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Cyclists chased by ostrichVideo: Cyclists chased by ostrich
It’s one way to get in some sprint training on a bike ride, though not one we’d necessarily recommend.
Two cyclists got more than they bargained for when an ostrich appeared part way through their ride for a bit part as roadrunner, and commenced chasing them down the hill.
Perhaps it thought Wile E. Coyote was hot on its tail; perhaps it just fancied a run. We may never know as there’s tantalisingly little information about where the footage was shot – Chris Froome reckons it’s in Africa - or what happened afterwards. Either way, it looks like the giant bird lost interest after a while, and ran off the road.
An ostrich is a daunting adversary, however, armed with razor sharp claws and beaks, and with a top speed of 45mph or 72km/h.
Perhaps it's no less scary than being chased by a dog – though a bit more exotic. Here’s a clip you may remember from American Flyers, where Kevin Costner invites ‘Eddie’ along for sprint training.
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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8 comments
You wouldn't believe how well that fit in with Lenny Kravitz singing "are you really going my way?" on my radio just!
Probably an issue with cyclists not paying savannah tax.
Near Cape Town, South Africa:
http://www.channel24.co.za/Viral/watch-video-of-ostrich-chasing-cyclists...
the country is a veritable hotbed of cyclist/animal interactions...
It's likely the bird is the one that's sht scared been sandwiched by 3 strange humans with tight fitting clothes and riding on something that goes 'click click click click'! The guy who appeared last on camera might have done something as the bird didn't do anything to the camera man when it ran pass!
Who needs motivation when you have one of those chasing you!
You might as well give up. If they want to catch you they would. You might be able to keep up with them downhill but they could maintain 30 mph for hours, uphill and down.
They are just about the only animal that can outrun humans over the marathon distance in hot weather.
You don't have to outrun the ostrich, you just have to outrun your friend!
(Anyone watch The Walking Dead and remember Shane and Otis? That would be my approach in such situations)
You might as well give up. If they want to catch you they would. You might be able to keep up with them downhill but they could maintain 30 mph for hours, uphill and down.
They are just about the only animal that can outrun humans over the marathon distance in hot weather.
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Yeah, nah. Ostriches suffer from heat exhaustion very quickly, and most moderately fit humans (via persistence hunting) would be able to run one to ground. (15 years experience dealing with ostriches around the world, and seen many die from heat stress) Like dogs and most other desert animals they only lose heat via panting. They're more the cheetah of the bird world. I have clocked one at 88kph on a digital speedo. I'd be very interested in any relaiable evidence of an ostrich beating a human over marathon distance (in a hot climate pretty much only horses are capable of that.)
Dammit, there's a bloody armchair expert on every forum