Impact was eminent. After yelling NO! the small white dog only slowed a touch then resumed full sprint for my front wheel.
In a split second I abandoned my full braking and leaned back to brace for the hit.
That small toothy beast came out a me like fur covered rocket. I was in a solid endurance clip down a mountain valley doing 25 and stopping would have taken 3 seconds more than I had.
I rolled over the dog’s back but since I was still on the brakes a white puff of fur poped up from the squeeling animal like a torn down pillow. I was sure I was going to crash and more sure that this dog back would be broken.
Somehow I kept upright and heard the dogs claws scamper across the concrete. As I came to a halt I saw out of the corner of my eye the dog was moving fast.
I looked back to see the mangled bloody pooch whrithing like a worm that had been cut in two. But as I scanned back expecting major damage from the altercation I was amazed the dog had not so much as a limp. I circled back feeling that I better notify the owner of what had happened since I did catch air from this little dog and he might have some injury. Not surprisingly he didn’t not come over for me to check him out, he stood there composed and calm. Guessed he's ok.
I resumed my ride north towards a small Ski Resort called Bryce. As I rode I tried to make sense of what just happened. Or better yet what could have, it reminds me of the story when Paul hit the deer on Reeds gap doing 60.. Not so good, or when Mike Carpenter hit the Bear mach ing down Dowels draft. Perhaps it was the soft 75 psi touring tires that are 32c. Or perhaps the split second instinct to lighten the front wheel as I have done 100,000 times for logs or rocks that sometimes pop into view in .1 second. What ever the reason I finished the year with a close call and dog… he got lucky I wasn’t just a little heavier or not used to running things over.
Rest of the ride was not as exciting, but it was long and found some new roads deep in the small forested nest of mountains that makes up a maze of dirt road divided by Supine Lick Ridge. As is common for me this exploration had me finding myself pretty far from home with not enough gas in the tank. Mostly since I did not ride in the last week I met up a the toothy part of a what happens when you ambition and your ability are at odds. bad day for my legs everything ached as I struggled to turn the pedals, endurance wattage was out of the question, I thought I was getting sick I was riding so slow and the last few 1k hills looked like a dreaded blacked mountain slopes.
I just took it in stride, and worked to the tops of one hill at a time besides compaired to what could have happened I’ll take it as a good day for a bad day.
This is what the perp looked like. Don't be fooled he is a made of steel!
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