Suicide squirrels? Tired legs? Pedal on...

It’s September and the squirrels are back on Sacramento’s main bike trail, and most likely yours. They’re ramping up their panic sprints in front of riders, in frenzied pursuit of nuts, or something like that, so they won’t starve during the cold months ahead.

So this seasonal condition of nature makes riding in SAM -- squirrel avoidance mode -- a must. That is, if you want to stay upright on the bike.

On my last ride a few days ago, over the course of 51 miles, I estimate I saw about 25 to 30 squirrels on or near the bike path. Didn’t hit any, but had to do my snake hiss a few times to make them run the other way. I was lucky. The ones I hissed at, ran the other way.

I feel bad for the squirrels. They’re in hyper-mode, scampering around trying to get some food the only way they know how. No cyclist wants to hit ‘em, kill ‘em, crash their bike, incur road rash, broken bones or worse. We riders just want the critters to stay clear of the bike path! Which I’m discovering is a not so fun part of the ride. Because when they’re out, you have to be on squirrel alert at all times. They can and will appear out of nowhere in a flash. The little guys, at least along this trail, which winds through a riverside nature reserve, are lightning quick and can turn on a dime.

Most are oblivious to the danger of bikes or cars in their intended paths. They sit up on their back feet like little prairie dogs on the side of the bike trail, and look right at you. Then, when you get nearest to them, will sometimes suddenly decide to run right toward your front wheel! Whoah, what’re you doing, ya little maniac? Some riders call them suicide squirrels.

Maybe they’re the dumbest of the herd, the little nut jobs that missed the dinner when they were dishing out the brains for car and bike avoidance! Maybe their fatal choices keep the squirrel population in check so the smart live longer and promote more survival brains in the species. You know, the Darwinian way of Nature.

Once I rode behind two riders at a pretty good clip and a squirrel darted in front of them, then suddenly stopped between them. It was a smart recovery move by the little guy, since he froze in the three-foot space between side-by-side riders when they flew by. The thing felt the wind of both bikes, and then knew enough to scramble to the side of the road as I rode by. Couldn’t have been a closer call without anything happening.

But a couple of autumns ago, I couldn’t help running over one darting under my front tire while I leaned into a small descending turn. I flew over the handlebars, skidding to a stop on the pavement courtesy of my ripped up left forearm. I’m sure the poor little thing didn’t make it, but it ran off. I never saw it after I got up with my crashed bike and bloodied arm.

Just this morning driving home through the neighborhood I saw two squirrels running across the street ahead where a van couldn’t avoid running over the second one. The hit shuddered through the unlucky one’s fluffy tail, and the poor little guy was finished.

Even though there are thousands of these little monkeys all over the place, to witness the demise of one getting in the way of a rolling tire, is sad and upsetting.

So other than hiss like a snake at squirrels I see that look ready to make a crazed dash in front of my bike, I do one other thing.

Before I leave on a ride, I just say a few prayers about returning safely, free of mishaps with animals, humans or vehicles. That’s about all I can think of to do.

After that, it’s up to the universe.

Tired legs conditioning

I’ve been working on improving my two-day average speed on two long rides done on consecutive days. After a few back-to-backs, I’ve managed to do so, despite having tired legs on the second day ride. Last week I was going to see what I could do with three long rides on consecutive days, but held off on the third day. There was a forest fire in the region that had mucked up the air pretty badly, so I decided to give the lungs a break. I’m thinking that doing the consecutive long rides really strengthens the legs by working them while they’re a bit fatigued from the day before. It’s also a test of mental toughness. It’s much harder to pedal for a speedy ride or even normal speeds with tired legs than with fresh ones. To do so, you literally have to say, “Shut up legs,” as the great pro rider Jens Voigt has printed as a reminder on his bike. I figure developing a “pedal strong” mindset, tired or not, is a way to break into higher, speedier levels of overall endurance riding. But taking incremental steps to maintain speed is key. If I can get conditioned to do three long rides in three days, it will definitely be a step up in riding fitness.

Speaking of pedaling for speed, here are some interesting tips on pedaling more efficiently. Check it out…

Good to know and think about…

Til next time, always put on a helmet before every ride. And then, it’s your full time job to keep the rubber side down.

Keep it fun and make sure to keep it safe.

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf
His blog of personal essays is at: http://marksmuzings.blogspot.com/