Bitten on the bike

[gogo@]

Survived an Egyptian goose attack on Friday.

Was going to suggest adding “bird strike”.

A while back I was cruising down a looong fast dirt road when out of the corner of my eye I saw something coming straight at me. A bird flew out of the trees straight into my face. Hit me square in the cheek and glasses. Stung like hell. Put my hand up and my face was wet. Looked down at my fingers and they were covered in blood. At first I thought the bird had done a kamikaze and died. So I went back to look for it. It would have been in the open road but nothing... no sign. Hopefully it got away with a fright and a bad headache. At home I saw the beak had made a deep but small hole in my cheek. The scar is still there - a reminder to wear glasses, always!

[No Hare]

with the Hopefield ride the other day I got ambushed by steekvliegge. Both Friday and Saterday I ended up riding thru a riot of muggies: not lekker.

 

I got this yesterday, fits nicely over the helmet and keep the goggas away from my head. 

 

[Jehosefat]

with the Hopefield ride the other day I got ambushed by steekvliegge. Both Friday and Saterday I ended up riding thru a riot of muggies: not lekker.

 

I got this yesterday, fits nicely over the helmet and keep the goggas away from my head. 

 

no-see-um-spray-head-net-photo-stickum-canada-repellent-sanibel.jpg

 

That doesn't look very aero...

[MORNE]

Was going to suggest adding “bird strike”.

A while back I was cruising down a looong fast dirt road when out of the corner of my eye I saw something coming straight at me. A bird flew out of the trees straight into my face. Hit me square in the cheek and glasses. 

 

snip

 

LOL, i almost had the EXACT collision with a squirrel going down the single track in Majik one year. it decided to leap across the path to the opposite tree right at head height. if it decided to jump 0.5sec later i would have head-butted it into oblivion and/or got a face full of rabies.

[splat]

yep  ...tagged me on the arm while ridding the greenbelt  along the M3

 

Wait.

Hold on a minute!

 

You were bitten by a snake?

On the greenbelts ?

Along the M3 section ?

 

FFS!

Some more detail please

[Paul Ruinaard]

Many years ago whilst on holiday in Knysna during the middle of quiet week I was the first guy down Harkerville one Thursday morning after it had rained the previous 2 days. I was just cruising happily when i went through a web and collected a golden orb weaver spider (i think it was) that had made a huge nest between some trees. 

 

I worked out what had happened after i went through the web, I pulled over and took the helmet off and in one motion threw it across the trail and in to the woods whilst screaming like a 2 year old. Spider was on the helmet completely stunned, a big bugger as well. 

 

Never forgotten that and always send someone down the trail before me. You also get the same with kite spiders in the morning. 

 

I have found numerous ticks on my legs from long grass as well.

 

 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Maybe add plants to the list. 

 

Here in Belgium there's some kind of stinging nettle. Get a good brush of it across your leg or face and you're going to be in agony for a solid while. Burns like hell. 

Hmm, I went riding in the UK down south with mates 2 years ago - Rotherwick near a village called Hook. All very pretty and awfully english countryside like except the jeep tracks were really rutted and overgrown. One side was trees and the other stinging nettles. You had to choose your poison literally - either risk your handlebars being caught up an wiping you out and switching you over the bars or get your legs dragged through nettles which stung like fire and then stinging for hours afterwards in the pub.

 

The English true to form thought the nettles were "bracing" 

[JohanDiv]

Multiple horsefly bites in one day during Darling TTU 24 hour endurance race, even one on the penis...no jokes

[MORNE]

Many years ago whilst on holiday in Knysna during the middle of quiet week I was the first guy down Harkerville one Thursday morning after it had rained the previous 2 days. I was just cruising happily when i went through a web and collected a golden orb weaver spider....

 

i stopped reading there...

[MORNE]

Multiple horsefly bites in one day during Darling TTU 24 hour endurance race, even one on the penis...no jokes

why were you riding with your junk out?

there is a time and a place for that sort of thing...

[SwissVan]

Bee sting just above the eye brow and just inside my mouth (lip). Not allergic but these euro bees ???? cause a lot of swelling and end up looking like I got moered.

 

Horse flies are plentiful here and the most sneaky in they always seem to bit you out of sight like the bum and a painful bite, normally suffer a couple of bites every summer.

[stefmeister]

yep ...tagged me on the arm while ridding the greenbelt along the M3

What snake?

[Eddy Gordo]

Yes, more details re snake bite 

 

Was it on the ground or in a tree?

[HowardSteele]

Multiple horsefly bites in one day during Darling TTU 24 hour endurance race, even one on the penis...no jokes

LOl   they love lycra ...I did a ride from Vermaklikheid to Stillbaai couple of years back they chomped me good and proper but only on the lycra covered area.

[HowardSteele]

Wait.

Hold on a minute!

 

You were bitten by a snake?

On the greenbelts ?

Along the M3 section ?

 

FFS!

Some more detail please

 

.Posted Today, 18:34

So I backchecked to get the date  of the incident coincidentally it was the 09/09/2015 exactly 4 years ago

Riding on my own  on the section just after you cross Firgrove way heading towards Tokai. I saw a strange black shape to the side of the path at the end of my blurry vision...very black about  30cm high and  looked like a black thick stem with  white ring  and bulborous top ..it disappeared as I got closer ,when I passed the spot I caught a glimpse of movement to the right and  I got hit on the forearm I jerked my arm away and had two very shallow puncture marks about 1cm apart, the blood that ran from the two  shallow puncture points seemed to be thinned down. I retraced my route no branches sticks or trees close enough to touch me  no mysterious black plants...the path narrowed at that point the ground rose up at that point towards a boundary wall. 

no horrific reaction to the bite slight redness and a bit of peeling ,it seems I was far enough out of reach just to get pricked.

.After some research it seems that the bit of greenbelt just after Firgrove way is one the last places  Rinkhals have been encountered in the Southern  subs  

who says biking the greenbelt is boring

H

[DJR]

 

.Posted Today, 18:34

So I backchecked to get the date  of the incident coincidentally it was the 09/09/2015 exactly 4 years ago

Riding on my own  on the section just after you cross Firgrove way heading towards Tokai. I saw a strange black shape to the side of the path at the end of my blurry vision...very black about  30cm high and  looked like a black thick stem with  white ring  and bulborous top ..it disappeared as I got closer ,when I passed the spot I caught a glimpse of movement to the right and  I got hit on the forearm I jerked my arm away and had two very shallow puncture marks about 1cm apart, the blood that ran from the two  shallow puncture points seemed to be thinned down. I retraced my route no branches sticks or trees close enough to touch me  no mysterious black plants...the path narrowed at that point the ground rose up at that point towards a boundary wall. 

no horrific reaction to the bite slight redness and a bit of peeling ,it seems I was far enough out of reach just to get pricked.

.After some research it seems that the bit of greenbelt just after Firgrove way is one the last places  Rinkhals have been encountered in the Southern  subs  

who says biking the greenbelt is boring

H

 

I had a close encounter with a night adder once, on the Wild Coast, but it missed me (I was too quick  ) Was worried about buffalo and rhino, came round the corner at speed and saw a stick in the middle of the road. Quick decision, go over it, or around it? Decided to go over it.....bloody stick stood up and tried to bite me. Too fast and too sudden to do anything, I missed it by the width of a politicians honesty, and only managed to stop 20 metres further. Turned back to investigate and found a pretty pissed off little night adder. Shaky and all, totally forgot about the buff and the rhino on the way home to a stiff whiskey.