Startling moments on the trails

stirk

Burner
I've had a few moments while out riding that have startled either me or someone or something else.

The high engagement hubs thread made me think of a time when I startled a guy riding some single track which is tight with next to no room for overtaking, the oaks single track for those who know it. I or my bike must ride quietly as this guy I rode up to didn't realise I was behind him until I freewheeled my Hope hub which then went Buzzzzzzz. The noise made him freak out and he wobbled and almost ran into a tree. I apologised for startling him, we laughed and rode on.

Another time I was riding with some mates down some fast fire trail, Bee Nest Hill, and when we arrived at the very bottom of the hill we came across a lady with an exposed bottom! She was startled while relieving herself, must have had to finish up quickly!, and ran form the bushes red faced and sorting herself out while a few of her companions were laughing and joking with us about the embarassing event. Fun times indeed.

Another time while riding sweet single track, again very tight with shrubs whipping you as you ride along, a shrub's branch got wedged between my right index finger, which was resting on the front brake lever ready to slam them on if 'SNAKE', and the lever itself which instantly made the brake almost lock up and flick me into the bushes, I survived unscathed but startled and never have a finger on the brake lever in tight bushy single track anymore.

What startling moments have you had out there?
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
You know those times when a stick looks like a snake, then you realise it is a stick and go to bunny hop it, but while you're in the air...you realise you're bunny hopping a snake? I've done that more times than I'd like to!
 

stirk

Burner
You know those times when a stick looks like a snake, then you realise it is a stick and go to bunny hop it, but while you're in the air...you realise you're bunny hopping a snake? I've done that more times than I'd like to!
I'm ashamed to admit how many sticks I think are snakes and snakes that I think are sticks!! Thankfully I think we are just as startled as each other and freak out in the opposite direction!
 

golden path

Banned
Early one morning after a night of tossing and turning in the heat, I got just on dawn and decided to go for an early ride.

I'm buzzing along on the dirt, and I see this figure up ahead, briefly and think "There's something not right with that person"and the figure jumps behind an impossibly skinny tree.

As I drew closer it turned out to be a bloke in maybe his late 50's, with just a pair of those light running shorts on, and sneakers.

I then realised when I first saw him that he'd been naked, and had tried to go behind the skinny tree to put his shorts on. Protruding pot gut and all.

Typical of my luck, it's a fat bloke walking naked, not some gorgeous 19 year old girl.



Another day, actually not far from the same location I'm getting ready to get wound up down a moderate dirt road downhill, when I see two chicks on horses coming towards me.

So I slowed right down and moved right out wide - like, to a walking pace so's to not startle the horses. Well one of the horses must have been zoned out and not even seen me, because as I drew level it seemed to just notice me, got a fright and reared right up, flinging the chick off it against a tree and she hit the deck with a meaty THUD.

"Fuck, I'm sorry!" I said, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. "Sssallright...." she managed to sort of rasp, semi winded and trying to get hold of the stupid bloody animal.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Best to constantly talk when approaching horses. Say whatever, even if it's complete nonsense and don't stop until the horse acknowledges your presence. Works a treat and the riders appreciate it.

Startling things for me are magpies, or even other birds going at you like magpies. Little fuckers are tiny but geez they pack some startle.
 

cogs19

Likes Bikes
I made a post about this when it happened - but it's no less startling 16 months on.

I just rode the trail down from the yarra boulevard to under the johnson street bridge (directly across the river from the Children's farm). I got off the bike and picked it up to walk up the stairs and promptly stood on something squishy. I looked down and automatically thought I was on discarded inner tube. Nope, it was a tiger snake. Jumped off it quick-smart expecting it must be dead. Nope, it's very much alive. It slithered off into the yarra. Still can't work out why I wasn't bitten.

I step carefully through that section every time now.
 

rangersac

Medically diagnosed OMS
There's a section of trail that our riding group affectionately refers to as 'Suck, Blow Mountain'. One of our guys inadvertently stumbled upon a couple of gentlemen in flagrante when walking back to the trail head after a mechanical...
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
I made a post about this when it happened - but it's no less startling 16 months on.

I just rode the trail down from the yarra boulevard to under the johnson street bridge (directly across the river from the Children's farm). I got off the bike and picked it up to walk up the stairs and promptly stood on something squishy. I looked down and automatically thought I was on discarded inner tube. Nope, it was a tiger snake. Jumped off it quick-smart expecting it must be dead. Nope, it's very much alive. It slithered off into the yarra. Still can't work out why I wasn't bitten.

I step carefully through that section every time now.
Crickey!

received_753606031487776.jpg
 

Comic Book Guy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A pale white arse bouncing up and down in the back seat of a car. As I got closer I discovered why the arse was bouncing up and down. Oh and did I mention he advised in a loud voice that it would all be over soon.

And I am very sure they didn't even notice me pass by.

CBG.
 
Last edited:

agentninety3

Likes Dirt
I quite regularly get startled, especially at events because I'm the unfit bugger lost in his own world trying to get up the hill. Then some bloke with stealthy hubs zooms past and scares the crap out me.

Then the other day I was riding past a bit of bark on the side of the trail, minding my own business. As I get within a metre or so the god-damned bark gets up, hisses at me and sprints off into the bush. Fucking goannas.
 

wavike

Likes Dirt
Had a few, 1. coming down a rain forest fire road at 30klm and a hanging vine grabbed my handlebar - stayed on just. Luckly it was thin and broke.
2. There was a BIG python in Nerang forest saw it a few times a while back. Riding along a trail one day and notice it's head half way across the trail. It's head was massive, no time to stop or attempt bunny hop. Just managed to go around it half expecting it to lunge onto my leg but left me alone.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
You know those times when a stick looks like a snake, then you realise it is a stick and go to bunny hop it, but while you're in the air...you realise you're bunny hopping a snake? I've done that more times than I'd like to!
Hell yeah...
 

