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Taken out by a Wallaby
The key point is that if you hear Wallabys when riding particularly at night, it would be great to stop. The second is that riding alone at night in the bush really should be done with a lot of care.
This is my story: I was out on a training ride with 2 good mates. We were going up Duck-holes towards the fire station with the Ay-ups on at about 8pm on the evening of Monday 19th August. I got myself about 60 seconds in front of my friends and was just getting into the area where the paddocks between the trail and the road open up. We've seen a fair number of Wallaby's in that area and what we think are possibly some kangaroos but I'm no expert. As I came along what is relatively plain/easy bit of the track I saw a couple of Wallaby's crossing the trail. Its great seeing wildlife and that will always be a highlight of night riding for me. I then heard another Wallaby that must have been with the others get spooked. This was on the left hand side of the track. I thought I'd keep going as I was going well and I thought it should pass behind me. I then recall hearing the noise get closer and seeing ferns move near my left hand side..... The next thing I can remember is my mate Gordon taping me on the face saying "can you hear me?". I slowly realised that I was lying on the left of the track with my left side down. I had a fair amount of blood coming out of my face and I knew I was on the way to a very bad headache. I have only a mixed recollection of the rest of the evening that involved a 4-wheel drive ambulance, a normal ambulance, the local fire community opening gates and a lot of police people helping get me off the trail and down to the Royal North Shore. There I heard the traumatized voice of my wife and a lot of discussion among the medical profession about concussion and how lucky I was. I finally got home after 36 hours in hospital with a headache and no broken bones.
What i think happened after talking to my friends and looking at my wrecked helmet is that the Wallaby came straight at the bike at some pace and hit it low down beneath the centre of balance and knocked me over like a bowling ball. I fell to the left over the strike landing largely on my head. The helmet damage is all down the back left-hand side where the plastic has been scraped off the foam and the foam gouged by what must have been a pretty rocky piece of ground. As suggested above I have no broken bones but concussion and a sore neck. There was no sign of the Wallaby so hopefully it got away OK.
If only I had simply stopped when I heard the Wallaby get spooked. While this is a freak accident and "unlucky" to say the least, I do think its worth the community noting this. As the fox baiting means more Wallabys wandering around and I do think that is fantastic, it also means that perhaps people like me should be more careful around them. It was also a good reminder that you never know what's going to happen out on the trail particularly at night. I was definitely saved a lot more pain by having good mates to get the emergency team there to get me out. There is another point there about what a very good job they all did. The number of people - professionals and volunteers who showed up was very very reassuring.
Anyway, I'm off the bike for 6 weeks but I'll see you out there soon.
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That is crazy - I was out the first night of origin and exactly the same spot the same thing happened to me. Broken helmet, cracked ribs and 2 months later I'm back on the bike. I never saw the kangaroo but i know they race out of the paddocks from there as I have seen them in twilight and had to slow so had to assume that was what it was. I was riding along and then I was on my side winded and pretty much not able to move for 10mins - hardest fall I've ever had. My first thought was that someone had put something across the trail but then deduced I was blinded by one of those dumb animals. However 2 in 2 months seems a tad suspicious, maybe others out there need to keep an eye out for foul play.
And at exactly the same spot. I was lucky that it was dawn and could see the kamikaze creatures belting down the paddock and either over or through the fence. They were traveling at so much speed that you definitely don't want to get in their way!
Last year I also managed my own incident on the perimeter trail with a black coloured wallaby. Wallaby and rider were both lucky the contact was light.
I wish you a speedy recovery and happy helmet shopping. It no doubt saved your life.
Also a big thumbs up to the emergency personnel. You guys are awesome!
Wow - as a regular pre dawn rider I thought I had seen it all - but this takes the cake!
Taken out by a Wallaby - totally believable and I am gonna be more careful now - for a few reasons!
This morning I did my regular Dam Circuit beginning from Martin Luther Place - and I was attacked twice in the one lap!
Firstly had an Owl swoop me just after the track turns in off Cootamundra St, around 5.45am. This is the second time I have been swooped by same Owl in the same location and I have also seen the same owl in same spot on the ground, 100% certain its a Powerful Owl - not a species to be trifled with.
I suspect the Ay-Ups on my helmet set him off!
Just as well I was wearing a helmet!
Read this to put owl-attacks in context!
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2010/12/13/b...
Anyway finishing my lap around 6.30am and riding the track back from Allambie Oval to Martin Luther Place and I was attacked by a dog! I see these dog walkers every morning, 2-4 of them. This Black Lab cross goes off at me every time (I think its called Barkly based on what the owner yell at it when it goes me). In the past its had a couple of nips at me - but this morning it bit me properly behind the knee. Almost got its teeth around my hamstrings. Bit thru my leggings and drew blood!
