# Oddest thing found/seen lying in the road?



## Goldfang (16 Mar 2011)

Dont think this has been done before! what is the oddest/ most useful/valuable thing you have found laying in the road on your commute to work. This came to me upon seeing the second childs pottie in as many weeks in the middle of the road on my way to work. Why do you only see odd shoes never a pair? To date, some of my fids have been as follows-
A junior hacksaw, then a week later, a large hacksaw in the same spot?
A 'Snap-on' burglars type crowbar/ jemmy (brand new)
A five pound note!
Numerous spanners, particularly spark plug spanners
A large, new iron hook from a skip lorry that a chap gave me £5 for
A wrecked cheapo mountain bike

I am surely not alone in this!
Regards, Goldfang.


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## huttster (16 Mar 2011)

First one was a tiny horse,would call it a Shetland pony but i could'nt say if it was or not,it had got out of a field that the "do what you likies' had moved into and slipped over in the road,it must only have been stunned as by the time i had turned around it had got up and was grazing by the side of the road like they do round these parts,not seen one lying in the road before though!
Second one would be myself on the black ice,one second up,next lying in the road,and believe me,i look odd!


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## buddha (16 Mar 2011)

Yesterday, I was 'exploring' some new-to-me hilly bits over the Surrey North Downs I hadn't ridden before. And by mistake I decided to ride up Chalkpit Lane - ignoring the roadsign showing 20%. Anyway, a few minutes later, I was gasping my last, bent over the bars when my light caught a coppery glint ahead. 
Obviously, I had to stop because I was knackered to see what it was. It was an old George VI halfpenny.


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## Christopher (16 Mar 2011)

oddest thing would be a subaru car. On its roof in the middle of the lane (have pic somewhere) after the driver have decided to show off his 'ability'. He and his chum were waiting for the wrecker truck (they were fine).

Most useful thing is a neoprene zip-up bootie for a small bottle - my front light fits it perfectly and the soft neoprene protects it from knocks and scratches.


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## betty swollocks (16 Mar 2011)

On separate occasions in two parts of the country: a piglet and a large cardboard carton full of chocolate bars.


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## Spinney (16 Mar 2011)

betty swollocks said:


> On separate occasions in two parts of the country: a piglet and a large cardboard carton full of chocolate bars.



One of those mats you can put on your dashboard to rest things on without them slipping off.

So now I've got two...


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## classic33 (16 Mar 2011)

A foot. Ran over a shoe, traffic either side dictated the amount of room I had. Shoe felt harder than than it should have been. Stopped & went back to check it. The foot was still inside. 
The rest of the person had been removed from the scene a few hours earlier. Found this bit out when I took the shoe to the police station to report "property found".


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## Arch (16 Mar 2011)

Goldfang said:


> Why do you only see odd shoes never a pair?




Flanders and Swann, as ever, had the answer:
THE BEDSTEAD MEN
by
Flanders and Swann

Oh, when you're walking in the country, 
Far from villages and towns,
When you're seven miles from nowhere and beyond,
In some dark deserted forest, or a hollow of the downs,
You may come across a lonely pool or pond.
And you'll always find a big, brass broken bedstead by the bank,
There's one in every loch or mere or fen.
Don't think it's there by accident, 
It's us you have to thank,
The society of British bedstead men.

Oh, the hammer ponds of Sussex,
And the dewponds of the west,
Are part of Britain's heritage,
The part we love the best.
Every eel and fish and millpond
Has a beauty all can share,
But not unless it's got a big brass broken bedstead there.

So, we filch them out of attics,
We beg them from our friends,
We buy them up in auction lots with other odds and ends,
Then we drag them 'cross the meadows,
When the moon is in the sky,
So watch the wall my darling,
While the bedstead men go by.

The league of British bedstead men is marching though the night,
A desperate and dedicated crew,
Under cover of the hedges, 
Always keeping out of sight,
For the precious load of bedsteads must get through.

*The society for butting broken bedsteads into ponds
Has another solemn purpose to fulfil.
For our coastal sands and beaches,
All where waving willow wands,
Mark the borders of a river, stream or rill. 

