Dale
Posts:1767
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| 06/03/2015 07:20 AM |
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A buddy and I were going 30+ mph downhill on gravel road a couple days ago. A dog ran out missed me but my buddy nailed the dog square on.
I looked back just at the point of impact-- dog, bike, and buddy all in an explosion. The bike was snapped in half and his helmet was crushed. He was lying in a heap in the middle of the road moaning a lot but appeared to have not been KO'd. Plenty of impact damage and somewhere the Rapha fairy is crying over a shredded jersey and bibs.
We were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the afternoon and the place from where the dog shot out had nobody home. I called another cycling buddy who came and picked us up. An ambulance was not needed for this wreck and I knew we'd get to the hospital quicker via car than an ambulance dispatch.
No broken bones, CAT scan showed clean, loads of bruises and some missing skin but he'll ride again.
I'm considering ICEDot now, but will continue to ride with a phone.
I hate county dogs and their stupid owners. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 06/03/2015 08:30 AM |
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| Besides deer and squirrels, dogs are my greatest fear when riding. Aside from getting bitten, I finally ended up hitting one in 2011. Broke my elbow, off bike for eight weeks. I guess I could call myself lucky, as it was a neighbors dog, right across the street. Dogs can come out of nowhere, are amazingly fast, and not all dogs bark to give you a heads up..... |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 06/03/2015 08:57 AM |
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Dale -
Good to hear he is going to be okay.
How was the dog?
There is so much that I dislike about cellphones, but as far as their practical use - you would have to be an idiot not to ride with one...
In your GD jersey pocket - and not hooked up to your ear(s)
; ) |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 06/03/2015 11:47 AM |
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Everything that Huck said.
My cel phone gets used for work while riding; Mt Seymour has de facto become the Friday office. Ride up 12.5k; eat banana and answer emails, check messages. Ride down. Repeat. I get a lot of work done at 1000m elev :-)
Scariest dog by a stretch still is the German sheppard in Mennonite country, ON. Came rushing full speed across field from a farm a mile away. No sound, just determination to hunt. Full speed sprint needed to avoid the beast. Happened half a dozen times, then we abandoned the route. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 06/03/2015 12:01 PM |
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Being self-employed there are a few times when I've checked to see who called to see if it's something I need to attend to but mostly it's there for emergencies and mapping. I don't ever listen to music-- nothing's plugged into my ears when I'm riding.
A couple guys I ride with have *ahem* trained a few dogs to not pursue.
On one route my daughter and I were always chased by a dog. Being close to 4th of July we bought a bunch of snap-and-pops to take with us. When the dog was hot on our heels she jettisoned a fist-full of them and they landed right in front of the dog. We never had issues there after that. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 06/03/2015 12:31 PM |
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How was the dog? They have feelings, too! 
Tell your buddy to heal fast and heal well....bummer about the bike. Were you guys able to determine who the dog owner is? |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 06/03/2015 01:13 PM |
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Yes, but they are denying responsibility. The dog shot out of the only driveway in 200 yards and ran back up the driveway after the wreck and was there when I went back two hours later. We contacted the owner and the guy said we're trying to scam him. Yeah... we faked the whole thing.
240# + bike nailing the dog at 30mph (verified by Strava) did not make the dog feel very good but he came out better than my buddy. The dog was definitely walking a bit out of kilter. |
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 06/03/2015 03:30 PM |
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| Sorry to hear about your friend and his bike. I hope he heals quickly. Dogs scare the sh!t out of me. I have had a couple lunge at me on the trail. I haven't been impacted or bit yet. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 06/03/2015 04:38 PM |
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| Years and years ago, I used to ride by this house that was a hill that had a couple of big dogs in a dog run that barked like crazy every time I rode by. Well, this went on for about a year. One day low and behold, one of the dogs was out running around loose. It was a huge, massive mutt, half rottweiler and half german shepard (or something like that). It took off after me and I sprinted like an S.O.B. thinking "I'm dead meat". I got about 100 yards down the road and he stopped chasing me. Needless to say, I no longer bark at dogs.... |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 06/03/2015 07:17 PM |
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oh Snap.
Glad your friend will be OK. That's a GD shame what happened to him.
Read on if you want another perspective on this sad story and all it implies:
I ride more in the woods now than on the road. I may hit a tree or get Lyme Disease or Babesiosis from some friggin' tick I missed and rue it for the rest of my life.
Or die on my motorcycle by hitting a deer that came out of nowhere.
But the kids are raised, bills are paid, and my beloved wife will be OK. I'll take my chances and be alive while I'm alive.
Best wishes to your injured friend.
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Inferno7
Posts:344
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| 06/03/2015 08:37 PM |
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| Hope all are ok |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 06/03/2015 08:57 PM |
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He's plenty sore but is still able to use the internet to research bikes
I suspect he'll be riding after he regrows some skin
A couple pics of the damage---
 [/URL]
 [/URL] |
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smokey52
Posts:493
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| 06/03/2015 08:58 PM |
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woof
Two dog stories:
1. On an MS ride in upstate NY, a dog roped to the porch pillar broke the pillar and chased a rider. The broken post was still on his rope. The rider was my daughter, and she escaped.