Nest time I see the dog walkers I am gonna put them on notice that I will report their dog if it happens again.
Unfortunately nobody to report owl attacks to!
I got taken out by a wombat on a high speed fire trail a while ago. Came off far better than I should have, bit of skin and a broken helmet
Those All Blacks don't miss often, and when they hit you, you stay hit.
Although maybe the one that missed Black Flash couldn't work out what side he wanted to be on.... an all black wallaby? 
You got lucky there BF
A good post and thanks for sharing. Hope you recover well. They're not the smartest of critters. Quite unpredictable. Had a couple of near misses with them at the inaugural BYBF and one girl had to get choppered out after being t-boned by a big grey.
I wonder if a similar wildlife incident might have been the cause of the crash when that guy was found unconscious in Cascades a.month or two ago?
someplace there's some Wallaby is complaining to his Wallaby mates about a cyclist who took him out while he was out on a night hop with a couple hopping buddies and his Wallaby wife will be at him for the next month about how dangerous hopping at night is and how inconsiderate he is to want to go hopping at night in the bush, coming home smelling of beer and sweat, with his no good wallaby hopping mates.
Crazy things these Wallabies are!
Glad your OK.. but how's the bike?
Yea I usually go the other direction.....at night as well. or first thing in the morning. I see them there comming out of that fenced of area. For sure wil take a bit more care now.
I nearly got taken out by a roo/wallaby on Mt stromlo one year. real early one morning doing the scott 24. I hit its tail..... right up there just past the Observatory..... It just appered from no where....
Thanks to all for the kind words. I do think the moral of the story remains, if you hear or see wildlife or even animals coming near (particularly dogs) it the best thing to do is to slow down and be prepared to stop. Wallaby's and dogs are big mobile lumps of potentially hardened muscle and bone.
I don't think its more suspicious than the fact that the fox baiting is doing a great job of driving up the numbers along with the rains we had earlier in the year that have driven good undergrowth and therefore feed. It is great to see the wildlife on the trails, its just the lesson I've learnt that you don't take any risks around them. The other thing is to be extra careful around dawn/dusk and night time in general. The wallaby that hit me may have been confused by the very bright Ay-Ups.
Glad to hear your relatively OK and you had friends with you.
Last month I had a wallaby hit me directly in the side of the leg jumping out of the bushes just behind the fire station down that rocky section of the trail. Also at around 8pm. I was going reasonably quick and luckily I stayed on my bike. My mate behind me called out that it was a wallaby but I had no idea what hit me at first. Definitely an area to take care.
You haven't had much luck lately. Did you have your bike back or were you on another?
Anyway, 6 weeks, that's a long time. Nearly as long as I had to wait for my bike to be fixed, not LBS problem, but it's time for a new bike I think.
Heal well and we'll catch up soon.
EDIT: As for the lack of foxes, good on one hand but rabbits, bandicoots (and potentially ticks with them) are now the problem.
Rich
Good to hear from you. No, not much luck but we'll get out for another ride soon. I'm waiting till i get my bike back to share the Anthem story. I did this on a borrowed bike and again, the bike was not damaged, it was just my head that seems to have taken all the hit. I wouldn't wish this on anyone else but gee I wish I was reading this rather than writing it. Concussion is really sapping.
yes...indeed. all the best for a speedy recovery.
yes skin does grow back.....but concussion & broken bones are not nice. different ball game. All the very best.
And I hope the better half lets you out again once you have recovered. LOL
For a speedy recovery! That's a notorious spot there, I've been very fortunate on a number of occasions not to be taken out in that very spot. I am always very careful there at night.
Also a good reminder to try and avoid riding alone, particularly at night. (Nobody show my wife this...)
Went for a night ride in terrey hills last night,,,, had quite a few very near misses with trail crossing wallabies. I myself was expecting it as having an encounter with a vegemite coloured one previously... But my other ride buddies were a tad spooked!
This was along the Nerang part of the perimeter trail. This is nothing overly unusual, but with 3 near misses in as many minutes, it really set the pace for the ride to be a dusty cruise.
Plenty of wildlife out there tonight. Wallabies, bandicoots, owls, and 100 noises we didn't identify but will put down to drop bears. It all adds up to a great ride really when you don't need to get your first aid kit out.
Dick Smith has a helicopter not far from there BF in case you need another lift
And it's probably Ozemite rather than Vegemite on the wallabies 
Best of luck with the recovery. I had to brake for one a couple of weeks ago at Red Hill, about 7am also.
I never brake for Wallabies...
Since I ride a 29'er I just roll over them...