Above : Merciless Quik-Draw cartoons
Clearing obstacles is part and parcel of mountain biking. Logs, roots, rocks, mud, drop-offs, fallen tree trunks...are common encounters that with some level of skill, a seasoned mountain biker should be able to overcome. Just ride, walk, push, carry, crawl, endo, and you'll eventually get around, over, under to the other side.
In the Himalayans, things are a little less...predictable! The perils are far from run-of-the-mill.
For instance, I could be riding alone for hours with not a single soul in sight. And all of a sudden, I'm surrounded by a herd of goats being whipped by little sub-teenage shepherds with long sticks! Along comes its larger cousins, the cows, and I feel like I'm gonna be stampeded on! Somehow though, the cows instinctively know to keep their distance.
Unlike a dead log or a hump on the road, animals are moving targets which generally pose a danger if you cross their path! Early on in the race, an Indian biker rammed into a cow on a downhill tarmac! Holy cow (and indeed particularly so in India)! A big bandage over the head and a few chapatis later, he was up and back on the saddle! These Indians are as tough as nails!
Shubhra, a rare Indian female mountain biker, ran into a dog and couldn't recall how she ended up at the finish line...totally dazed! The side effects of a mild concussion I would imagine, poor lass!
We've had our fair share of canine encounters when a dog tried to attack us while we were riding into the night with minimal lights! A fellow Singaporean biker, Adrian heroically tried to fend him off in the dark, but ended up with a damaged rear derailer!
That same evening, news got around that a dog attempted to take a bite out of the Hungarian rider, Adam! It turned out to be a minor scratch, but a jab should ease all fears of his suffering from a Rabies attack.
There was talk of leopards and bears roaming the jungles at night, and warnings were given (and heeded) against wandering too far from camp upon sundown. Candra, an Indian biker who works in the security field, attests to several of his dogs falling prey to leopards!
One would have dismissed these encounters as the luck of the draw incidences, until I saw with my very own eyes a leopard resting by the side of the main mountaineous road leading to our campsite for the night! Only the jeep with the Singaporean girls bore witness to this encounter.
But it didn't take such a ferocious cat to scare the living daylights out of us so-called "tough" mountain bikers! :)
It was day 5 of the 9-day enduro race, and we were on our way from Baghipul to Bahu. I was making good time, riding mostly alone at my own sustainable pace...when I heard a loud "shhhhhh, slow down, slow down".
I looked up and there was the speedy gonzalez curly-haired Hungarian, Balin, motioning me to get off my bike and to be quiet. I could not see what was ahead as the road turned a blind corner, but I did as I was told. I slowly inched closer to have a look, and low and behold, it was a bull with part of his right horn broken off, and the left looked kinda chipped as well.
Above : The poor bull, who in video looked much smaller than I remembered him to be!
My first guess was that the poor bull must have been a victim of a hit-and-run, and rumours later confirmed that a biker hurled his bike at the bull. The bull's blood-shot eyes screamed rage, its horns coated with thick red blood, snout dripping with mucus, and its right front limb indicated that it was preparing to charge, toro style.
Being an animal lover, my first instincts told me not to be afraid and try to calm the animal down. When I looked at Balin and Foo cowering against the side walls of the highly elevated cliff, in a rock-climbing position, something told me that that seemed to be a safer option. So a rock I became, camouflaging myself like the other 2 before me. A chance to test the theory of a bull being colour blind?
Balin and Foo told me they have been stuck there for almost half an hour! Jeez! How on earth are we to get out of this predicament? This ain't something you read about in mountain bike magazines!
Chiku arrives, and without a thought, raises his bike over his shoulder (and head) in an attempt to appear larger than the bull! Nice try, professiore! Is this what they taught you in animal behaviour school? hee hee!
Slowly but surely, the bikers start to pile up on our side of the fence. Rina and Steve join the gang.
Rina : "What are we to do?.......Can you ask the local guy, they would know what to do."
