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Baney said he didn’t see the snake, because it was dusk and he wasn’t wearing his prescription glasses.
"I never saw the snake at all, it was like a rock," Baney said. "It felt like a sting that felt like a yucca plant."
"I kept riding and then I stopped 20 yards later and was like, ‘Wow! That really stung,’" he recalled.
"I put me leg on my top tube and looked at my ankle and it had two fang marks," Baney said. "So I turned my bike around and turned on a light and was going back 10 yards or so, and there was a rattlesnake lying there."
Baney biked three miles out of the trail and had his nephew flag down a couple nearby.
Park rangers said if you’re bitten by a rattler, it’s better to remain still because movement increases venom circulation.
But Baney said he didn’t have his phone and there were other snakes around.
"A mile into coming back, my lips started to quiver and go numb and tingling. And then I had a metallic taste in my mouth," Baney said.
"They [doctors] say it was a big one," the cyclist said. "Of course, everything up the calf is black and blue from the venom having traveled."
Baney spent two days in the hospital. Doctors told him it takes a week to fully recover.
Larimer County Park Ranger Stephen Gibson said it’s been two years since the last report of a mountain biker getting struck by a rattlesnake….
Read the rest of the article here: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/31 … etail.html
Dang, that would be my worst nightmare. I find it interesting that they said it is safer to stay still so the venom doesn’t circulate… but if you’re out in the middle of nowhere on a mountain bike trail, wouldn’t it make sense to get to civilization as fast as possible? What are they going to do, send out a helicopter?
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Now I have more things to consider when riding in the woods. I am heading up to Mulberry Gap this weekend to camp and ride. I got an email from the person who runs Mulberry Gap (Diane) who advised me about a bear that has been visiting Mulberry Gap and copperheads that are very prevelant on the property. Plus, with of all of the bear activity that has been spotted in N. GA, it has increase my awareness while riding up there.
Last year I went to the Doctor the moring after I was bit above my eye from a spider during a morning ride. Wife was flipping out, Web MD did me no favors when investigating the spide bite!
Why exactly do we ride?
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"UltimateTherapy" wrote
Why exactly do we ride?
Because it’s awesome and we’re hardcore!
Also, in addition to bears and copperheads and spiders, we DO have timber rattlers up here in North Georgia! I’ve seen a couple of them while riding out at Bull Mountain… one big one too!
Edit: I’ve seen a lot of bears as well, but personally I’m much more afraid of the snakes!
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
What are they going to do, send out a helicopter?
Yes. We have two separate flight for life outfits here. They are very busy with skiers in the winter, and mountain bikers and hikers in the summer.
I have run over a rattler and seen several others, but fortunately I haven’t been bitten … yet.
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Great, I will add Timber rattlers to the list!
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"UltimateTherapy" wrote
Now I have more things to consider when riding in the woods. I am heading up to Mulberry Gap this weekend to camp and ride. I got an email from the person who runs Mulberry Gap (Diane) who advised me about a bear that has been visiting Mulberry Gap and copperheads that are very prevelant on the property. Plus, with of all of the bear activity that has been spotted in N. GA, it has increase my awareness while riding up there.
Last year I went to the Doctor the moring after I was bit above my eye from a spider during a morning ride. Wife was flipping out, Web MD did me no favors when investigating the spide bite!
Why exactly do we ride?
WebMD will always say worst case scenario. I wouldn’t want a website to say "Meh, it’s probably nothing" when it could be a very big something.
That’s awesome the dude survived. When we lived in AZ, our dog got bit by rattler twice (about a year apart) in our backyard. The 1k vet bill was definitely worth it each time, better him than our daughter who was 1 and 2 at the time.
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
Also, in addition to bears and copperheads and spiders, we DO have timber rattlers up here in North Georgia!
Edit: I’ve seen a lot of bears as well, but personally I’m much more afraid of the snakes!We have all those here in Virginia too. Yellowjackets actually scare me more than any of the others though. Mother Nature is always messing with us one way or the other 😆
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I encountered a decent sized rattle snake a few weeks ago on a dirt trail.
He scared the bjesus out of me when I heard his rattle – at the same instant that his head appeared under my tire.
I had no warning he popped out from the trees underbrush at my tire and got ran the f over!
😼I felt the adrenalin of fear for a good 15 mins. 😎
He looked like this:
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I regularly ride a few miles north on a trail that connects to the one where this happened. I’ve seen as many as three different snakes on the trail on a single ride.
In this area, sightings are very common in July. My best guess is the snakes are competing for territory during this period. The ones that think the trail is a good place to live don’t last to the end of July.
Some snakes are skittish, and flee quickly. Others stand their ground with real determination. I’ve never seen them be aggressive, but they will strike when threatened.
The good news for bikers is that your feet are elevated when on the pedals (a luxury that hikers don’t have). Rattlers make noise, warning you that it’s a bad time to put a foot down.
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