a bike is like 0, or maybe 1%. When a cape cobra bites you, you will most probably survive, if you get treatment within an hour or so. Not true - puffy strikes at incredible speed and in all directions - cobra tends to only strike forward - cobra will rear up before striking so flat cobra ok but please don't flatten.Puffy can also move at high speed - he might like to laze about but not to be underestimated. Also there is no difference in potency of venom - small or large. All snakes prefer to retreat and will only really strike when cornered or caught unawares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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