hrt4me

Happened to me once on a roller coaster, but never on a bicycle (knock on wood...).

bmw5nkj

during spring time, yes. i swallow at least one bug on every commute to school

Bah Humbug

I just consider them protein supplements.

sonik90

I get a mouthfull of those little blackflies daily.. thats what ya get for riding around with your mouth wide open i guess. the worst is when you have to pull one off your eyeball.

kf9yr

Yes, I have swallowed a few bugs when I used to live in Wisconsin.

Speaking of close enocounters with insects... In my "who needs bike shorts" early days of riding I had a wasp fly up the leg of my shorts and sting me in a tender area... I was on a downhill and it was pure luck that I didn't crash while trying to swat it through my shorts. Needless to say I bought some cycling shorts the next day and haven't rode without since.

roca rule

well two week ago i was trying to get an ftp test going at the bike path by the river bed and seriously regret not having my clear shades on. little mosquitoes got in to my mouth so i spent hslf the time spitting them out.

mzeffex 

I imagine that hurt. Every day on my commute home all those tiny little gnat like things come out, you know, the ones that you are constantly hitting? Awful..

Doohickie

I've taken my share of extra protein. Lately there have been lots of dragon flies along the river trail. The thought of inhaling one of those is kind of yucky.

fomoppy

do bears **** in the woods

kamalster

I've inhaled a ton of little black flies. I live in fear of the day a bee flies into my mouth...

cyclefreaksix

I heard you swallow...

Tsuru

Yep.

Machka 

All right ... that's it ... I've got to tell my story!!

My "worst" experience with an insect occurred during a race in 1999.

The route descended into a ravine, climbed out of the ravine, turned left ... and then the cyclists pulled a U-turn and descended back into the ravine, climbed out of the ravine, pulled a U-turn ... etc. etc. for several loops.

I descended into the ravine and when I was climbing out, I noticed that there was a camera crew set up near the top of the hill filming the Cat 2 cyclists who were now about to descend the hill. I was laughing because they were all zipping up and trying to look all cool.

I got to the top of the hill, turned left, rode along a ways, then pulled the U-turn and started back toward the ravine.

All of a sudden a MASSIVE dragonfly flew into my mouth!!!!

I could feel it buzzing its wings, and I desperately tried to spit or gag it out .... but it was lodged in there!!

Just then I noticed that I was getting closer and closer to the camera crew. I didn't want the image of me gagging and spitting a dragonfly out of my mouth to be captured, but I didn't know what to do ... this thing would not back out of my mouth!

As I passed the camera crew, I closed my mouth and cycled by looking as calm, cool, and collected as a person can look with a massive dragonfly buzzing in her mouth.

As soon as I was by the camera, I reached into my mouth, and dragged this thing out ........ and then went through almost convulsive shudders at the thought of what had just happened!!

I DNF'd that race.

I also have this fear of dragonflies.


I've also been hit in the head by several birds, a bat or two, and one of those very large june beetles (the ones that are about 4" long). I've had a bee go down my jersey. And I've been pursued by a swarm of horseflies. And that doesn't include the bazillion insects I've had fly into my helmet, eyes, nose, and mouth.

MajorMantra

Did you ever get to see the footage? I'll bet your expression was priceless.

Matthew

Gerrylightning

Funny story Machka, We seam to have a dragon fly population explosion this year I can tell already I'm gonna think of your story on my morning ride with the dragon flies.

Turnin2

I breathed a bug in last week- not swallowed- breathed! I could feel the thing crawling around in my windpipe. I had a massive coughing fit and had to stop. I asked my neighbor who is a nurse what would happen if it didn't come up and she said it would break up and be dissolved if I couldn't cough it up. I feel ok now but it was pretty nasty

cyclezealot

Ever notice some bugs are bitter, others pungent; sort of like a garbage can.

thehammerdog

Dude great question....just last week I swallowed, well it got stuck in my throat for about a mile of riding before I choked it down, I was gagging and grossed out...it was not small and well gross. I had the wilies for a while after
But yes.

saratoga

It's pretty swampy where I ride during the week and we're in the middle of the rainy season now. There are swarms of small black flies that look like clouds everywhere...it's like riding through rain and you can't help but inhale or swallow a couple hundred. They seem to die instantly when they hit sweaty skin, so I'm also covered in dead ones by the time I get home.

Trsnrtr

Exactly. The OP must only have been riding a bike a day or two.

tntyz

Plenty of bugs on my rides. Learned to keep my mouth closed while going past the cows - don't know the last thing those flies landed on!

Worst tasting bugs are Asian lady bugs. Very bitter aftertaste.

sonik90

they get into my ears sometimes as well.

mrbUSA

Eating bugs is not so bad providing they get all the way down. Worse is when the lodge themselves in the corner of the eye.

Skones MickLoud

Gnats seem to gather right about head height on the MUP I use. For a day or two, I didn't judge my distance right and attempted to hold my breath as I rode through the swarm. Of course, forgetting that I was incredibly out of shape and sucking wind, my luck made me gulp air as I was passing through. So yes, I've eaten a few.

Markj61

Great story. Really captured the emotion of "dragonfly mouth"