Where the Wild Things Are

Mountain biking in New England is not without its inherent dangers – at any moment you can slip on a root and careen into a rock or impale yourself on a maple syrup spile. Most accidents are rider error though. Very seldom can we blame a broken frame for our tib-fib fractures or exploding shocks for our concussion.

But what about those wild critters that roam our trails? No, not iRide’s Ron Murray. We’re talking about the four-legged beasts – moose, bears, lynx, deer. David Lauzon, president of the Quebec Trails Association, tells a great story of drafting behind three young moose while hooning through the woods in East Hereford. Likewise, MTBVT’s Vince Hempsall narrowly avoided broadsiding an elk once while flying around the corner on a logging road.

Have you had any close encounters with animals while on a mountain bike trail? If so, we’d like to hear about it. Reply below or send an email to info@mtbvt.com and we’ll post them and send some schwag to the person with the best story. In the meantime, check out this video of Evan van der Spuy of Team Jeep South Africa having a close encounter with a hartebeest.