Many fear mountain lions when riding but the real danger is their prey, the deer. Already skittish by nature, their demeanor changes to neurotic during mating season from September through November. This is especially true for young bucks of course. The devastating video above illustrates how a simple ride could have turned fatal and there's nothing the riders could have done about it.



We posted the video even though it involves road cyclists because this is a very real threat for mountain bikers as well. Mountain bikers often traverse roads to connect trails or to get to the trailhead from home.

Here are a few examples below of deer taking out mountain bikers.



Turns out that besides being a mountain bike racer from Virginia, Jeff is also a fan of Mtbr.com and calls us one of his "everyday sites"! We had the chance to chat with Jeff about his experience, here is what he had to say:

Mtbr: First off, were you okay? No broken bones? Did you finish the race?
Jeff Plassman: I was OK, busted up elbow, and some bruising on leg and shoulder. I have had way worse...
I had to fix my stem (re-align) then I got back on my bike and finished the remaining 47 miles ~3 more hours, yes I finished.

Mtbr: Gnarly, Jeff! Thanks for taking the time to chat and hope the wildlife leave you alone on your next race! We'll send you a pair of Mtbr socks for sending us your video and chatting with us!

(If you are reading this article and you think you have a mountain biking video worthy of note on our site, please contact us via email for consideration: admin2@mtbreview.com)

Do you have any biker vs deer encounters to share?