You will always find a single laceless, left-hand leather boot.
A bootless British river bank's a shock.
We leave them there at midnight, you can track a member's route,
By the alternating prints of boot and sock.* 

Oh, the lily ponds of Suffolk,
And the millponds of the west,
Are part of Britain's heritage,
The part we love the best.
Our riverbanks and seashores
Have a beauty all can share,
Provided there's a boot...
Provided there's a boot...
Provided there's at least one boot...
_Three treadless tyres, 
a half-eaten pork pie,
some oildrums, 
an old felt hat, 
a lorryload of tar blocks..._
And a broken bedstead there.


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## Zoiders (16 Mar 2011)

Once an abandoned ladies BSO was left in the skip out side work, it had a set of old 90's era Deore LX wheels on it, still in good nick. On to the M-trax commuter they went.


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## GrumpyGregry (16 Mar 2011)

On my commute?

A bundle of 10m long plastic water pipes
-and, another time,
a tuba


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## gbb (16 Mar 2011)

A dead fish...miles from any river that i knew of  . It certainly didnt swim there, then expire


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## ColinJ (16 Mar 2011)

[I think I told this story before on the old C+ forum, and I've lifted it from a similar thread on BikeRadar in 2008]

A few years ago, a very unfit me was on a cycling holiday on the Costa Blanca. I'd climbed to Guadalest and was slowly ascending the road from Guadalest to the village of Confrides when I came across a hardcore porn mag lying open in the middle of the road. (Hmm, there's a very unfortunate pun there... ) Er, I _discovered_ said mag! I had more important things on my mind so I ignored it and continued my extended meditation on the inadvisability of overweight, unfit cyclists tackling long trips over Spanish mountains...

A few minutes later I heard voices behind me and turned to see a group of younger cyclists rapidly gaining on me. Soon they passed and I noticed that they were speaking German. One lad was riding no-hands (twice as fast as me ) holding that porn mag and pointing out various fascinating photographs to his mates. I don't speak much German but it was fairly obvious what they were saying - "Ho, ho, ho, ach ja, sie ist _SEHR_...!" They disappeared into the distance and I continued my lonely toil.

Eventually I spotted the Germans sitting at a table outside a cafe in Confrides, and still having an animated conversation about the porno mag which they were openly passing around amongst themselves.

On I went, eventually over the pass and down a nice fast descent. I turned left off that road and eventually passed through another village (whose name escapes me) and began a tough little climb to the Puerto de Tudons at 1,000 m. I was really grovelling by then.

Then once again, I heard the sound of voices. The Germans shot past me with a hearty _"¡Hola!"_ and as they disappeared up the climb ahead of me I heard them singing German drinking songs. Oh, to be young and fit again...


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## monnet (16 Mar 2011)

I once saw a dead badger on the side of the road. Not that unusual, but my thought process certainly was. I don't know what I'd had in my coffee/ on my porridge that morning but as I approached said badger, his upturned black and white stripey head on full view I thought to myself:





'F***! A panda!'


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## snorri (16 Mar 2011)

I just cannot pass the magnetic L plates (for learner drivers) I see on the grass verges as I cycle along. 
The magnetism is just not strong enough to hold them to the car bodywork at 60mph. It's not so long since I gave a few away, but today there are seven on my freezer door awaiting recycling.


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## Gixxerman (16 Mar 2011)

Not particularly odd and not seen whilst cycling, but funny nonetheless.
Saw a large brown paper bag that was in the gutter and fully inflated by the wind.
I was approaching it from the closed end.
It never ocurred to me at the time why the bag was not blowing away.

I suddenly got the urge to give it an almighy boot.
I took a run up and gave it my best defender clearance.
It transpired that the bag contained a house brick.
Result - 2 broken toes.


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## punkedmonkey (16 Mar 2011)

The oddest/scariest thing I once found in the middle of the road was a man under the front wheel of a bus... thankfully the police had just turned up so I didn't need to assist...


