This morning I saw a head on collision and then one of the cars veered off. Almost crashing into somebody’s home! Can’t say I’ve seen that before, very unusual indeed.
8 Likes
Most unusual: In the late ‘70s on a Hill Country ride west of Austin, I saw two horses copulating. The length of a stallion’s penis was surreal!
Saddest: On weekends, I ride a lot on the backroads of Montgomery and Frederick Counties (MD). Often streams of motorcycle riders on their club outings (mostly on Harleys) wave to me as they pass by. A few years back, as I was riding up a small crest, I saw about 6 or 7 Harleys pulled off the side of the road and the riders standing together, some crying. I craned my neck 90° left and saw a mangled motorbike in the middle of a soybean field and a rider crouched over (presumably attending to the injured comrade I couldn’t see). Even recounting this still gives me the shudders.
5 Likes
Not unusual per say; but, this falls in the I didn’t see that coming category. I was riding on the MUP to get to the state park to begin my workout. I passed a turkey hen walking the other way as if it owned the path. On the way home I was crossing the foot bridge over the river and there was a young beaver or river otter swimming in the river just below me. There were a couple of children out for a walk with mom about 50 yards from the bridge. I stopped to tell them about the beaver and they took off at full sprint to see. It brought a smile to my face as I made my way home.
5 Likes
I always see this thread pop up and feel left out. Of course I’ve seen plenty of cool wildlife and whatnot, but nothing “unusual” for being outside riding around. Until yesterday.
Yesterday during my lunch ride I was riding up a long stretch of bike path that runs parallel to and slightly below a main road on my way home. I have to ride this little stretch for literally every ride because it connects my neighborhood to the path/trail systems and all good cycling roads. I’ve been on this path at least a thousand times. I sort of zone out and soft pedal it as part of my cool down back home.
As I’m just about to crest the top of the hill on this path (which runs ~8-10 feet beside and below the road) a dodge caravan flies straight across my face. I could have squirted the window with my water bottle. When I say fly, I mean fly. An elder man fell asleep at the wheel while driving. He jumped a massive concrete median, crossed significant oncoming traffic on the other side of the median, jumped the curb, flew over the bike path right in front of my face, and ended up another ~40ft farther down into a ravine on the other side of the path. Aside from the front wheels being nestled into the engine bay, the caravan was damn near spotless. Impressive build quality. I stayed on the scene until about 3 fire trucks and 4 squad cars showed up. Guy was fine. I went home, cracked a beer, and called people I haven’t spoken to for a while. The end.
20 Likes
On vacation visiting a friend in COS. Went for a ride up Gold Camp, and came down Cheyenne Canyon, was headed back to the hotel through town and watched this guy just blow through a pair of motorcyclists. Parts and bikes went flying everywhere. One guy walked away. The other guy seemed pretty banged up, but conscious. Guy in the vehicle acted like he did nothing wrong. Stuck around and gave my statement to the police.
4 Likes
If it was the UK and bicyclists no blame would be normal 
If someone was seriously hurt it might be a slap on the wrists
1 Like
Walking through San Francisco and the naked bike ride goes by! Dude on the scooter…that’s just wrong!!
4 Likes
A few decades ago, I passed an opossum playing possum on the side of the road (NE Marine Drive in Portland, OR). It was doing a very convincing job of appearing dead - like roadkill - flattened out with a lot of hair missing. The road crew had added to its ruse by painting the edge stripe over it. This was many years before digital cameras, so I didn’t get a picture.
2 Likes
I rode past this earlier today. A post in the centre of the field and a petrol mower tied by rope to the post, rotating in ever decreasing circles.
Maybe the owners unconscious comment of modern life to the public or simply a way of cutting grass. Equally it could be both of these as I was in the sticks near Southport, UK
18 Likes
Riding on a frontage road parallel to a highway near Ft Hood, TX where I was stationed. Watch the rear panel of a U-haul truck slowly roll up, then a couch leaps out the back. Mini van doing about 60 mph slams into it, couch explodes. I found bits of foam cushion on that route for weeks.
