If you ride often enough it’s inevitable you will be chased by an obnoxious dog. It could be terrifying to have a dog snapping at your ankles as you’re trying out run it. It’s even worst when this occurs while you’re riding alone. There is no proven method to solve this problem and it’s impossible to predict the dogs’ true intentions. Most of the time dogs are bored and chasing after a cyclist gives the dog a quick thrill. However, the dog could have issues with riders with the intention of drawing blood. Too often the sudden distraction causes the cyclist to loss control and crash.

Dogs can run 25 mph and trying to out run them isn’t always the best solution. Many times slowing down and yelling at them in a deep, firm voice is the best solution; however it all depends on the situation. If you are riding with a group it’s best for everybody to stop and yell to prevent an accident. If the dog is seeking a thrill, there is no thrill if everybody stops and will usually run away.

Recently while riding with another club member a dog ran behind us and didn’t start barking until it was in biting range. We had no warning and no time to react. A couple of yells and a few kicks and the incident was over. The one thing I observed was twisting out of clip-less pedals puts your ankle in biting range. Perhaps its’ best to unclip your pedals before the dog is in biting range to free up your feet stopping or self defense.