I don't think it was a cow, holy or otherwise.

Wow,freakin wow...

Ouch!

Over the years I raced MTBs on 3 continents - NEVER have I considered doing it in Africa - Reckon my intuition was spot-on!

OUCH is all I can say about this one - That and he's lucky it wasn't a species that has complete control over what's on it's head - i.e.Oryx!

I once asked why folks didn't use ATV's much in Africa (not that I would want them there). The answer was that big cats would think them similar to the pizza delivery man in the states.

Could have been worse is a lion, I reckon.

Yeah, Judge, On my first trip to Zim, I remarked to my PH that these roads would be an absolute hoot to burn-up on my KTM Open-class bike.

He told me of a story of a camp hand that once tried to ride his MC out to camp from Harrare -said the bike was an Elephant call and he quickly abandoned that idea after numerous close encounters!

Did that hartebeeste deliberately take the guy out? Sure looks like it to me.

Dean

I think so. Red Harebeest are one of the few animals which posses the ability to actually think and plan out such a move.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by maki:
Did that hartebeeste deliberately take the guy out? Sure looks like it to me.

Dean

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfr...ff-his-bike-20120821


Link has photo of damaged bike



Zebra knocks cyclist off his bike
2012-08-21 10:33

Mlondi Radebe, The Witness

Pietermaritzburg - From Buck Norris to Racing Stripes.

A 26-year-old man has become the latest mountain biker to have a close encounter with wildlife at Albert Falls Dam.

Wessel Fourie, a firefighter at King Shaka International Airport, laughed when he described the experience he had over the weekend when he was confronted with “Mr Zebra” while cycling in a multi-sport event at Albert Falls outside Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

While riding his bike, he came across two zebras on his path. One just crossed the gravel road in front of him, but the other turned towards him and knocked him to the ground. Luckily, Fourie walked away with little more than a few scratches and bruises, and a dismantled bicycle.

'Zebra Crossing'

He said the experience was “priceless” and thanked God that it was nothing serious.

“It was an experience I will probably never forget. In my imagination I can still see how I literally was rubbing shoulders with Mr Zebra.”

Fourie, who hails from Durban, told The Witness that one of his female friends heard the announcer speaking over the public address system saying that someone had been hit by a zebra. She started laughing, not knowing that it was her friend. “So when I got back to the main venue site and told her it was me, you could imagine the reaction.”

He even earned himself a couple of nicknames from his buddies, like “Racing Stripes” and “Zebra Crossing”.

Msinsi Resort and Game Reserves marketing manager, Ray Naguran, said neither the cyclist nor the zebra were injured.

Last year, 17-year-old Evan van der Spuy was knocked off his bike by a red hartebeest during the Time Freight Express Mountain Bike race at Albert Falls. The video made during the accident was one of the most viewed on YouTube in 2011.

The race organisers declined to comment on the record.


- The Witness

That looked like it hurt