Just then, one of the local guys nonchalantly strides by the side of the bull. The bull rams into his bike! (later, we learnt his wheel was totalled from the impact!)
Rina : "Oh shit!"
Chi continues holding the bike above his head, edging closer...and closer.
Rina : "I'm not going to....eh, Chi don't!"
Ling : thinking quietly to herself "oh dearier me! we're gonna have to bring Chi back in a body bag if he doesn't stop this nonsense at once!" "Chi, don't be stupid!"
Foo : "Your shirt is a red colour...." and continues to mumble something about how red isn't such a smart colour to wear at the moment!
Rina : "Why is he injured? Yeah, we wait for the jeep..."
At this point, Chi smartly places his bike back on solid ground. Good boy! Maybe he was just tired?
Rina : " I'm....I'm....late"....or did she say she was going to wait?
Balin (still clinging to the side of the wall) : "Karen just passed by...the bull...before me...she might have been attacked...when I reached her...the bull, it was like...hooo hoo (imitating bull by making toro motion with arm)...so I stopped everyone..."
Above : Time stood still as we crack our brains on ways to get across the narrow road! To our right is a rock wall, to the left, the edge of a cliff!
Ling : "You can try but be careful"....can't remember what that was in response to....probably a suggestion to dash across once again..."because if he runs...", I shall spare you the gory details!
Above : The bull contemplating the meaning of....humans!
Rina : "Poor cow!..." (cow starts to wag his tail, maybe he's calmed down?)
Just then, Pravat appears and asks what's going on.
Ling : "The bull is injured and he's about to attack"...
Pravat again tries to find a loophole.
Rina : "You can run from the inside...oh please be careful Pravat! Please???"
A few minutes later...
Rina : "I think we go fast...the other side, can go past..."
Above : The hunky Hungarian, Balin, taking the safer (and probably smarter) option...
Balin : "This is a very strong animal...I think it doesn't really worth playing....you already know your choice...maybe I'm very shy but...."
Someone suggests that we throw it some food.
Indian biker : "I ate all my bananas this morning! Does anyone have any....power bar?"
Someone (I forget who) : "Not a good idea. The bull might become stronger!"
Rina pulls out a bag of jelly chewy worms and throws one at the bull! It falls neatly on the ground beside the bull. Of course the bull didn't even flinch!
Some smart alec : "An angry bull.....is not a hungry bull"....hahaha...
Above : The scoreboard : Bikers, 10, bull, 1. It seemed that the bull was either being a real bully, or we're just a bunch of chickens! Boy, do we have a cock and bull story to tell the others!
A few moments later, a jeep arrives...as it was sooner or later bound to! Hurray! Now we can get on with the race! But...errr....what are those guys doing? Oh no! It's the Nat Geo folks, and they're coming out of their jeep in full force with their big guns....except that the only shooting they're doing is pressing the record button! Yikes! *ok, I would have done the same - the opportunistic cameraman*
Above : 2 jeeps arrive to save the day!
After milking the situation for all its worth, they got into the jeep, and we strategically did a run-around-the-jeep Indian tango, which brought most of us from harm's way, except for Rina and Steve, who ran a couple more rounds than most because they were not being attentive! :P
By the time Winnie met the bull, it looked udderly calm and pitiful that she almost gave it a pat on the head! Wouldn't have surprised us if she'd nursed its wounds too!
Should one risk life and limb in such a situation? Why isn't there a chapter in Mountain Biking 101 on what to do when you come face to face with an angry bull? Should we just have grabbed the bull by its horns? Or offered it some of our powerbars as a peace offering?
Believe it or not, I find good answers on a website about.....mushroom picking!
What can I do if a bull charges me?
In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it may stumble upon you. In dire situations like these it is important to keep your head. Your body is producing fight or flight endorphins and neither is acceptable. Remember, a bull will usually leave you alone unless it becomes agitated.