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## Sheffield_Tiger (16 Mar 2011)

Nothing overly odd, but I did pass a rabbit frozen in fear, so stood my bike upside down as a "warning triangle" across that side of the carriageway, picked the bun up and put it in the verge where it hopped back into the hedgerows and away

And yes, I got a torrent of abuse for it because a rabbit isn't worth 30 seconds of anyone's time 

Funnily enough, i saw an artic HGV driver do exactly the same on the A1035 nr Routh and nobody had a pop at him for doing so


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## punkedmonkey (16 Mar 2011)

Oh and I forgot that this evening I came across a cyclist scrabbling on the floor attempting to avoid being run over (didn't help that he didn't have any lights) - not really out of the ordinary until you realise he was in possession of _two bikes!!_
_
_
_ - need to review the helmet cam to see if I can spot how he ended up on the floor, but I imagine it was to do with an amusing intertwining of bicycles..._


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## aberal (16 Mar 2011)

A dead kangaroo.

OTOH I was in Australia at the time so maybe it wasn't that unusual. Also saw a dead wombat.

In this country I saw a moving dead rabbit. Took a double take and it moved again. Thought..."that's weird. A moving dead rabbit". At which point the stoat/weasel/ferret (whatever) which had been dragging it off the road popped its head up, saw me and headed off. 

Today, I spun round a corner and found a white van on its side. Black ice, apparently.


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## Jonathing (16 Mar 2011)

Half a badger.
It seemed to have been sawn down the middle, the median sagital plane, so all that was laying in the road was the left half of it.

Other than that it would have to be myself, I'd expected to be on my bike however I discovered me in the road instead. I'm still not sure how I got there so I picked myself up and put me back where I thought I should have been.


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## quassleberry (16 Mar 2011)

Just this past couple of days whilst cycling home on one stretch of road a trail of ladies underwear. By tonights journey some had been taken out of the gutter and spread out on the verge.  

Does anyone know what the curly metal/rubber looking bits are? They appear all along my commute from time to time, it makes me wonder how the vehicle keeps moving minus these bits.


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## gaz (16 Mar 2011)

I just find lots of broken glass.


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## cyberknight (17 Mar 2011)

When i was a milkman i have found a guy asleep on the side of the road using a speed bump as a pillow , another time i found a guy asleep on a drive with no trousers or pants on ( not a pretty site ).


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## Brommie77 (17 Mar 2011)

Saw three car-wheel-nuts on the side of the road this morning, looked from the location as if someone had changed their wheel at the side of the road, and forgotten to replace the 3 out of the (usually) four nuts - just hope I'm not cycling past the car when the wheel comes flying off


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## upsidedown (17 Mar 2011)

I found a Madame Cholet (i think)Womble, the McDonalds happy meal cuddly toy type. It was among a load of other stuff scattered from what i presume was a stolen car in Solihull. There were lots of other kid's stuff like pencil cases and school books but i only picked the Womble up. She now adorns the front of my bike, as seen in Sloane Square at the Martlett's fnrttc:


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## numbnuts (17 Mar 2011)

Yesterday I found a wallet with two credit cards a 16-25 rail card and a national insurance number card.


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## adds21 (17 Mar 2011)

I found a boat a week or so ago in a layby on a little country lane on my commute.

Without outboard (or trailer), unfortunatly, but other than that it looked in reasonable condition. I reported it to the council as it started to attact other fly tipers, and it was gone within a week.

If I had a boat trailer to hand, I woud have been tempted to pick it up and keep it for myself.


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## tyred (17 Mar 2011)

Once found a cracked toilet bowl lying in the middle of the road.


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## jnb (17 Mar 2011)

Four new kitchen sinks!


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## Adasta (17 Mar 2011)

snorri said:


> I just cannot pass the magnetic L plates (for learner drivers) I see on the grass verges as I cycle along.
> The magnetism is just not strong enough to hold them to the car bodywork at 60mph. It's not so long since I gave a few away, but today there are seven on my freezer door awaiting recycling.



You should take them with you on your commute and hand them over to drivers needing a "driving refresher course"!


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## suecsi (17 Mar 2011)

gaz said:


> I just find lots of broken glass.



Ditto! Is it me, or are there more interesting things lying about in the road or on verges once you get outside the M25 .... ?


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## gaz (17 Mar 2011)

suecsi said:


> Ditto! Is it me, or are there more interesting things lying about in the road or on verges once you get outside the M25 .... ?



