So after my first summer of commuting (I will hit 1500 miles since may this week) and lurking here most of that time, I finally understand...

squirrels.are.crazy.

One ran between my wheels on my commute back home from work today, scared the crap out of me, and it didn't even get scratched.

Try rabbits, they make squirrels look sane.

Squirrels are bad. rabbits are worse.

i've seen some gnarly crash pics from squirrels and the like running into spokes, glad you're ok.

Deer are squirrely, squirrels are bananas.

I had an orange cat try to end it all by diving into my front wheel in the dark on the way to work. He almost made it. I was to fast on the brakes for him though. I wonder if he ever found succes? Lots of squirrels near my house, they have left me alone so far.

<crosses fingers>

Oh please dear wiccan bicycle gawd and gawdesses - make it plain for all live creatures to see that I, the fabulous Tude, am cycling nearby!!

Seriously though (am wiccan) - I've been body free for the last three years - YAY!!! No fwogs, no snakes, etc - have rescued a few turtles and one poor baby bird that I know didn't make it - he was too confused - but I did it!!! YAY!!! Oh yeah and avoided a boat load of squirrels who should have been road meat! <shakes head>

damn. would love to see a squirel to jump through a hipster's aerospoke some day.

no hipster but I had a squirrel jump into my chain/chainrings last fall(?). Kinda sloppy...
T-boned a raccoon and that just made him mad and scared the poop outta me! Nothing like 430am Wild Kingdom.

The squirrels here are way too cagey to worry about. They steal the acorns from the tire treads of passing cars in my neighborhood. I throw a few almonds over my left shoulder at the beginning of every ride as protection money to the bosses. I stay out of their way, they stay out of mine. They even have some sort of handshake agreement with my dog.

Daaa-aaaaam - you topped my lil fwogs, etc. I sometimes get soo cooking along when I'm on a long solo roadride that I just cruisin and yes, listening, but just in the tube of cruising that suddenly something jars me that really JARS me and I jump but not enough to fall off. yeah - a raccoon would be quite interesting at 4:30 am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have thankfully managed to avoid animals while riding my bike thus far. Once when I was on the parkline/MUP area behind my apartment building, I slowed down for a bunch of romping dogs, and one of them came right up and dropped a ball at my feet -- or should I say wheels.

Only animals on my usual commute are the aforementioned sui-squirrels and a yorkie that generally chases me yapping for about 100ft. I like the squirrels a lot more than the ratdog

you have them too?

I love wildlife. I've seen squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, fox, mink, otters, owls, hawks, deer, bears and moose while riding. I think squirrels win the prize for the most insane. Bears will immediately run away. Deer are really erratic but they're just trying to get out of the way.
Moose don't care. They don't have to.

Haha...I even wrote a nice blog piece on what are evidently a very large population of suicidal squirrels around my area. They're the only ones that I've come across that will run in front of you instead of away from you. The bunnies I see every morning find the shortest path off the pavement and into the brush...but not squirrels!

I'm sure I've ruined the day of more than a few by clipping them as they scamper away.

I haven't had a problem with squirrels. I think I killed a bat the other night though. I didn't stop to check, but given the sound it made when it hit my spokes, I think survival was unlikely.

But ... it's just a little rabbit ....

That happened to me too.

Oh man... just because I'm in the mood for horror stories, has anyone ever encountered a skunk or a porcupine while cycling? Like moose, they have no fear and believe that they own whatever ground they are standing on; unlike moose, they are small and unobtrusive and you don't notice until you're right on top of them.

I have fortunately only ever had near misses with squirrels. It is amazing how they can slip through my front and rear wheels though. They are quick little buggers. I was also on a mountain bike path when visiting my family in VA. I ran over a big black snake that was laying across the trail. When I looked back he was recoiled and his head was popped up, I think he was fine. My family told me that they are not poisonous.

Also in my neighborhood we have an enormous rabbit population. Most of the residents are very protective of them and will pursue those who hurt them. As in chase the perp down and do all kinds of unspeakable things to them. Fortunately I have been safe thus far. If I stop posting though that could have been my fate...

The squirrels are daring, cunning, and fast. They can zip out and back in a flash. I've had them run between bikes, but never between the wheels[yet].

The rabbits are just stupid... they run out and then freeze up and wait for you to hit them. Luckily, I've been able to steer around them, but it's happened a few times.

I've encountered porcupines several times while mountain biking. I noticed the same thing - they don't run - they just huddle down and puff their quills out. I just walk around them. BTW, they can actually be surprisingly large.

I hope to never encounter a skunk while riding.

When I was in high school, I was coasting down a down hill, probably 20 mph, when a squirrel darted in front of me from the right side of the road. I was startled and nearly jumped off the bike, and swerved left, which turned out to be the wrong direction. The front wheel ran over his tail as he was running to my left, and his tail got pinned, so his body snapped back and bounced off the front wheel spokes. I'm not sure if the back wheel got him or not, but when I looked back, he was running across the road the same direction he started, so I guess he was ok. Wow that was an adrenaline rush.

I saw a skunk on the way home a coupe of weeks ago. I saw it well in advance and gave it a wide berth. It just ignored me.

an oldie by a goodie

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