Flies and dogs, two things that we don’t need on a climb.
I had descended down this street many times, but I had never before ridden up it. I even said hello to the two excited pitbulls on the other side of the driveway gate. I like dogs. I like them until one of them squeezes under the gate and I’m going uphill slowly. Pitbulls aren’t the fastest breed out there but they can haul ass when they have incentive. He was under the fence and closing the distance to me in seconds. Yelling and sprinting uphill; this could be a new speciality in the sport of cycling. I can shout curses, commands and climb at the same time, a skill the professionals never show off. He was right next to my rear wheel yet I escaped. The damage to my heart and nerves may last forever.
There was an older pitbull on our Sunday ride route. It always added a frisson as we approached the slight uphill bend. Sometime he was waiting for us, sometimes not. Luckily by the time I joined the rides he was a little more bark than bite and a watery blast from a bidon backed him off. Then he was down to three legs. Last time I saw him he was relaxing on the side of the road, he picked up his head and watched us ride by, and put his head down again. Score one for the cyclists.
It’s always a climb when some dog needs to chase me.
In New Mexico, on a rural highway, two dogs saw me from a house above the road. The dogs flew down into a deep gulch between the road and the house. I shifted up and started Hornering (must add to lexicon) my ass up the long hill, hoping they couldn’t get through the gulch. Please baby jesus don’t let them get through that gulch. They must have had a well worn path through that gulch as they were quickly coming up my side with only a guardrail between them and me. Again, I had just enough time to get body and bike flying before they got under the guardrail. Fuckers.
The bidon squirting is a good method; it surprises dogs completely. But it’s hard to do when gripping the bars tightly and crushing the pedals whilst cursing at beast. Pulling a bidon out and spraying a dog in the face requires one let a dog get his face in spraying distance and I’m not that guy if I can help it.
Having your legs spinning in a blurred motion might be a deterrent for the close-in dog. It’s harder to bite a blur.
Stopping? Who dares to stop and put the bike between shaved leg and dog? No, I’m not that guy either. If there is nothing to chase, they won’t bother you. Really, what single breed of dog is that? Most nasty dogs can’t believe their luck that you stopped; it nearly takes the fun out of it for them. What, I can just bite you now? So you stop and do not get bitten, dog just sits there and dares you to ride off. It is a standoff, hoping the owner eventually comes out to see why his dog is barking? The owner is at work, he should be home by 5:30pm.
I’m a bad sprinter and a bad climber but when chased I can do both at the same time. Maybe I just need a canine coach. It would produce my best hour record on the track; a slavering German Shepard who can run 40 km/hr for an hour. In some damaged atavistic part of my brain I actually appreciate this seemingly life or death sprint. I don’t enjoy it but I appreciate it. In cave days we had a rock or spear to make sure we made it through the day. Now we have a big chainring and ergo-shifters to assure our survival.
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@Gianni it's about the only thing I retained from my timin back seat of F-16s. Speed and energy is everything and its all about the math. It's funny that such higher order thinking that separates the true pilots from plane drivers is so deeply bred into canines. But I guess the ones who couldn't died out eons ago.
The last second turn in is highly effective but not for the weak of heart and requires room to set up because you're bleeding energy heading roadside. Time to go to guns! Seriously, if you dont want your pepper spray in your face buy quality (Kimber) and invest in a second one to practice with. Those importance of practice cannot be overstated.... "You never want to do anything for the first time in combat." Especially when as under armed as you are. BTW.... It also works on rednecks.
One of our dogs freaks out about bikes. Whenever I am riding out or in he barks, raises his back hair, and tries to bite at my shoes. Not super-motivated, maybe he is just scared or playing?
Gianni, you are quite the word wrench. Top marks. Bringing your guns to a dogfight.
Got a Schwinn Varsity for my 16th birthday...a looong time ago. First ride, not 2 miles from home, Mrs. Nadeau's German Shepherd chases me, crosses in front (must have thought I was faster), I broadsided him and went down. Her son came out and punched the dog in the face, I felt bad for the dog. Only damage was handlebar tape unraveled.
While heading out for Sunday rides a couple of years ago, a dog would chase and cross in front of me (maybe I look fast or attract dumb dogs), pissed me off. One time the owner was in the yard. I yelled at him that if I crashed because of his dog, he wouldn't believe how much my bike cost. Never saw the dog again.
@uptitus
Yeah great until you fall of and land on them!! :-D
The last dog that chased me was up a 22%. Man that hurt! The PB stills stands and I secretly which it would do it again but I have never seen it since.
Here in Orstralia we have magpies (birds). Dogs too, but magpies in breeding season will bounce off your helmet 2 or 3 times before you get out of territory. The standard recreational and commuter defence is cable ties on the helmet - pointing upward. You can imagine the consequent conformance problem. There is an unofficial local Rule on this - maybe there should be a proper one.
@Gee Tee
FUCKING MAGPIES
I was hit twice last weekend.
Magpies fly at ~50 km/h, are highly territorial and are very aggressive. The fact they FLY makes them harder to defend against than dogs - the bidon defence is impossible, and all you can do is run.
Plus they often attack on main roads, so you can't try to escape by dodging.
I've never resorted to the cable ties thing, but I did see a guy with ping-pong balls on the end of cable ties a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what that does to magpies, but it made me nearly fall off my bike.
@Gianni
Bit like stopping to put the Nike's on whilst you and your mate are being chased by a hungry Lion on your African Safari, Mate asks "why are you putting your running shoes on? You wont outrun the lion !" You reply "I know, I only have to outrun you !"
I hate it when I get chased, but get a kick looking at the heart rate data post ride...
@The Grande Fondue
Exactly, Robbie McEwen recently tweeted that he would rather be injured by a Magpie attack than resort to zip ties on the helmet. I tend to agree, but after the fact, not sure I agree during the attack, they are vicious little bastards. They have everything at their disposal, flight, speed, surprise and a fkn sharp long beak. You know the shits about to hit the fan when they leave the ground and fly up to a electricity pole and start scraping their beak along it, as if to say " Do you feel lucky punk, well do ya ?"