#13 - Attacked by a dinosaur

Today I went for a shorter ride. Just over 56 km, to visit a cousin. I’ve been having a little issue with my body. Then skin over my tailbone is a little painful. I’ve put a piece of foam in the seat to avoid further issues. No big problem, just a little discomfort. But it makes for shorter rides at the moment.

On today’s ride, I encountered an unforeseen problem. On a stretch of cycling path in a forest, I noticed a chicken. So naturally, I was cautious. When it didn’t move as I came closer, I rang my bell. The chicken noticed me, and just started staring straight at me. Still in the middle of the path. At the very last moment, I put the AVID BB7’s to a test, and I came to a screeching halt. At the exact same time I hit the brakes, the beast jumped up, kicking its feet in my direction like a ninja hero. It’s wings flapping wildly. Some little feathers flying around. We never hit each other, but it was close. Too close for comfort.
The dinosaur fled into the bushes on the side of the path. As I moved on, a bit further I met a group of pensioners. The shouted: “Did he attack you too? He seems to make a game of it”. So I clearly wasn’t his only victim.

“De Borrekens” castle, Vorselaar, Belgium

The rest of the ride was rather uneventfull. A little too much wind for my likings, but at least it was dry. It was also the test drive for my GARMIN Edge Explore 2 GPS. Since I plan long rides and tours in places I don’t know, I’ll need some sort of GPS to tell me where to go. I must say it makes riding a lot easier. No more looking for signs hidden in overgrowth. No more unexpected turns. I was able to keep my average speed the same as on rides without discomfort or headwind. I believe I would have been slower without the GPS.
Getting closer to my first real tour, one step at a time.