Cyclist seriously injured after squirrel gets tangled in spokes – but the poor animal came off worse

Had 2 small finches fly through my front wheel before...didn't harm either...then I had a dog try it on my back wheel...that didn't end well ...for me.....embedded my front chainring into my calf/ankle....then I rode home...a further 15 kms...didn't even notice my shorts had a gaping hole and my arse was showing...oh the humanity...!!!
Then there was the pheasant I startled...that bounced off my helmet...

I've been taken down by a cat and a fox previously... I have fared better against two rabbits, who sadly both died in the respective altercations.

Have hit another cat and stayed upright as well... good times.

Last year I had a near miss when a group of deer hopped out from a hedge to cross the road, metres in front of me. I thought how nice they looked sprinting across the next field until it dawned on me that I had a very lucky escape. I don't think I would of come off lightly if they had hit me. Gulp

In early May I hit a suicidal cat on the way to work at 30mph... Woke up about 40 meters further down the road with blood everywhere and a big headache. Two very sore months off work with a broken arm, two broken fingers and a smashed thumb. When the ambulance crew showed me what was left of my bike helmet I felt a very lucky boy.

Nuts.

I got taken out by a flying deer- it ran in front of a car coming towards me at speed at night on the A36, hit the bonnet then flew straight into me without bouncing. I just saw something big flying at me out of the darkness and initially thought it was the car's front wheel, but got up to find a dead deer lying on my bike. The forks and frame were bent and it took ages to pick the fur out of the chain. This was rural Somerset, so the driver put the deer in the boot and asked me if I wanted any of it!

I am a squirrel drover and cycling should be banned everywhere, immediately.

I am also completely nuts.

I stepped off my bike the other day and squashed a snail. Does that count?

Football fans may remember former Bury manager Alan Knill appeared on TV in a bruised condition a couple of seasons ago after his bike was in collision with a squirrel.

I've noticed several raptors dead on the lanes recently. They look like road kill, but I'm suspicious about the activities of local gamekeepers.

Some years ago I had a squirrel run through my front wheel. Did a couple of revolutions and out the other side. I always felt I was lucky not to have been hurt but I reckon the squirrel was luckier.

Also had a mole run underneath me, right between my wheels. No injuries!

I had the same thing very nearly happen to me just yesterday. Squirrells these days eh?

Only ever had one collision with an animal, a rabbit ran into my front spokes last summer. Luckily for me I managed to stay upright. Unluckily for the rabbit, my spokes were bladed

I ran over a squirrel in June. I felt awful about it. I looked back hoping he was dead but instead he was flopping around in the road. Uggghhhh

I've had close calls with squirrels and early morning rides are bad for deers, although they do seem to have the sense to move out of the way.

I ran over a sheepdog once on my road bike. It came running out the farm's drive straight at me and I hit side on, going straight over it but thankfully staying on my bike.

Bladed spokes. Aero. Clean kill. Get them.

Of course, there's always this nice little run-in with a wild beast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_AyKCzCDYA

I rode over a cat a couple of weeks ago and on the same journey was about an inch away from hitting a squirrel and almost hit a pigeon too. I've seen the cat since and it always runs away now, when it sees me.

Look on YouTube to see my experiences with badgers (cyclist hits badger) . I hate animals that run out at you!

This could be another argument for conserving the red squirrels: they're easier to see against a tarmac background than the grey ones

Was the squirrel wearing a helmet?

I got a close encounter with a wild animal once, slightly larger than a squirrel though. I spooked a horse while descending the Black Mtn in the Brecon Beacons. Dam thing didn't hear me coming untill it was too late. Result, fractured pelvis and a prongled front wheel. Don't know what happened to the horse but it wasn't there when the helicopter took me to hospital, needless to say, my new bike has Hope Hubs they hear me a mile off now

I've been to hospital twice for cycling related injuries.

Most recently a typical shoulder injury, blah blah.

The other occurred in my teens, I saw a squirrel crawling across the road and being an animal lover I picked it up to see if I could aid it, then it sunk its teeth into my finger and bit down to the bone. I got home with blood squrting everwhere, I needed stitches and a tetanus, the nurse found it very amusing. Not sure what happened to the squirrel, assume it went off to train other anti cyclist squirrels its covert ambush secrets.

A grizzly bear, in Montana on this year's Tour Divide. Made my downhill fast as fek!!

my wildlife count so far:
-Partridge
-Jackdaw
-Vole (unconfirmed)
-Various invertebrates ingested, crushed or fragmented.

sorry nature.

I've had a squirrel run across my path between my front and rear wheels before. I was just barely aware of something small moving quickly and then it shot through. It made it across the road unscathed, though it did look like it had surprised itself when I looked back. I think I probably looked like he'd surprised me too.

New Forest 100, 3 years ago, squirrel darts across road straight toward my front wheel. I'm heavily applying my brakes while said squirrel is heavily applying claws to tarmac. Just inches, both spared any collision or injuries. I suspect the squirrel didn't have to file his nails for some time...however the pucker-factor I suffered went to 11. My riding buddy still laughs about it to this day.

New Forest 100, 2 years ago I witnessed a bull run across a road and plough directly into the side of an oncoming cyclist. The rider didn't even see it coming...puts that damn squirrel in perspective!

Have had a close call with a squirrel before too, dashed out in front of me and I think I clipped the tail. No idea if it made it across the road in one piece though...

There was also the case of the oblivious sheep when we descending one of the hills of le tour de Yorkshire in the summer wandering across the road

During a chain gang last summer, a rabbit ran out from the side of the road when we were gunning it and ended up going through the rider in front of me's spokes. Suffice to say it exploded like a fluff bomb, luckily he kept his cool and plowed straight through. It could have been a lot worse. Poor thing met it's end at the sharp edge of Mavic Cosmic Carbone bladed spokes.... I shouldn't imagine it even knew what had happened.