ColorChange

By a deer.

I'm out on a training ride and there are lots of deer around. They are not very shy and often don't run when I'm within 20 feet of them.

This time, a deer is about 10 feet off the road. Sees me coming from a long way out and just watches as I approach at about 18 mph. Deer continues to look at me until I'm right next to it and then starts to gallop.

For the next 5 seconds the deer is about 10 feet off my right shoulder, more than close enough that I am worried she'll bolt right out in front of me, matching my pace exactly.

Now she takes a look, right into my eyes, and then absolutely guns it straight ahead, tail white and snow flying.

It was so funny I had to laugh out loud. Stinking Lance deer thinks I'm Jan.

spry

For the most part,deer mating season is about over.I'm tired of dodging the 200lb bastaards around here.

KendallF

I have had the same experience..two deer in the Ocala National Forest. Paced me for about 50 feet, then put on afterburners and were GONE.

longbeachgary

Deer, joggers, skaters and mothers pushing strollers all do that to me.

BarryJo

Why didn't you lay the hammer down, ride the deer off your wheel, and give him "the look"?

iab

Same thing happen to me, going down South Valley Rd in Bull Valley. Except this one decided to cross in front of me, slipped on the pavement while I was going about 30 mph. I hit the brakes, the deer recovered and I missed it by about 6 inches. When it got to sure footing on the other side of the road, it bolted.

alpha_bravo

A month ago I had one cross the road a ways in front of me. He jumped right into high fence and got his antlers and front legs tangled. There was enough traffic that I couldn't take the lane, and the high fence was less than six feet away from the shoulder. He managed to wriggle free just about the time I caught up to him. I figured he would head in the opposite direction, but he bolted along side me and jumped again. Again he got tangled. By that time I had finally managed to pass him, but it was a pretty tense few moments.

Around here the biggest problem is javelina. They come out of tall grass, so it's very difficult to see them. Since they travel in packs and their eye sight sucks so they typically take their time crossing the road. I see them at least once a week during this time of year, I've become attuned to their stench and slow down a bit and hug the lane when I smell them.

echappist

should have dialed it up to 400w & dropped the thing like a bad habit

in all honesty, glad the damn thing didn't cause any real damage

Kai Winters

"Race Faced" by a deer...a female deer at that...awesome...

TromboneAl

I had some cattle run alongside me, on their side of the fence, for about half a mile. Must have been some herd instinct.

Walter

I haven't been to the Ocala National Forest in the better part of 20 years. SCUBA dived some of the freshwater springs when I was living in Gainesville.

I'd imagine it's a great area to ride. Am I right?

Where I used to ride in Orlando area by UCF a guy had a camel on his land and it would come out and trot along the fence.

Grumpy McTrumpy

https://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0004737.html

I used to waterski competitively a few years back, and ran the boat at 34 mph. There was a dirt road that went alongside the lake, parallel to the slalom course. At one point, there was a family visiting that had some kind of racing dog. He was able to outrun the boat on pretty much every pass.

KendallF

It's a very nice ride..but very desolate. A couple of years ago, I rode solo to my sister's for Thanksgiving..just over 100 miles away through the Ocala Nat'l Forest. When you leave Palatka heading south, there's about 30 miles in there where there's not a house, a store, anything. Just rolling pinewoods and occasional dirt roads out to the lakes. I've seen deer, black bear, a few eagles..

wanders

After you mentioned the stench, poor eye sight, and travelling in packs, I had to go back and reread to make sure you weren't talking about the Joes Pro Bikes Master's squad.

Quijibo187

another reason to carry a handgun? but then how do you get it home....

unbelievablyred

Never raced a deer, but I did chase a big blue heron that flew down the road less than 10 feet ahead of me for a little while. I was hoping to grab his legs and get a little hang time...

Walter

Thanks. Sounds good.

I ride out in E. Texas for a few weeks each Summer. See deer regularly but they don't race.

Fear, maybe?

grafik1979

Was climbing a small hill once when I saw a deer to my left. It accelerated quickly and reached top speed way faster than I could have. Awesome creatures.

lpolliard

Probably because you were riding a Cervelo.

agarose2000

Deer are REALLY fast. On a flat, you'd have to be maxxed out to even stand a chance, and you'd have to be going probably 35+ mph. On a steep hill, you'd likely have no chance in a sprint.

I see deer all the time in Norcal on some mountain roads, and sometimes when they see me, they take off - not down the road, but straight up the mountain side. We're talking 60-75% (yup, WAYYY too steep for even a mountain bike) gradient here - those mountain sidewalls are so steep that there are "falling rock" signs all over the place, and I would need rock climbing gear to even climb up them, and I'd need full use of hands to pull up.

The deer run up those crazy inclines at at least 12 mph. Insane.

ColorChange

The funny thing was casually trotting along at 20 and then in about 3 strides up to 35. I just laughed.

Sixty Fiver

Whitetail can hit 40 mph with ease although they are really built for sprinting... they get winded pretty quickly.

On dogs...

A good number of dogs have no problem hitting 35mph, most sight hounds can hit or exceed 40mph and Dobermans can also hit nearly 40 mph as they proceed to run you down and eat you.

Your average dog can do 25 mph... a Husky can cruise at 20 all day and run at 25 mph for long periods.

rustybucket

Have never seen a deer while riding. See plenty of kangaroo's when I ride in the bush, they dont let you get very close though.

humboldt'sroads

Had this very thing happen to me last year, but with a black bear! We scared the **** out of eachother and yogi didn't know what to do, so he kept bolting back and forth across my path before diving into a gully.

globecanvas

Not to be a downer, but a local cyclist was killed hitting a deer on a descent last fall. Deer are unpredictable, fast, and solid. A week after that sad incident I clipped a fawn that was in front of me before I could even get my fingers on the brake, luckily I was coasting toward a stop. I am now hyper aware of deer anywhere near the road when descending.