I think you are right!


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## threebikesmcginty (17 Mar 2011)

numbnuts said:


> Yesterday I found a wallet with two credit cards a 16-25 rail card and a national insurance number card.



I found a trail of credit cards on one ride so I stopped and picked it all up, found the wallet too with the guy's licence in it, it was about a 10 mile detour but took it back = good karma moment.

A dead armadillo once, but that was in Texas.


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## oldroadman (17 Mar 2011)

Riding back to the hotel from a stage finish, somewhere near Doncaster (yes, we did potter back as a gentle warm down in those distant days), an old pit boot was on the road. Duly collected, cleaned up, stowed in the team wagon. Two days later after a bit of a night out the team mech came back with a lady. Not the prettiest you ever saw...guess what prize he was awarded nect morning? The boot stayed with us for the rest of the season, and at the end of season bash, quite a few could have qualified!!


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## Sheffield_Tiger (17 Mar 2011)

Riding through the park in the morning a few years back (well, quite a few years back now), there was a bloke curled up asleep under a bench

Oh no, hang on - that was me! And the bench was only 100 yards from home too


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## mickle (17 Mar 2011)

A rattlesnake - a very alive one lying right accross my path as I descended a hill. The only option was to bunny hop it. I was in California at the time, on a mountain bike, so not technically commuting..


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## oliglynn (17 Mar 2011)

Saw a suicidal peacock wandering around in the middle of the road on my way home the other day! Hope nobody ran it over!


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## Moodyman (17 Mar 2011)

A spanner / wrench which I rode past, stopped, turned back and picked up.

Another occasion, rode past some scattered galvanised screws for three days, before realising on the fourth day that I could use them too. Picked up and placed in pannier. The screws were new and of high quality.

The best find was a Volkswagen Golf wheel plate. It was lying in the tall grass along a busy rural road. Road past it for about a month and wasn’t interested. Then one Sunday saw a neighbour cleaning his VW Golf with a missing wheel plate. Picked up the lost wheel plate the following Monday and handed it to a very happy neighbour.


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## HLaB (17 Mar 2011)

I keep on reading the thread title as the 'Oldest thing seen lying in the road'; I seen an old drunk tramp once that's old but not that odd!


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## gary r (17 Mar 2011)

1 x wallet full of credit cards, 2 x handbags all probably stolen emptied and then thown from a car.I managed to contact the owner of one bag as it had her business card in it,she told me her bag was stolen from her on the train.a rather large pink dildo that i run over and nearly came off the bike!!!!


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## chris-s (17 Mar 2011)

The only thing I've ever found that has made me stop was some girls driving licence just before christmas. Stuck it in an envelope with a card and posted it off to her in anonymity.

Chris


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## cd365 (17 Mar 2011)

monnet said:


> I once saw a dead badger on the side of the road. Not that unusual, but my thought process certainly was. I don't know what I'd had in my coffee/ on my porridge that morning but as I approached said badger, his upturned black and white stripey head on full view I thought to myself:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



PMSL


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## ColinJ (17 Mar 2011)

I was riding _Pain In The Pennines_ and I was on a fast descent, slaloming round large heaps of fresh horse manure when I spotted a smaller pile just in front of me. As I rode past that I noticed that it was in fact a jacket in a stuff-bag. I continued until I got to the bottom of the hill but felt guilty - should I go back up the hill for it or not? 

Oh damn! Back up the hill I went ... 

It was a nice-looking jacket. I can't remember the make but it was obviously well-made and new. I put in my bag and rode on.

When I got to the first feed-station, I handed the jacket in and explained that I was fairly certain one of the other riders on the event had dropped it since we were about the only people on that lonely hill at that time in the morning.

I suffered all the way round and was probably one of the last riders to complete the course. I got chatting to the organiser at the end and happened to mention finding that jacket. He told me that a rather glum young female rider had come to the desk earlier to ask if anybody had found a jacket? She'd bought it the day before for about £80, had put in her back pocket at the start, but didn't notice that it was missing until the second feed station.

Apparently she was extremely chuffed when he gave it to her! Made me feel all warm inside, did that. So if it was _your_ jacket, you know who to thank!


