We have FINALLY had consecutive days without rain, which means beautiful weather for biking! I had an unusual encounter last night and again tonight with fearless deer in the stretch of Mass Ave between AU and the Cathedral. The deer are on the sidewalk, very near the road, hanging out, and not looking out for bikers.
There is a lot I am still trying to learn about biking...like how I just finally learned this week how to inflate my own tires! But dealing with deer while on the bike is both awesome and terrifying. I had no idea how to manage the fact that there was an entire family that I couldn't just swerve around...there was one on the sidewalk, one on the right side of the sidewalk and one further ahead on the left side. My first thought was something like "deer in headlights...surprise...frozen...unpredictable." I had no idea how to alert the deer and to prevent one of them from bolting right in front of me. I started blinking my light and ringing my bell, and the deer didn't even look up! I guess that's what happens when you graze every night along a busy street. Then, the one on my left ran across the street and actually just kept running.
There is a lot I am still trying to learn about biking...like how I just finally learned this week how to inflate my own tires! But dealing with deer while on the bike is both awesome and terrifying. I had no idea how to manage the fact that there was an entire family that I couldn't just swerve around...there was one on the sidewalk, one on the right side of the sidewalk and one further ahead on the left side. My first thought was something like "deer in headlights...surprise...frozen...unpredictable." I had no idea how to alert the deer and to prevent one of them from bolting right in front of me. I started blinking my light and ringing my bell, and the deer didn't even look up! I guess that's what happens when you graze every night along a busy street. Then, the one on my left ran across the street and actually just kept running.
Now I'm feeling a bit bad about how I handled the situation. Did I scare the little bugger away unnecessarily? Or was I right to ring all of the alarm bells and lights?
One of the roads I ride home on displays your speed, and I am usually going about 27 mph downhill, so my guess is that I was going about 27 near the deer and started braking hard once I noticed them. I'm not sure what kind of damage that would do in a collision with a deer, but it seems like potential for something bad. I turned to Google for advice, and found out that Matt Lauer dislocated his shoulder in a bicycle accident with a dog a few years ago. So, apparently it happens....
I wasn't concerned about this -- frankly, I hadn't even considered the possibility of danger -- until a yappy little dog actually jumped up near my peddles as I was riding down Connecticut Ave and tried to latch onto my leg a few weeks ago. FREAKY!
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