It warmed up some this afternoon and my wife suggested we go for a ride. We went to the local Rail Trail and rode to the North End. When we got to the end we were 11 miles from the truck and it started to sprinkle. Wife does not like to get wet and cold, so back we headed at a good pace. We had just crossed a side road and sped back up and I looked down at my odo. We were going 18mph (very fast for wife) and a squirrel ran out on the trail, stopped and jumped between my wifes front and back wheel. My wife let out a small yell and never missed a pedal stroke. I told her if it had been a 1/2 second slower we could have had squirrel for Easter dinner when we got home. Oh well, the peanut butter, banana and jelly was just fine with an ovaltine to wash it down.

Glad he got away. My father, who almost never went to church, hit a bunny driving to Easter services many years ago. I think that cured him of ever going to church again. I also hit a rabbit once during a bicycle ride. I felt bad for the little guy, but he did hop away.

And he was hoppin' mad.

Lucky for your wife, and you.
If the rodent had jumped into her front wheel, it would have been bad for all parties concerned. Your wife most likley would have done a superwoman over the bars, the tree rat would have gotten shredded in the spokes, and you would have had to clean squirrel guts out of the spokes.
I also had that happen, fuzzy little bastard jump between front and back wheel, I looked down in time to see it going under the back tire.

a guy down the road from me had a cat run into his front wheel. He broke his collar bone and the cat had to be put to sleep at the vet.

now with squirrels, I've run over them before, but one time I had one get his tail caught in my front spokes (I guess that's what happened) because he got flipped up in the air about handlebar high.

I've also had a deer run out in front of me last year. Somehow the deer turned and was running alongside me trying to get past. I was comming down a mountain and was doing around 35-40 when all this happened. I actually put my hand out on the deer's front shoulder and barged my way past. What a wild ride! It's a trip to put you hand on a wild, running, freaked out deer at over 35 mph. Sure glad they don't keep their antlers all year!

Very fortunate - I hate those tree rats.
On a short but steep downhill on the MUP I hit about 30mph last fall. It was after dusk and I had about 50 watts of lighting. Something streaked in from the side and the bike twanged. I was stunned that I didn't take a fall. The next day I found squirrel like fur stuck in the bottle cage.

I squished one of those thirteen lined ground squirrels, AKA Simon, WAAAAY flat last summer. Suicidal little b******d anyway.

Use to live in Peoria and ride the Rock Island Trail there nearly every night. Back then it was thick with chipmunks. Was usually good for one per week or so.