Have you ever raced with wildlife?
It's hard not race the wildlife when your cycling along and some critter tries to scamper off or fly away, because they always go in the same direction as you. I mean, if I was running away from something huge, ugly and noisy, I'd go off on a tangent or head to some safe trees etc, but no, the wildlife has to go in the same direction as me, therefore in my mind it's a direct "Come at me bro!"
Fishermen hate Herons, but I quite like them. For those who don't know a Heron is a great big grey bird with long legs for wading in water, and a long beak for stabbing at fish. Graceful they're not, but elegant yes, well i think so. They take off with such strength and speed it's hard not to be impressed, and fully grown they can fly along at 25mph easily. So back to my point.. they never fly away from you, they only fly along side you, then just as you think you might get ahead of it, boom, they're gone, one feather up in the air.. Did that bird just give me the .. bird??
Badgers are awesome animals. They're massive, black and white, and fat. When they run it's mostly hilarious as their fatness wobbles from side to side as they leggit along the tow path in front of you. Their tactic is to block you, mocking you with their massive ass.. "Kiss it cyclist!" They cant actually run that fast though so they usually win because I'd have to actually run over it to get past, and frankly I'd come off worse if I did.
I raced a rat today. It wasn't as massively fat like a badger. For a rat it was pretty big. It wasn't elegant like a Heron. It was all wet and looked a bit scraggy.. They get a bad rep rats. I don't know why.. but perhaps It's the fact that in the 14th century they killed an estimated 50 million people. This was about 25% to 60% of the European population, though strictly speaking it wasn't the rats, but rather their fleas delivering fresh Bubonic plague to everyone. I personally don't hold that against them though. I think they're cute and they seem clever little blighters! He was also faster than me..
Another cyclist stopped to check I was alright the other day. I'd just finished fixing a puncture, the first in over 7.5 thousand miles actually, and he set off just as I was tidying up and putting the wheel back on. He was riding a smart looking CX bike, with all the proper gear for riding the distance down the canal every day, so I figured I had no chance to catch up with him.. 5 miles later there he was.. and I was slowly catching him up. So we get to a section of bridge which goes underneath a road, and then up through a little tunnel whereby I lose sight of him.. Seconds later I emerge from the darkness and there he is stopped at the top of the slope. Did I get my victory? No of course not. There's a chap collapsed at the side of the tow path. So I stop and do a bit of first aid and take charge of getting the poor soul an ambulance.. the other cyclist hangs around for a bit but in the end he has to go. No wins for me today!
Well you know what they say? It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I'd miss that if I use the motorbike... though I win the races a lot more often!
