Note to self, try to keep clear of the wildlife. We’ve probably all heard someone recite a disclaimer like, “mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport…”, but this is a bit of a reminder that it isn’t just washing out in a corner or going over the bars after casing a jump that we should keep in mind. We ride in a lot of natural areas where wildlife was there a long time before our favorite trails and knobby tires showed up. It’s good to remember who is in charge out in the woods.
Mountain biker and videographer Davis Souza was riding north of Lake Tahoe, CA when he had a chance encounter with a local bear. Jumping out of the shadows as he bombed down the trail, bike and bear came to a head and tossed Souza over the bars. Luckily both parties walked away mostly unharmed, the bear more quickly than Souza, who took a few moments to grasp what had just happened. And lucky for us Souza was recording it all with a helmet-mounted GoPro. Now he just has to work up the confidence to descend at full tilt again. Check out his footage after the break…
We’ve seen a few cyclists getting taken out by wildlife in recent years. It certainly isn’t an epidemic, probably more just that helmet cams are more and more accessible. A roadie in Suasalito, CA getting taken out by a deer crossing the road is the first that comes to mind. But we’ve also seen a couple of mountain bikers in similar encounters – getting unexpectedly knocked out of the Cape Epic by a young buck, as well as a rider in another South African race who got trounced by an antelope. The take away lesson is probably more that nature is inherently dangerous.
With that in mind, who’s up for a mountain bike ride? I now have one more reason to wear a helmet – to protect against bears.
