Squirrel Takes Down California Cyclist

Oct. 08--Christopher Davis expected it to be hot during the Levi's GranFondo charity ride on Saturday. He expected it to be tough -- having bicycled in the ride twice before, he knew of the brutal 9,000 feet in climbs over 32 miles of Sonoma County terrain.

"The last thing I expected," he said in an interview Tuesday, "was to be torpedoed by a squirrel."

But that is exactly what Davis, a 47-year-old Oakland resident, learned happened to him as he came to in an ambulance the morning of the race.

A squirrel had darted into the course as thousands of cyclists rode down Bohemian Highway. About a mile and a half south of Monte Rio, at about 9:45 a.m., the critter shot straight into Davis' front wheel.

The squirrel got tangled into the spokes, sending Davis over his handlebars and to the ground -- head-first.

"We were doing some descending and I was passing a couple of riders, and that's it," he said. "I don't remember anything after that. I never saw the squirrel, I don't remember the squirrel.

"The next thing I remember, I'm waking up and I was being put in an ambulance and they were closing the doors. The paramedics say, 'Hey, you're awake! Did you know you had just been run off the road by a squirrel?' I said, 'Are you kidding me?'"

Though Davis' helmet bore the brunt of the impact, he said he still suffered a fairly serious concussion and a minor facial fracture. It took him an hour to remember his home address, and days later, he said he's still having trouble finding the right words.

In addition, Davis is suffering from "cauliflower ear" -- the ear on his left side, the side that hit the ground, is swollen and protruding. He said he's also covered in bumps and bruises, and lost some skin on his left shoulder.

Davis worried at first as he struggled to recover, but said he feels now that he is improving every day. He said he knows it also could have been worse: The squirrel died from the encounter, after all.

"The squirrel did get the worst of it, and honestly, I feel blessed," he said. "I was wearing a helmet and I could walk away from it. Cycling has inherent dangers. I didn't think squirrels would be one of them, but I do feel good about the fact that I am walking away from this whole thing."

When he's fully recovered, Davis said he'll be hopping right back on his bicycle to train for next year's GranFondo -- somehow, his bike came away from this whole encounter practically unscathed.

He said he doesn't think the specter of a squirrel attack will affect his hobby. Even Levi Leipheimer, the pro cyclist and founder of the GranFondo, told Davis when he visited him at the hospital that he couldn't fathom the possibility of a squirrel-in-wheel crash.

Through it all, Davis said he has no hard feelings toward the squirrel.

"Things happen," he said. "He was just gathering nuts or whatever they do for the winter. He was just trying to do his thing, and I feel bad that he died doing it. He's more just a little bugger than anything else."

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo

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