Before a bull charges he will perform a broadside threat; standing or walking sideways to you is its way of showing you how big and powerful it is. At this point you should be directly facing the bull returning it's threat as this sometimes gets the bull to back off. Start backing away slowly but do not run or turn your back to it. Find an exit immediately.
Have you considered your options if the bull does charge? A bull has a longer stride than you and has twice as many legs. If you think you can outrun a 2,200 pound piece of meat coming at you at 33 mph please reconsider. Unless the bull is several multiples away from you of the distance you are from the fence, you may have to face it. Take off an article of clothing such as a hat or a jacket or get a bag of mushrooms or a backpack ready. As the bull nears throw the object as hard as you can to the right or the left in a horizontal fashion. The bull should follow the target away from you. Jump out of the way if you have to.
Don't lie down. While this may work with a horse, you will likely be trampled by a bull.
Don't start running first unless safety is within reach as it is much faster than you are.
Don't run towards the bull. It is unlikely that you will be able to jump over it or clear its horns.
Your best bet at avoiding such a scenario is to just ask the farmer if there are any bulls in the field. A bull raised solitary in a pen and not socialized with the herd from an early age may try to exert it's dominance over humans as it would in the herd. Even an adult bull may have tendencies to challenge humans if is isolated.
by TheShroomHermit
So, remember to heed the advice above, and hope you live to tell the tale! For documentary evidence of this event, click here!
Photos above and video taken by Rina and Steve!
Being an animal lover, my first instincts told me not to be afraid and try to calm the animal down. When I looked at Balin and Foo cowering against the side walls of the highly elevated cliff, in a rock-climbing position, something told me that that seemed to be a safer option. So a rock I became, camouflaging myself like the other 2 before me. A chance to test the theory of a bull being colour blind?
Balin and Foo told me they have been stuck there for almost half an hour! Jeez! How on earth are we to get out of this predicament? This ain't something you read about in mountain bike magazines!
Chiku arrives, and without a thought, raises his bike over his shoulder (and head) in an attempt to appear larger than the bull! Nice try, professiore! Is this what they taught you in animal behaviour school? hee hee!
Slowly but surely, the bikers start to pile up on our side of the fence. Rina and Steve join the gang.
Rina : "What are we to do?.......Can you ask the local guy, they would know what to do."
Just then, one of the local guys nonchalantly strides by the side of the bull. The bull rams into his bike! (later, we learnt his wheel was totalled from the impact!)
Rina : "Oh shit!"
Chi continues holding the bike above his head, edging closer...and closer.
Rina : "I'm not going to....eh, Chi don't!"
Ling : thinking quietly to herself "oh dearier me! we're gonna have to bring Chi back in a body bag if he doesn't stop this nonsense at once!" "Chi, don't be stupid!"
Foo : "Your shirt is a red colour...." and continues to mumble something about how red isn't such a smart colour to wear at the moment!
Rina : "Why is he injured? Yeah, we wait for the jeep..."
At this point, Chi smartly places his bike back on solid ground. Good boy! Maybe he was just tired?
Rina : " I'm....I'm....late"....or did she say she was going to wait?
Balin (still clinging to the side of the wall) : "Karen just passed by...the bull...before me...she might have been attacked...when I reached her...the bull, it was like...hooo hoo (imitating bull by making toro motion with arm)...so I stopped everyone..."
Above : Time stood still as we crack our brains on ways to get across the narrow road! To our right is a rock wall, to the left, the edge of a cliff!Ling : "You can try but be careful"....can't remember what that was in response to....probably a suggestion to dash across once again..."because if he runs...", I shall spare you the gory details!
Above : The bull contemplating the meaning of....humans!Rina : "Poor cow!..." (cow starts to wag his tail, maybe he's calmed down?)
Just then, Pravat appears and asks what's going on.
Ling : "The bull is injured and he's about to attack"...
Pravat again tries to find a loophole.
Rina : "You can run from the inside...oh please be careful Pravat! Please???"
A few minutes later...
Rina : "I think we go fast...the other side, can go past..."
