A bit of drama on today's ride. I normally set out in the morning, but there was heavy fog and temps in the single digits C, I knew it would fine up to a clear day and temps in the mid teens, so went for my morning walk around the lake...and got tangled up in the half marathon. Obviously not a fun run, the faces of the runners were screwed up in horrible grimaces as if they were being tortured by some unseen demon. Whatever.
I just want to test a tyre before I put a new one on this week, the TW302 on there is old, and the wrong size, a 50/50 tyre, I'll be going to a 80/20....a test of traction on gravel roads. I cut across gravel roads to sealed back roads, on one road there are cattle on the road...3 young steers that get out of my way, and later a bull who gives me a I want to kill you look, but stays where he is. As I come back onto a sealed road and head towards more gravel, I see a horse running down the road ahead. Horses are really unpredictable, and I'm not looking forward to getting past him. I come around a corner and there he is ahead, his cover has come off and is tangled in his legs, and he's in a panic.
So I stop...and in perfect timing a horse truck coming the other way stops, a woman and a couple of girls get out and spread across the road hands up to stop the horse....about 100 metres between us. The horse stops, looking at them, and back at me, and then heads my way. He's trips up in his cover, goes down on the road, gets up and crashes a couple of more times....going back to the truck, and then back to me. I get off the bike and stand in the road to stop him. I'm thinking...is this really what you want to do, stop a horse in a panic with your bare hands ? I leave my helmet on, I might need it. He comes up to me, as I block him as he tries to go either side....he's gashed up, blood over his eyes and shoulders where he's hit the ground, sweating, [censored] himself in fear. He comes right up to me, sniffing me, and I stroke his chin, muttering sweet nothings, and I try to get his cover out of his legs...as I free one foot, he puts the next one on it. The woman has now come up behind him with a lead, which she manages to put on him, she gets him calmed down, and gets the cover off him, and then one of the girls walks away with him. It's not their horse, but now some locals are walking down the road, having seen the drama playing out.
I hope the talk later isn't about the noisy motorcycle chasing a horse down the road. No one talked to me, offered thanks for my part...I just got on my bike and carried on.
I just want to test a tyre before I put a new one on this week, the TW302 on there is old, and the wrong size, a 50/50 tyre, I'll be going to a 80/20....a test of traction on gravel roads. I cut across gravel roads to sealed back roads, on one road there are cattle on the road...3 young steers that get out of my way, and later a bull who gives me a I want to kill you look, but stays where he is. As I come back onto a sealed road and head towards more gravel, I see a horse running down the road ahead. Horses are really unpredictable, and I'm not looking forward to getting past him. I come around a corner and there he is ahead, his cover has come off and is tangled in his legs, and he's in a panic.
So I stop...and in perfect timing a horse truck coming the other way stops, a woman and a couple of girls get out and spread across the road hands up to stop the horse....about 100 metres between us. The horse stops, looking at them, and back at me, and then heads my way. He's trips up in his cover, goes down on the road, gets up and crashes a couple of more times....going back to the truck, and then back to me. I get off the bike and stand in the road to stop him. I'm thinking...is this really what you want to do, stop a horse in a panic with your bare hands ? I leave my helmet on, I might need it. He comes up to me, as I block him as he tries to go either side....he's gashed up, blood over his eyes and shoulders where he's hit the ground, sweating, [censored] himself in fear. He comes right up to me, sniffing me, and I stroke his chin, muttering sweet nothings, and I try to get his cover out of his legs...as I free one foot, he puts the next one on it. The woman has now come up behind him with a lead, which she manages to put on him, she gets him calmed down, and gets the cover off him, and then one of the girls walks away with him. It's not their horse, but now some locals are walking down the road, having seen the drama playing out.
I hope the talk later isn't about the noisy motorcycle chasing a horse down the road. No one talked to me, offered thanks for my part...I just got on my bike and carried on.