Riding another frontage road along IH35 south of Austin. Watch a guy pulling a U-haul trailer. Obviously did not pack it correctly, as it started to fish tail wildly. He looses control and truck and trailer start doing barrel rolls. This was before the age of cell phones, so I had to drop the bike and scramble down the embankment to get to him. Got him to turn off the ignition and kept him calm and stable until EMS and fire truck arrived.
Had Lance blast past me moto-pacing behind a car one time. I chased briefly in vain. Jerk.
Did the Death Ride in California early 2000’s. Doing about 45 mph on a descent, this small furry creature darts across the road. Almost lost control. Realized it was my first (and only) encounter with a chipmunk.
Had a squirrel dart across/possibly through my front wheel (right to left). Impact causes him to fly into the air. I watch in horrified slow motion as he sommersaults toward my crotch. Unclip left foot and straighten left leg so he misses my meat and two veggies. He drops toward my shin, I kick out and make contact, he flies off to the side. If I’d had a GoPro, I would be internet famous as That Squirrel Guy.
7 Likes
Two deer legs, nothing else just the legs.
3 Likes
I was running along a road in Boone NC and there was a farm coming up on the side of the road. While I was running past a group of horses came up and ran with me for a little bit.
In Arkansas, riding one time in the middle of nowhere (I thought) and suddenly I feel a slap on my butt as a guy in a truck passes me. Had no clue he was even there.
Have had too many close encounters with black bears to count but most recently saw a massive one when I turned a curve on a forest road. Stopped running and waited a bit, then saw something behind the bear and thought, ok, that must be her cub. Nope. Bear #1 was the cub. Massively massive bear behind was Mama. And I felt like a superhero when I finally felt good enough to pass.
6 Likes
1 Like
A couple of weeks ago, I had a bee hit my glasses. I didn’t think much of it until I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I took the glasses off, and sure enough, the bee flew into the vent on the lens and got stuck there. What makes the story even more unusual is this happened less than 5 minutes after evacuating a bee from my helmet. I think I titled my Strava ride “Not today, Bee 
” or something like that, then the next weekend, I had a bee fly into my mouth, and hit my front teeth, causing me to spit it out only for it to leave its stinger in my forearm.
Not my car but I liked the license plate enough to snap a pic.
8 Likes
Something similar happened to me while jogging in the morning in Dallas a few years back. There was 20 feet of lawn between the sidewalk and the road. Suddenly a small pick-up jumps the curb and drives on the grass towards me. I changed direction and ran away and perpendicular to his path. He finally stopped my smashing into a brick wall.
i learned from the paramedics later on that the dude had passed out after a night shift and was off his meds.
2 Likes
Is he trying to kill someone? Parking across a roadway near what sounds like a blind spot, and hanging pitch forks out the back. There doesn’t seem to be any justification for this kind of behavior… Am I missing something?
1 Like
Also, I believe I previously posted in this thread somewhere about encounters with wildlife, which included hitting a squirrel (it lived), running over a snake, and my buddy having a chicken fly out of the brush near the road and make light contact with his helmet.
More recently, I had another squirrel run out in front of me from under a parked car. Tried, but I couldn’t avoid it. Hit it with both front and back wheel…he didn’t make it… 
Suicide squirrels are a real problem. In the car AND on the bike.
Later one evening, but still daylight, middle of Eastern Kentucky in a very well-known “pillhead” area. Crested the top of a hill and came up behind a very slow-moving/weaving truck. While deciding how to handle this development, the truck slowly pulled off into the ditch line. As I went around him (felt super sketchy and already had my pepper spray out hidden in my hand), his window rolled down, he stuck his head out, and really slowly his eyes got wide - “Hey maaaaan, I thought you was a cop pulling me over”. Kudos to Bontrager’s flashing front light, I guess it worked. Other than random alpacas, that’s for sure the oddest thing I’ve seen on a ride.
5 Likes
