Commuting - Suicide Squirrel

So I'm on my usual commute home last night traveling along a narrow one way street with no traffic when I see a red streak out of the corner of my eye. It was a squirrel running straight for me. I cut hard right to avoid the collision and the squirrel changes its course too. Now I'm thinking its trying to get me and I'm freaking out a little bit. It makes a last second leap at my bike to try to get betwen the tires but no go. My back tire runs over him. I watch as it does a roll, get back on its feet, looks at me and then scrambles up a tree. Weird. Maybe he was after the small tires on my folding bike. Has this happened to anyone else?

Suicidal? I doubt it, unless he lost his nuts or a lady squirrel dumped him. If it was dark, he probably didn't see you. Squirrels have terrible night vision.

I know I've posted this before, but here goes...

A few years ago I was on my way home from work. As I crossed the last major intersection- about a mile from home, I heard a rustling, scratching noise to my right. I looked down (thinking I would see a leaf skittering along the pavement) to see a squirrel running alongside me- chasing me like dogs do. I was doing 16-17 mph at the time, and the little devil kept up with me for about 100 yards or so. I'm not sure what his deal was, or if he meant me any harm, but I certainly wasn't going to stop to find out.

My experience is that if you approach a squirrel quickly, it run towards you or dart right in front of you. My guess is that the squirrel thinks you're a predator and the squirrel generally can not out run animals larger than it; it's survival tactic is to out maneuver you by running towards you. Since you're not hunting squirrels, the best way to avoid them is to simply slow down and watch them dart across you.

I got one last fall, right through the spokes at speed. Bike never slowed, but it was quite the disgusting mess..... :(

I would not have "cut hard to avoid the collision" ... ;)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/29172942_f2de3d5bf4.jpg

:( MNBikeguy cute squirl

I ran over a squirrel when I was in 2nd grade once. I felt horrible and cried until my dad explained that that squirrel sacrificed itself for evolution. I didn't exactly understand what it meant, but it did make me feel better.

I ran over a squirrel on the bike path this summer. I didn't even see it until it darted under my bike just as a I passed. It missed my front tire, but I felt my back tire hit it dead on. I thought that I had killed it, but the little bugger was scampering away when I looked back.

I would have explained that you did your part in minimizing the spread of disease and property damage...

Squirrel needs to quit drinkin...

Never with a squirrel, but I have encounters with "Suicide Rabbits" on a regular basis. Ran over one last fall, and had one bounce off my front rim last week.

It might have been rabid, I've been seeing more and more newspaper stories about
bats and skunks having rabies around here. Thought I saw a rabid coyote last week
right on my street. Middle of the day, slow trot in the road, no fear of cars or me on
my driveway, incredibly mangy-looking too.

I ran over a squirrel when I was in 2nd grade once. I felt horrible and cried until my dad explained that that squirrel sacrificed itself for evolution. I didn't exactly understand what it meant, but it did make me feel better.

Do you understand what it means now? Perhaps a good story about the human genome or an excerpt from The Origin of Species would really cheer you up.

I ran over a squirrel on my way home today. It darted out from some high grass, ran across the MUP and was under my front tire before I was able to react. It scampered off into the woods, albiet not as fast as it was moving previously.

Had one run right into my spokes and bounced off. It did wobble me a bit, but it hung a ubie and made a bunch of chirping sounds. Guess it wasn't happy by the tone!

I would not have "cut hard to avoid the collision" ... ;)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/29172942_f2de3d5bf4.jpg

I feel a new type of hipster spoke card. THE SQUIRREL CARD; head off to your local taxidermy club and pick up a squirrel, empty it out and voila! You've got your own squirrel card...

Squirrels around here have been very good about getting the heck out of my way all year. Chipmunks, on the other hand, seem brainless and bent on self destruction.

I had a squirrel bounce off my wheel last spring. A rabbit attempted to give my wheel a hug earlier today.

I would not have "cut hard to avoid the collision" ... ;)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/29172942_f2de3d5bf4.jpg

Lunch! :thumb::p:D:lol:

I ran over a squirrel when I was in 2nd grade once. I felt horrible and cried until my dad explained that that squirrel sacrificed itself for evolution. I didn't exactly understand what it meant, but it did make me feel better.

:roflmao2:

I had a squirrel run along side of me for a couple of yards, and I guess he figured I was going to slowly, so he passed me up and crossed the MUP right in front of me.... Bossy!!! I always think rabbits have a little better sense..

Had a few squirrels get a bit too close to my bike but they so far have avoided hitting my bike.

Do you understand what it means now? Perhaps a good story about the human genome or an excerpt from The Origin of Species would really cheer you up.

Like a college student, on his skateboard, cutting in front of a metro bus while on a cell phone :roflmao:

I know that squirrel, he used to live near the minuteman bike path in Arlington. His friend Mr. chipmunk had an interview with my front tire. He didn't get the job, but he made a career move with my rear spokes. As I began the forensic exam, a group of kids approached the scene. I had to quickly remove the body from the crime scene. It bums me out every time I see his little outline in tape, it looks like a cartoon.

Kamikaze rabbits around here. I see anywhere between 30 to fifty of 'em on my morning commute on my way out of the neighborhood and along the mup.

I swear they must be breeding like, well like rabbits.

I cut hard right to avoid the collision and the squirrel changes its course too.
An epic contest between two matched intellects!

Next time, keep going straight and let the squirrel work things out.

I've had a couple of close calls with squirrels, but nothing got the blood pounding like the skunk that was eyeing me from the side of the road a while ago. He was sauntering along and never got too close but now I keep imagining that I see skunks in the darkness on the edges of the pavement when I ride in the early mornings.

ktk

It's all part of the animal revolution. They're reclaiming the earth.

All you have to do is keep straight. Its like the squirrels think they can make it across the street before you, but then suddenly decide they can't make halfway, then turn back the opposite direction into a tree. Strange behavior if you ask me.

just be lucky it wasn't russian squirrels - Russian squirrel pack 'kills dog' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4489792.stm)

3 Hurt In Squirrel Attack At SJ's Evergreen School (http://cbs5.com/local/Squirrel.Attack.Evergreen.2.455548.html)

my estranged wife once had a stand-off with a male squirrel, apparently defending its turf or trying to dominate her. she was able to resolve the issue without deadly force.

My cyclocommute home Friday afternoon started off well enough. I still had the nice northerly, dry breeze from the morning. About 20 minutes in I ran over something, a bump. Then an immediate scraping sound from the front. I looked down and thought my fender had collapsed and folded under itself. I slowed aiming for grass on the side of the road, but then the bike slowed even faster with the wedging-up of something. I crunched the brake, looked down again. There was a squirrel wedged up between my fender and the top of front tire at the back of the fork crown. Stopped and after a second's wonderment, I got the front tire off as quickly as could to get the poor little bugger out. Too late, though.

I've been thinking this could happen on to me on the MUT I use, but I've envisioned the squirrel getting into the spokes and me doing an endo.

Squirrels seem to be like teenagers. I was coming down an incline into a parking lot one day years ago and there were three oblivious teenagers in front of me walking three abreast down the middle of the road. I move to the left to get around them. They panicked and ran to the left. I moved to the right to get around them. They ran to the right. I finally got past them without running over one.

My procedure now with squirrels is to stop and apologize for getting in their way, and ask them to please go first.