For You Cyclists Out There - Worst (or Best?) Surprise

[kynorth]

I discovered a new hazard on the road today. No, not shoulder hugging morons, nor loose dogs. Instead, I was barreling down a good hill at about 50 km/hr and at the bottom encountered a nice long strip of asphalt sealant. You know the stuff, it's like malleable rubber injected into asphalt cracks to I guess prevent it from cracking further. This particular opponent was injected in a line about 100 yards long parallel to my line of travel - only about an inch think (pardon) but my god, once I got my front tire into it I thought I was in some sort of primordial ooze (pardon again) as it had transformed itself to near liquid form due to the scalding heat we were all enduring. I was lucky to not lose it - and at 50 km/hr that was not a pleasant experience. So, cyclists, anything completely shock you while you were riding?

 

[wetnose]

Damn metal plates that were laid on the road to cover construction. I tried to go onto one by the side but my tires lost grip and I lost control. If there had been traffic, I would have been a goner for sure.

 

[shack]

So, cyclists, anything completely shock you while you were riding?

I was riding home one evening (I was about 10-11 years old) and rode through my school yard. I was actually right beside the building as I made a right turn around a corner. Lo and behold, there was a cop cruiser just sitting there ( it was a play area, not a thoroughfare). I hit the front of the car and took a header onto the hood. No injuries, but quite a shock.

 

[t.o.leafs.fan]

I was dive-bombed by a big ass crow this summer. It was another good reason why cyclists should wear helmets.

 

[Powershot]

That stuff is pretty groovy for rollerblading on too when one foot gets held up

 

[staggerspool]

Once I was doing a relatively high speed 90 degree right turn at a street corner, found myself lying on the ground, convinced that all the fingers on my right hand were bent right over backwards... ended up with my only broken bone so far. I checked to see what I had hit, it was a flattened cigarette pack that I guess I hit with my front wheel while leaned over.

Similarly, slipped on a slick manhole cover, my mountain bike went down, handlebar sticking straight up, landed on it in the middle of my chest, on the bone holding the front of my ribcage together. An inch lower and I wonder if I would have survived. I went back to a proper road bike with down-style handlebars.

A friend of mine saw an aluminum drink can rolling along the road in front of him, he hit it square on, it collapsed, gripped the rim, rode up to the back of the fork with the wheel, and stopped it dead. He went over the handlebars...

 

[Boss Nass]

Visiting a buddy up in Manitouwadge back in the 80s. Decided to cycle to a fishing spot just outside of town, going at a pretty good clip around a corner on a dirt road and just about creamed a bear. Can't really recall which one of us took off faster.