TrojanHorse

Got hit in the eyeball by a bug last week, and this week I was innocently hammering down the road and took a bug clear down the esophagus. I almost wiped out from the coughing and gagging that ensued. Come to think of it, it may have been a bird, not a bug... thing felt huge. Maybe it was a hawk.

I guess the good news is that it made it well past any taste receptors before I knew it.

StephenH

I recommend that you stick to swallowing gnats like the rest of us.

Bikealou

I always considered swallowing a bug to be one of the first signs of spring. So far avoided it this year. I have stopped on the side of the road trying to "hawk" up the bug I just swallowed - never with success. One year I hit a bug hard enough to mark the safety glasses I was wearing and leave a bleeding mark on my cheek -- glad I didn't swallow that one.

Mr Danw

I carry a catchup packet for just such an occasion.

Herbie53

I caught a bee or a hornet in the mouth on Saturday. Stung me in the lip on the way out.

I didn't get a chance to taste it.

gitarzan

Most are edible. I've eaten a few more than I've cared to.

zoste

Ditto...really gives one a fat lip.

ziggydcat

I had my first mid-ride "snack" on Friday while riding through farm country. Real humid (@80%) and loads of gnats and flies. Unfortunatly I managed to eat a gnat/fly eater. Looked down at my front tire and when I looked up with mouth agape and breathing heavily, in flew a massive dragon fly. Chomp, crunch, spit. My first dragon fly.

SocialCow

Well... They are out right now is all I can say, don't wear white shirts either, learned that tonight.

RatedZ

Just strike it up as additional protein. It saved you the trouble of having to break out a Clif Bar halfway through your ride.

5 minutes into our ride yesterday, my wife swallowed a bug. I told her to try and ride with her mouth shut.

dcrowell

Just think of how the bug felt...

TrojanHorse

The bug felt kind of large, I thought I already mentioned that.

Dragonfly is pretty gargantuan but getting stung inside your mouth... ouch.

Herbie53

I got the stinger out quickly (not sure if it was a bee or a wasp/hornet) and only had a little bit of swelling. Actually gave me a nice excuse to take a break from the real suffering as I was in the middle of a longish, hot climb.

IAmCosmo

On all our group rides, it seems that I'm always the one to swallow the bug. It's a source of endless ridicule since I've been a vegan for 6 years...

EKW in DC

That there is funny!

ziggydcat

Somehow I always manage to get the BIG bugs. Tasted bad, I could have used that ketchup packet! Damn thing came in like a P-51 Mustang. If it had guns it would have killed me.

eshvanu

Bugs aren't too bad, usually. Friday I was riding home, and watching the cottonwood seeds drifting magically through the air. It was so pretty, until one jammed itself at the back of my throat...

Peter_C

Wait a minute, I didn't see you get the catchup out for that lightning bug the other evening....

Wogster

You can always tell a rider has gotten a bug, sounds like the cat working up a hairball. I got one the other day....

(we need a smilie for that)

EKW in DC

Been there myself. I always get a sinking feeling when I realize I'm not gonna be able to cough it up. I feel defeated when I'm forced to relent, grab the water bottle and try to wash it down as best I can.

I concur!

X-LinkedRider

LOL, this happens all the time. Especially if I am trying to talk to another rider and I am not looking down. Bugs are fine for you, better natural protein than most of the crap you buy off a shelf. Breathe through your nose if you are on a path next to water to minimize this.

Seattle Forrest

That just means you don't need a protein shake.

On Friday, I got a bug in the eye. It was irritating me, and for a moment I tried riding with one eye open, hoping the tears would naturally flush it out. But that wasn't going to happen, and I felt ... weird riding like a cyclops.

I don't know why bugs prefer the MUP to the road, but I'm actively avoiding a lot of trail sections when I can for this reason.

TrojanHorse

These already have different names, but

- I just swallowed a bug

- just got beaned in the eye.

- the aftereffect



None of them really bring out that "hairball" feeling though.

serra

A friend of mine is the same way. I get a "normal" amount of bugs in my mouth and face, but it's like he attracts them! He gets beaned so many times it's really quite hilarious. Sorry it happens to you though

Wogster

Yeah we had one long hair, and I think that 5kg cat could work up a 6kg hair ball, usually in the carpet just after you spent $300 having it professionally cleaned