In all my years of mountain biking, I have been chased by dogs, crossed paths with a mountain lion, and been blocked by a cow on the trail. But never have I been chased by a turkey.
That all changed last weekend.
While pedaling up a dirt road, I noticed a sound. Not a squeak like my chainring made during the ride. Not a hum like a car or truck. This sounded different. At first I thought my bike had developed a new sound. Then I thought it might be an electric golf cart coming up behind me.
So I turned to look. No golf cart in sight.
Instead, I saw three turkeys sprinting towards me, gaining ground with each odd step.
I did what any startled cyclist does in that situation. I shifted up two gears and pedaled harder.
With a gap opened up, I relaxed slightly until I reached the end of the road. The turkeys continued to follow me around the dead-end, and kept on chasing as I coasted down the hill.
I managed to snap a picture after several attempts on the downhill. Turkeys can catch you much faster than you think.
After turning onto another road with a downhill, I escaped the turkeys. But this road also dead-ended. So I turned around and headed towards home. The turkeys, still in hot pursuit, were happy to see me again. They turned around and tried to chase one more time.
This time I outran them for good and stayed away from dead-end roads.
Have you ever had an encounter with an aggressive turkey? What other unusual animals have you crossed paths with on a ride?