ChrisJC

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Anyone who regularly rides Menai would have encountered some rather large Goanna's which regularly race across the track in front of you or up a tree beside you. Coming down one of the faster sections there are a series of steps which you can get some air off. I realised just as I was about to touch down there was a Goanna sitting on the track. I landed about a foot away from him and thankfully it took off away from the bike rather than into it!
 

hakka

Likes Dirt
Coming home form a night ride last year, I take a shortcut through one of the local cricket grounds. As I go around the back of the clubrooms there's a rather large woman with her pants around her ankles backing out one of the biggest turds I have ever seen.

I have 4500 lumens aimed right at her and light her up like it was the middle of the day. She freaks out, screams and starts running while trying to pull her pants up, that didn't work out to well and she faceplants into the dirt.

A group of her friends were having some beers not far away and were laughing their heads off at the whole thing.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Riding to Lysterfield one night, on the track beside Hallam North Rd, at the scenic lookout under the powerlines, 50m further up the track there is a smoking hot chick answering the call of nature in the middle of the track. She also got lit up with 4500lumens and she wasn't able to cut the flow but sure had a mouth on her.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Coming home form a night ride last year, I take a shortcut through one of the local cricket grounds. As I go around the back of the clubrooms there's a rather large woman with her pants around her ankles backing out one of the biggest turds I have ever seen.

I have 4500 lumens aimed right at her and light her up like it was the middle of the day. She freaks out, screams and starts running while trying to pull her pants up, that didn't work out to well and she faceplants into the dirt.

A group of her friends were having some beers not far away and were laughing their heads off at the whole thing.
Riding to Lysterfield one night, on the track beside Hallam North Rd, at the scenic lookout under the powerlines, 50m further up the track there is a smoking hot chick answering the call of nature in the middle of the track. She also got lit up with 4500lumens and she wasn't able to cut the flow but sure had a mouth on her.
Somehow you guys are the wierdos in these situations.
 

LPG

likes thicc birds
A few years ago now I was riding back home along a firetrail. I saw a log up ahead and was perplexed as to why I didn't remember the log on the way out. Then I was mesmerised by the impressive scaley pattern on the log with the green and yellow patterns on it like a snake. In my mind it seemed like a full 10 seconds of being mesmerised by what I had identified as a snake like pattern before I connected the dots and realised that the snake like pattern was in fact a 3.5m python that was basking in the sun across the track. By that point it was much too late to stop or swerve and I managed to just hop over the thing. I stopped a bit further and it was still across the track aside from it's eye's watching me. He slithered off a bit later.

A couple months ago I hopped over a brown snake. I'm pretty good at spotting the snakes on the track and giving them space but this one came flying out of the long grass and crossed the track just ahead of me. All I could do was hop as high as I could and hope for the best. I didn't see it arc up and I cleared it by quite a bit thanks to the dropper being down.

Had a 15 minute stand off with a big male brown snake 18 months ago. I interrupted 2 male brown snakes fighting to mate with a nearby female. I watched for 5 minutes before stomping about 8 metres away from them. One took off into the brush but the other came towards me. More people came and this Brown snake stood it's ground for about 10-15 minutes and even charged as many as 8 people arcing up and hissing showing he meant business. Eventually he made his way off into the bushes after being chased by an idiot with their bike overhead on the second attempt. The first attempt the snake called his bluff and charged right back at him. Noone was hurt in this case but you really shouldn't play chicken with a territorial brown snake.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Coming home form a night ride last year, I take a shortcut through one of the local cricket grounds. As I go around the back of the clubrooms there's a rather large woman with her pants around her ankles backing out one of the biggest turds I have ever seen.

I have 4500 lumens aimed right at her and light her up like it was the middle of the day. She freaks out, screams and starts running while trying to pull her pants up, that didn't work out to well and she faceplants into the dirt.

A group of her friends were having some beers not far away and were laughing their heads off at the whole thing.
Was reading this on the train, trying to muffle my laugh and failing dismally, attracting a lot of attention. This is in the wrong thread. Belongs in the 'Laugh and you lose' thread.
 
Climbing up some singletrack in Jasper, Canadian Rockies. Round a blind corner to see a huge black bear heading my way only 5m in front. We both stop, I'm ready to turn off the track and bomb straight down the side of the hill if he takes one more step. Thankfully he's more scared than I am and does exactly that. Luckily it wasn't a grizzly but this was a big black bear, probably around 6ft if he stood up.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Noone was hurt in this case but you really shouldn't play chicken with a territorial brown snake.
Don't you mean a horny brown snake? I doubt the turf interested him that much.

Climbing up some singletrack in Jasper, Canadian Rockies. Round a blind corner to see a huge black bear heading my way only 5m in front. We both stop, I'm ready to turn off the track and bomb straight down the side of the hill if he takes one more step. Thankfully he's more scared than I am and does exactly that. Luckily it wasn't a grizzly but this was a big black bear, probably around 6ft if he stood up.
In the Japanese Alps there is a mystical beast...lovingly known as the beardogpiggoat by uninformed visitors. I've come across them a few times and from the right angle they look just like a small shaggy bear wandering in the snow. This year I cut in behind a tree and came about 1-1.5m from the butt end as it was head down in a hole. Scared me real good! They are actually some kind of antelope.

Happy to have not.come across a bear, grizzly black brown drop or otherwise.
 
Top