Funny Goose story from my morning ride.

[BURCH]

My wife and I went out for a morning loop today and made a new friend. We are doing about 24 mph past a little pond which is on our right. This is the only place in our area that we see geese regularly. In fact, I had even mentioned that to my wife the day before.

Anyhow, I am in the lead when out out of no where a goose decides to take flight right in front of me. I have no idea where it came from and it shocked me pretty good. Within a split second, I am deciding whether to hit the brakes, swurve since it is a quiet road at 6:15am, or prepare for impact!

Luckily, the goose manages to get up to 24 mph quickly and starts flapping right in front of me. It was so surreal. I mean this goose is at eye level and only about a couple feet in front of me and flying for his life so that i don't hit him in the backside. This lasts for only a few seconds and then he start pulling away. As soon as I realize that the immediate danger is over, I started to give him encouragement and even motioning with my left arm upward. "UP! YOU CAN DO IT!" I yelled. The whole time I can hear my wife laughing behind me. It was quit funny.

I think that my encourangement did the trick! And I learned that the take off speed of a goose must be around 20-25 mph.

BURCH

[Kevan]

a hawk a couple years ago. Extremely cool experience, remember it like it happened just this morning.

[dave thompson]

Talk about take-off speeds. Several weeks ago my wife and I were riding the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, which in large part is surrounded on both sides by water. We were forced to stop at one point by a rather large turtle, crossing from one side to the other. I'm still trying to calculate its take-off speed yet.

[Kevan]

better than yours.

[Too Tall]

You need to see this film:

A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)
Directed by
Peter Greenaway

[RichMc]

Last week I was on a ride around a loop in my neighborhood. As I rounded a corner a group of free range chickens started running from me on the right side of the road. The biggest of these chickens freaked the most and took off up and left across me but is so intent on me that it didn't see the pickup truck coming at us from the opposite direction. I yelled out "NO!" but POW, the chicken got hit anyway. I braked and looked back to see the chicken wobbling like a drunk on the left side of the road but before I got to the next corner I saw that it was up and seemed OK. Three miles later I had looped back to the same spot and the same thing started happening again. The chickens were all on the right side of the road again and again they started to run. The same damn big chicken took off again and crossed in front of me but luckily this time, no pickup truck. Stupid bird. I liked the goose better. Smarter bird.

[Bradford]

I can't believe you lost a sprint to a goose! :D

Next time you have to get out of the saddle and give it everything you have and pass that bird or all the geese will be laughing at you on your next morning ride. I understand the sportsmanship of giving it encoragement, but come on; a challenge is a challenge, and if the goose wants to throw down, you have to step up.

[BURCH]

You need to see this film:

A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)
Directed by
Peter Greenaway

This plot is different to say the least.

Summary:
"Identical twins Oliver and Oswald Deuce lose their wives in a car crash caused by a white swan. The brothers, who are zoologists, become obsessed with the and decay of animals. They both have a relationship with Alba, the driver of the crashed car, who loses first one leg then the other. When Alba dies, the twins film their own ."

[Too Tall]

Nat exactly the plot...it's the birds man and seemingly random nature of mishaps? Conceptually I do embrace theology of "number your days" Reality bites.

[William]

I can't believe you lost a sprint to a goose! :D

Next time you have to get out of the saddle and give it everything you have and pass that bird or all the geese will be laughing at you on your next morning ride. I understand the sportsmanship of giving it encoragement, but come on; a challenge is a challenge, and if the goose wants to throw down, you have to step up.

I'm with the Bradford here. You should have thrown down! Next time you cruise through their turf they'll be Googling (Goose giggle) at you and giving you the "Tinker Bell" wave.


William ;)

[BumpyintheBurgh]

Two weeks ago as I was finishing my Saturday morning ride, I can upon this scene....Feathers on the highway-Goose down floating in the air-A cyclist crashed on the side of the road-A women looking panic stricken standing by her SUV on the other side of the road.
Fearing the worst, I stopped to offer assistance and try and make sense of the situation.
As the story unfolded, the young cyclist doing 25mph just starting the downslope of a hill encountered a flock of geese who were being shepherd across the road by the woman who had stopped when she came to the geese. Not wanting them to be injured she had gotten out of her SUV and was herding them to the other side when the cyclist came sailing down the hill into the flock. Unfortunately, one slow footed goose got blasted by the cyclist which caused him to wreck. The goose went a tumbling and the frightened women was in a panic.
Upon checking with the rider, he had some road rash, banged up arm, torn up shorts, sore neck but no broken bones. Looked like his bike had only minor damage but he was calling someone to pick him up. The woman was apologizing profusely, offering assistance, anything to help. They exchanged names & numbers and she promised to call later to check in on him.
The poor goose, although injured was in luck. Another woman, who had stopped at the scene just happened to be a wildlife rehabilitator and whisked up the goose and took him away to be recuperated.
So Brian, if you're out there I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that you are already back on the road. And to the goose, a word of advice, stay in your pond.

[97CSI]

The only good goose is the one on the Xmas table. They rank right up there with deer as modern day pest.

[Too Tall]

Aflak

[pale scotsman]

Cool, I could just picture that goose at eye level. When the pale one was a wee lad we lived in a small town in Germany that had a garden area that the townsfolk grew their produce, et al in. They each had their fences and center path that you could walk through to get to the fields, that in turn led to the woods. Frau Schwilling, our neighbor and landlord had her garden there and had geese in her garden to keep people out. Rabid attack geese btw. Her fence had holes big enough for those bastards to put their head through and bite. Me no likey geese ever since...

[cycleman_21]

Last year I was riding at 20+ and a bumblebee cruised up in front of me (no not Dave) and just stayed there for about 5 seconds, those things don't know how to fly straight, cool to watch, but I did not want catch or pass it :no:

RC

[Tom]

I was cresting the last roller on Ridge Road yesterday when my first thought was 'look at all those bikes!' and then 'why are they all wearing brown?' and then as I came over the top I realized it was Ma Turkey and about 15 Little Turkeys running down the road at me until they could duck off into the field. It was kind of neat, when I had no perspective on them and couldn't really tell how big they were or how far they looked exactly like a pace line coming the other way.