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Likes Bikes
So, yesterday I headed out to Mt Annan to ride the XC track at the Botanical Gardens. I caught a train out to Campbelltown and rode over to my parents place who live in Mt Annan and met up with a mate there. On the way, at Kurrajong Cct (for those who know the area)I started getting swooped by a maggie. This bird was like an attack plane, constantly swooping, hitting my helmet. At one point it was gliding about a meter behind the bike, a foot above the ground before coming in for the kill. This thing chased me all the way to my parents place and didn't stop until I got underneath the verandah. Measuring on Google maps, it's like a kilometer (see here).
Once I got to the safety of inside I attached a bunch of cable ties sticking up to my helmet and my mate and I set off to Mt Annan. Unfortunately we had to go back through the area again and as we were riding through, here was the magpie. I was in front, and my mate started to speed up and just as he got beside me, the bird came in and got him in the helmet. This caused him to swerve into me, our handlebars locked and we were both down on the bitumen. My rear derailleur hanger was bent, as was his, but worst of all his front DT Swiss wheel was mangled beyond repair. So we walked back home feeling pretty ordinary.
A trip to the bike shop later and a straightened rear hanger for me, and I decided to at least salvage something from the day and headed out to Mt Annan track again. This time I went the long way round and avoided the war zone. However, I have got to say that it was my most unenjoyable ride ever, as when I wasn't getting swooped going around the track I was constantly paranoid about being swooped. With so many helmet strikes, I am truly surprised I don't have feather sticking out of my helmet.
After this long story, I wish there was some punchline or other, but the reality is, I'm just totally over magpies.
Once I got to the safety of inside I attached a bunch of cable ties sticking up to my helmet and my mate and I set off to Mt Annan. Unfortunately we had to go back through the area again and as we were riding through, here was the magpie. I was in front, and my mate started to speed up and just as he got beside me, the bird came in and got him in the helmet. This caused him to swerve into me, our handlebars locked and we were both down on the bitumen. My rear derailleur hanger was bent, as was his, but worst of all his front DT Swiss wheel was mangled beyond repair. So we walked back home feeling pretty ordinary.
A trip to the bike shop later and a straightened rear hanger for me, and I decided to at least salvage something from the day and headed out to Mt Annan track again. This time I went the long way round and avoided the war zone. However, I have got to say that it was my most unenjoyable ride ever, as when I wasn't getting swooped going around the track I was constantly paranoid about being swooped. With so many helmet strikes, I am truly surprised I don't have feather sticking out of my helmet.
After this long story, I wish there was some punchline or other, but the reality is, I'm just totally over magpies.