Above : The hunky Hungarian, Balin, taking the safer (and probably smarter) option...Balin : "This is a very strong animal...I think it doesn't really worth playing....you already know your choice...maybe I'm very shy but...."
Someone suggests that we throw it some food.
Indian biker : "I ate all my bananas this morning! Does anyone have any....power bar?"
Someone (I forget who) : "Not a good idea. The bull might become stronger!"
Rina pulls out a bag of jelly chewy worms and throws one at the bull! It falls neatly on the ground beside the bull. Of course the bull didn't even flinch!
Some smart alec : "An angry bull.....is not a hungry bull"....hahaha...
Above : The scoreboard : Bikers, 10, bull, 1. It seemed that the bull was either being a real bully, or we're just a bunch of chickens! Boy, do we have a cock and bull story to tell the others!
A few moments later, a jeep arrives...as it was sooner or later bound to! Hurray! Now we can get on with the race! But...errr....what are those guys doing? Oh no! It's the Nat Geo folks, and they're coming out of their jeep in full force with their big guns....except that the only shooting they're doing is pressing the record button! Yikes! *ok, I would have done the same - the opportunistic cameraman*
Above : 2 jeeps arrive to save the day!
After milking the situation for all its worth, they got into the jeep, and we strategically did a run-around-the-jeep Indian tango, which brought most of us from harm's way, except for Rina and Steve, who ran a couple more rounds than most because they were not being attentive! :P
By the time Winnie met the bull, it looked udderly calm and pitiful that she almost gave it a pat on the head! Wouldn't have surprised us if she'd nursed its wounds too!
Should one risk life and limb in such a situation? Why isn't there a chapter in Mountain Biking 101 on what to do when you come face to face with an angry bull? Should we just have grabbed the bull by its horns? Or offered it some of our powerbars as a peace offering?
Believe it or not, I find good answers on a website about.....mushroom picking!
What can I do if a bull charges me?
In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it may stumble upon you. In dire situations like these it is important to keep your head. Your body is producing fight or flight endorphins and neither is acceptable. Remember, a bull will usually leave you alone unless it becomes agitated.
Before a bull charges he will perform a broadside threat; standing or walking sideways to you is its way of showing you how big and powerful it is. At this point you should be directly facing the bull returning it's threat as this sometimes gets the bull to back off. Start backing away slowly but do not run or turn your back to it. Find an exit immediately.
Have you considered your options if the bull does charge? A bull has a longer stride than you and has twice as many legs. If you think you can outrun a 2,200 pound piece of meat coming at you at 33 mph please reconsider. Unless the bull is several multiples away from you of the distance you are from the fence, you may have to face it. Take off an article of clothing such as a hat or a jacket or get a bag of mushrooms or a backpack ready. As the bull nears throw the object as hard as you can to the right or the left in a horizontal fashion. The bull should follow the target away from you. Jump out of the way if you have to.
Don't lie down. While this may work with a horse, you will likely be trampled by a bull.
Don't start running first unless safety is within reach as it is much faster than you are.
Don't run towards the bull. It is unlikely that you will be able to jump over it or clear its horns.
Your best bet at avoiding such a scenario is to just ask the farmer if there are any bulls in the field. A bull raised solitary in a pen and not socialized with the herd from an early age may try to exert it's dominance over humans as it would in the herd. Even an adult bull may have tendencies to challenge humans if is isolated.
by TheShroomHermit
So, remember to heed the advice above, and hope you live to tell the tale! For documentary evidence of this event, click here!
Photos above and video taken by Rina and Steve!
2 comments:
Wow! Cool pictures, Ling!
'Heard from Dominic about your trip but I didn't know about the... errm, disoriented bull :-P
hey Ben! Nice to hear from ya again! glad you're back.....should meet up one of these days and exchange more stories! :)
by the way, the photos were taken by Rina and Steve...they have all the best shots...and video's theirs too...I just put it together coz they're busy troopers!
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