The best 4 seconds on my bike.
#1
Very Senior Member
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The best 4 seconds on my bike.
Sunday, (8/4/01)I had an incredible experience while on my morning bike ride.
I’m coming down a long incline, going 20 – 25 mph. On my left is a field of soybeans with a flock of small sparrow-like birds in it. On the right side of the road is a corn field. As I come up on the birds they startle and fly across the road, at an angle moving more or less with me. Suddenly a large Hawk swoops down and is right behind one of the little sparrows. The two of them are about 30 feet from me, going across the road, but at an angle that keeps them ahead of me.
The sparrow is squeaking and flapping like crazy to get away. The hawk has opened his wings, going from a dive to a fast glide. I can see his talons stretched out, reaching for the sparrow who is now only inches from his grasp.. They’re half way across the road, right in front of me. I see the hawk’s wings dip slightly as he makes a slight correction for the cross winds. That gives the sparrow a few more inches of life between him and the large talons, desperately outstretched behind him. The hawk makes a little dip in his flight path to gain speed and is almost touching the sparrows tail feathers. They’re now only 4 feet of the ground as the sparrow flys right between the cornstalks. The hawk looks up to see the corn rushing at him and his 3 foot wingspan and his objective suddenly changes. At the last minute he drastically pulls up, and his wings just clear the tops of the corn stalks as I wiz past him and the whole scene is behind me.
WOW what a 4 second rush!
I’m coming down a long incline, going 20 – 25 mph. On my left is a field of soybeans with a flock of small sparrow-like birds in it. On the right side of the road is a corn field. As I come up on the birds they startle and fly across the road, at an angle moving more or less with me. Suddenly a large Hawk swoops down and is right behind one of the little sparrows. The two of them are about 30 feet from me, going across the road, but at an angle that keeps them ahead of me.
The sparrow is squeaking and flapping like crazy to get away. The hawk has opened his wings, going from a dive to a fast glide. I can see his talons stretched out, reaching for the sparrow who is now only inches from his grasp.. They’re half way across the road, right in front of me. I see the hawk’s wings dip slightly as he makes a slight correction for the cross winds. That gives the sparrow a few more inches of life between him and the large talons, desperately outstretched behind him. The hawk makes a little dip in his flight path to gain speed and is almost touching the sparrows tail feathers. They’re now only 4 feet of the ground as the sparrow flys right between the cornstalks. The hawk looks up to see the corn rushing at him and his 3 foot wingspan and his objective suddenly changes. At the last minute he drastically pulls up, and his wings just clear the tops of the corn stalks as I wiz past him and the whole scene is behind me.
WOW what a 4 second rush!
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It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
#2
Senior Member
Wow, how cool! Hawks are extreme predators. I have several that I keep an eye on but I have never seen them attack. That would be an incredible sight to see.
#4
riding a Pinarello Prince
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the poor little bird must be at the last of the food chain, I have seen a couple of that sight while riding in the northern part of Toronto, and I would certainly agree that its a sight that will linger on your mind for quite sometime...:confused: :confused: :confused:
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#5
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What an experience to have. One of the things that only happens once a lifetime, if lucky
Anders K
Anders K
#6
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One of the things that only happens once a lifetime, if lucky
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It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
#7
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Wow, what an encredible 4 seconds of life and almost death to have experienced. But I have to ask, how close was your face to the talons and the wings? Were you in any danger of being hit with either?
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As long as it's got two wheels ........... go ride it.
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#8
Very Senior Member
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how close was your face to the talons
They were traveling across the road but at an angle so that they were going (more or less) my way. When I first noticed them they were on the right side of the road right, about 20 feet in the air and 30 feet in front of me. They moved forward down the road, across my line of travel, and gradually lower as they went. When they crossed the middle of the road they were maybe 15 feet ahead of me and at my eye level. When they hit the corn they were less than 10 feet away and on my left.
All this is approximate. It happened very fast but I just took it all in and had the rest of the ride to relive it.
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It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
#9
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Your description is so vivid and clear, it's as if I was there.
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2003 Iceman Challenge - 2:34:55 - 897 / 2,000*
2002 Iceman Challenge - 2:39:23 - 1093 / 2,186
2000 Iceman Challenge - 2:49:18 - 1516 / 2,153
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2003 Iceman Challenge - 2:34:55 - 897 / 2,000*
2002 Iceman Challenge - 2:39:23 - 1093 / 2,186
2000 Iceman Challenge - 2:49:18 - 1516 / 2,153
*estimated
#10
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it's as if I was there
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It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
#11
Very Senior Member
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Unclench your toes!!
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It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.
It's better to cycle through life than to drive by it.