2. On another MS ride in central NY, a dog came at us. I almost fell off the bike dismounting on the "other" side to keep the bike between me and the beast. I have practiced wrong side dismount periodically since.
In both events: happy ending, no bites.
smokey |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 06/03/2015 09:57 PM |
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Wow, Dale.
That's a serious explosion of materials. |
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DonnaMobile
Posts:71
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| 06/04/2015 03:57 AM |
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If the dog owner is denying that his dog is the culprit, then the next step might be to have the bike analyzed for evidence of the dog, such as hair, or other residue of of some sort, which could be DNA matched. Seriously! I would go to great lengths to prove it was his dog and make him pay, especially after he showed the attitude he did.
I have had plenty dog encounters myself (and been bitten three times). The best instant karma one was when a dog on the other side of the street started running across it to chase me, just as a big black pickup truck was coming along. The dog got dragged under the truck, which stopped, backed up, and then drove off, leaving an indescribable pile of skin, bone, and innards--a freakish and incredible sight.
Here in Italy we have not only dogs (though most are behind fences) and deer, but feral hogs, which have caused many auto accidents, and last year a bear was prowling the Asiago Plateau and feasting on livestock. I feared a scenario in which I was descending some little road and suddenly found a bear blocking my way. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 06/04/2015 10:40 AM |
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| Thanks, Donna - I think I could have done without the instant karma story ; ) |
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LouM
Posts:28
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| 06/04/2015 12:29 PM |
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Can he possibly use his Strava data to show location in addition to DMo's suggestion?
Lou.. |
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vtguy
Posts:298
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| 06/04/2015 02:51 PM |
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Glad your friend wasn't more seriously hurt.
Zoot -- I hit a squirrel last week. Thank god I was on my mt. bike. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 06/04/2015 04:33 PM |
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That is a ton of damage. And his helmet looks to be as old as mine...antique :-)
Back in Santa Cruz days a friend hit a skunk ripping down the hill from campus at night. It stunk for a really long time. All the research papers he had borrowed from his supervisor had to be destroyed. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 06/04/2015 10:44 PM |
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I've got my Strava data that shows the location, speed and time stopped. His attorney contacted the homeowners insurance company and they've seen the light.
I know you guys and gals don't know him but your concern and well wishes are pretty cool. Much appreciated. |
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 06/05/2015 08:07 AM |
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Huck: Guilty as charged. I almost always listen to music on my phone when I ride. However, it's at a volume that I can hear car engines, people talking on the bike path, etc.
And on dogs. I love pets. I have three dogs. However, not all dogs are so nice. I've been lucky in that a shout or a water bottle squirt is enough to get some distance. Also, I think where I ride, there aren't many loose dogs. Once though, a dog did get a chomp on a slow hill. Luckily with today's shoes, he got a mouth full of hard plastic Sidi Genius heal cup, and let go looking very confused. LOL.
N |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 06/05/2015 07:12 PM |
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Italian cuisine is just not for everyone (everydog). No accounting for taste.
Or maybe it's because so much Sidi stuff is made in Bulgaria or whatever now, the discerning dog knew it was not up to par. |
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thinline
Posts:323
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| 06/08/2015 08:26 AM |
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Donna,
I was on a ride a few years back that went form one Harpoon brewery (Boston, MA) to their other brewery in Vermont. About 90 miles in there is a climb of about 4 miles so we're taking our time as we still have a ways to go. I'm about 100 yards ahead of my buddy and a black bear ambles into the road. Being from Vermont, I know bears are afraid of people . . . most of the time . . . so I figure he'll bolt back into the woods. Nope, stares straight at me and just stops in his tracks. I, of course, turned around to keep my friend that was behind me company. By that time, another rider had joined him so there were three of us. We started yelling as we (slowly) rode up the hill. The bear thought better of it and ambled across the rest of the way and into the woods. That was my second bear encounter while cycling. The first, also while climbing a long hill, went as it should. The poor bear was more startled than I was and he boogied out of there I hardly realized what was happening until it was over. |
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 06/08/2015 12:46 PM |
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Never encountered a bear, but a bob cat. Was riding up a steep winding paved road that dead ends at a trail head. It was fall, so there weren't a lot of people using the area. All of a sudden I'm several feet from it, going about 4 mph. That pregnant pause was us both looking at each other, him scooting away, and me be surprised to see it, excited, then scared. Overall a net positive. :-)
N |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 06/08/2015 01:46 PM |
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I've seen quite a few bobcats on my rides here in Marin and up in Washington. Very cool!
When I lived in LA, I would ride early on Sunday mornings because everyone was still hungover and sleeping. It was great - as I would ride up to via Mulholland various routes, and about halfway up Benedict Canyon I had a bobcat run right across the front of my bike - with breakfast in its jaws, a dead bunny rabbit. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 06/09/2015 12:48 AM |
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| Thinline, I see bears on the Blue Ridge Parkway from time to time. Usually super shy, but sometimes not so much. One pretty good sized male sauntering diagonally across the pavement gave me a look that said "F you. I'll move on when I feel like it." So I waited until he did. |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 06/17/2015 04:15 PM |
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| holy crap Dale, that bike is hammered, glad he's OK for the most part |
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