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Most cyclists are primarily concerned with encountering cars that have no interest in sharing the road when it comes to keeping an eye out for potential dangers during a ride. However, one man in California suffered some painful injuries during a crash that stemmed from a collision with a bear that derailed an evening outing.
I’m hesitant to slap the “expert” label on myself, but during my time making a living writing things on the internet, I’ve become pretty well-acquainted with the exploits of the bears that call California home.
At this point, I can rattle off some Cali Bear Facts off the top of my head, like:
- Black bears are the only ursine species that can be found in the Golden State
- Experts believe there are upwards of 71,000 within its borders
- There had never been any human fatalities credited to one before a woman became what remains the only victim in 2023.
Non-fatal attacks on people also tend to be few and far between, as black bears are normally more than happy to let humans be and tend to only lash out if they’re protecting their territory or their young.
With that said, there’s only so much you can do to avoid running into one if you decide to take advantage of the many outdoor activities California has to offer, and one cyclist recently learned that the hard way before literally doing that and landing in the hospital.
A cyclist was treated for a slew of injuries after colliding with a bear in California
According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Don Terres and his wife decided to head out for a bike ride on Sunday evening after spending the weekend at a cabin near Pinecrest Lake in Tuolumne County.
The couple pedaled up to a nearby ski resort before heading back home, and Terres was making his way down a hill at around 25 MPH when he rounded a curve and encountered an unexpected sight in the road in front of him: a bear he estimated weighed in at between 200 and 250 pounds.
The 67-year-old said he didn’t have any time to react (saying he didn’t see the animal until he was around five feet away) and noted it “looked about as scared and surprised as I was.” He crashed directly into it and was briefly knocked unconscious after landing on the pavement, and his wife spotted the bear fleeing into the woods as she rode up to come to his aid.
A fire engine operated by the U.S. Forest Service just so happened to pass by as he was assessing the damage, and an ambulance was eventually called to take him to the hospital. It turned out to be pretty severe, as Terres told the outlet he suffered three cracked ribs, a separated shoulder, and a nasty case of road rash on his back and leg.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said this was the first time they encountered an incident like this one, saying it was ‘bad timing by all parties” and reminding drivers and cyclists alike to be “cognizant that wildlife are out and about” when making their way through more remote areas.