Kangaroos and cycling

Simply slow down or stop, they are large and powerful animals, they can change there course of direction very quickly. Don't shout or scream, the males can become aggressive. Just keep your distance and you'll be right.

Makes me "homesick" for Ainslie, where I lived for 18 months recently. The roos were always just scrounging for food and pretty shy 🙂

[quote="thomas_cho"]Went for a ride this morning, and was riding up Mt Ainslie, when I saw a group of roos.

I rode past and nothing happened.

[font=Comic Sans MS]Come'on guys take those camera's along and get some pics for us who only see roo's in zoo's.[/font]

I recently rode to Corin Dam which is a fairly isolated spot out from Canberra & if you want a good climb put it on your ride calendar. Anyway back to roos, I past a few grazing at the roadside, some just looked & stayed put, others scampered away. It did cross my mind though [as it does when driving a car in these areas] to be at the ready in case one jumps out in front of you. It was mainly on the fast descents that I was rather anxious re a collision with one.

As for one attacking you, well I have no idea really, although I would think highly unlikely.

[quote="HowardSteele"]

thomas_cho said:

Went for a ride this morning, and was riding up Mt Ainslie, when I saw a group of roos.

I rode past and nothing happened.

[font=Comic Sans MS]Come'on guys take those camera's along and get some pics for us who only see roo's in zoo's.[/font]

I would thing the chances of being attacked by a kangaroo are pretty slim - these are Eastern Greys we're talking about, they are actually quite a small animal and not a particularly aggressive one at that. The famous "boxing kangaroo" is in fact the Western Red, which is a much larger animal.

The biggest problem you would have with kangaroos is, as Albert50 says, if one suddenly jumps out on the road in front of you. These are wild animals we are talking about, they can be easily startled and their "escape route" may well take them directly into your path.

Bottom line, you should be careful passing kangaroos because it is not always easy to predict in which direction they will head when scared, but as for being knocked over by one - only if you get in its way while it is trying to run away.

Albert 50 said:

I recently rode to Corin Dam which is a fairly isolated spot out from Canberra & if you want a good climb put it on your ride calendar. Anyway back to roos, I past a few grazing at the roadside, some just looked & stayed put, others scampered away. It did cross my mind though [as it does when driving a car in these areas] to be at the ready in case one jumps out in front of you. It was mainly on the fast descents that I was rather anxious re a collision with one.

As for one attacking you, well I have no idea really, although I would think highly unlikely.

Kangaroo’s are the most stupid animal in existence. They tend to bounce along side of you and then cross in front. Nearly got cleaned up today coming down from Corin Dam today.

Have to agree it’s a great climb, 10.6km to the sumit with a average of 4.8% and then a great drop down to the dam.

Thanks for all the tips.

I will try and bring the camera along once I got the storage of it all sorted out. It would be great to shoot some kangaroos ... with a camera of course!

Now, if only we can hop to the same beat on our bikes... 😉

A guy in our club hit a wallaby that jumped out infront of him while decending into akuna bay.

a busted up knee and a stint in hospital were the results.

Wallaby 1 : Rolf nill.

matagi said:

I would thing the chances of being attacked by a kangaroo are pretty slim - these are Eastern Greys we're talking about, they are actually quite a small animal and not a particularly aggressive one at that. The famous "boxing kangaroo" is in fact the Western Red, which is a much larger animal.

Male Eastern Greys can be quite large and can be aggressive. The staff at Taronga Zoo used to tell me that they kept more of an eye on the Eastern Grey Males when in the enclosure than they did on the Red males. Both species are graded "hazardous" at that zoo. I've found the E. Grey males to behave a little menacingly at times when coming across groups in the bush.

Cable ties on the bike frame.

Well, cable ties on the helmet works for magpies, doesn't it?

😄

thomas_cho said:

Went for a ride this morning, and was riding up Mt Ainslie, when I saw a group of roos.

I rode past and nothing happened.

However, I have heard a story about a roo which knocked down a cyclist. Are there any preventive measures to take to avoid getting knocked over by a roo?

G'day mate, just read your post. my old stomping grounds. used to run up mt. Ainslie every day as a kid as part of my training. born there 59 yrs ago so guess things have chainged a lot . went to Ainslie public school on Limestone ave. Now I live in Broken Hill NSW. and yes kangroo's will jump into your path, jump on you as you ride and generally make a nuicence of themselves, especially at night, when i train up here, because of heat. Just watch where you go and dont try to ride into them. don't be scared of them unless you get between parents and off spring. Regards Terry [email hidden]

thomas_cho said:

However, I have heard a story about a roo which knocked down a cyclist. Are there any preventive measures to take to avoid getting knocked over by a roo?

Maybe if you get a blow up boat...cut out the base and put some shoulder straps on it...wear it while riding...bingo...instant bumper protection for 360 degrees round you and your bike.😉

I ride around Bendigo and get a huge buzz when i see a family of roos bound alongside or cross the road ahead of me. i think as long as you're careful and keep your distance, you'll be fine. and when it does occur, just take a moment to appreciate how lucky you are that you live in the only country in the world where you get this sort of opportunity!

was at the you yangs on sunday morning.
slowed to a stop on one of the trails as there was a wallaby sitting in the middle of it.
it sat there looking at me as i did the same to it in a similar situation to Gordy in 'Stand By Me' with the deer, before it went on it's way.
if i had a camera i'd definately have taken a pic, but i'd guarantee that as soon as i went for the camera, the wallaby would've bolted.

i appreciate moments like this far more than other wildlife encounters like magpies or dogs...

Not Kangaroos, but Eagles and Cycling 😉 : http://ideal1984.blogspot.com/