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## Alan Whicker (17 Mar 2011)

The desiccated head of a very large catfish (Bethnal Green)

A magnificent, fully-grown stag - dead but still warm. Judging by the bits of headlight it was a victim of a hit and run. Two of us had to drag it onto the verge, an inch at a time. (Exmoor)

A very large, pink sex toy. I wasn't actually on my bike, but walking down the hill into the village at first light. Walked back five minutes later and it had gone. (Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire)

Loads of single shoes and gloves. Why do the shoes always seem to be for left feet?



classic33 said:


> A foot. Ran over a shoe, traffic either side dictated the amount of room I had. Shoe felt harder than than it should have been. Stopped & went back to check it. The foot was still inside.
> The rest of the person had been removed from the scene a few hours earlier. Found this bit out when I took the shoe to the police station to report "property found".



When I lived in Bethnal Green some poor soul got run over at the end of our road. In the accident they lost their foot, which couldn't be found at the time. Turned up months later on the roof of a nearby house.


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## ChrisKH (17 Mar 2011)

I once stopped at the lights on the Embankment and I had serviced the Brommie the week before. Realised at some point I was going to have to replace a part which I cannot for the life of me describe but it stops the metal from clashing when you fold up the rear triangle (looks like one of those rubbers you used to attach to typewriters years ago to rub out a mistake). Looked down and there was the part in question which had obviously fallen off another relatively new Brompton.


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## delport (17 Mar 2011)

Good set of darts found on the main road over to portsmouth [A27], i found the owner, remarkably, within an hour.

The owner could have been any one in hampshire, but it had a note inside that gave me a clue [league matches in the darts tournament] so i thought, i know where one of those pubs is, took darts to the pub and the orignal owner travelled to pick them up from the pub, and thanked me by email.

He had them on his car roof, drove off, and they blew away onto the A27.


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## Brommie77 (17 Mar 2011)

On the way home tonight an MP3 player and headphones - looked like quite a fancy one - was a honest fellow and handed it into the police station on the way past


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## Bigsharn (17 Mar 2011)

My favourite one was a long-handled broom in the middle of the A64 last year (sporting injury meant I had to go in the car) Though I've seen a ten pound note, six £1 coins and a bundle of hay on seperate incidents.


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## steve52 (17 Mar 2011)

not really cycling related but deff odd, one lunchtime while at school i walked to the shops with mates and outside the local pub was 2 men in the road too drunk to stand, one was dad!


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## summerdays (17 Mar 2011)

oliglynn said:


> Saw a suicidal peacock wandering around in the middle of the road on my way home the other day! Hope nobody ran it over!



I've not been to the right bit of Fishponds for a year or two now but it used to be a regular occurrence to see a peacock wandering around the streets. Me I normally end up finding bricks and large stones and feel the need to remove them out of the middle of the road. And of course lots of pot holes but they are so common not to be considered on this thread!!


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## BrumJim (17 Mar 2011)

Driving up the A38(M) Aston Expressway many years ago, saw a set of steps fly off a car roof, and then land upright and with legs splayed out, as though someone had put it there like that.


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## Bman (17 Mar 2011)

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIOwUJtLDg


[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIOwUJtLDg[/media]


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## Jim_Noir (17 Mar 2011)

One of my dogs did a shoot on a itouch that was lying in the gutter!


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## Adasta (17 Mar 2011)

Jim_Noir said:


> One of my dogs did a shoot on a itouch that was lying in the gutter!



Poignant.


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## dr snuggles (17 Mar 2011)

Underpants! and a freshly mowed down cat. Not on the same day though.


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## ColinJ (17 Mar 2011)

Bigsharn said:


> Though I've seen a ten pound note, six £1 coins and a bundle of hay on seperate incidents.


I was out on my mountain bike on a sunny day once and saw the sunlight reflect off something on the bridleway ahead. I was watching out for glass but discovered that the light was reflecting off the hologram on a ten pound note. I treated myself to a Chinese and a few beers with that!


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## crazy580 (17 Mar 2011)

A dead fox, but mostly bits of brick


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## Mad Doug Biker (18 Mar 2011)

dr snuggles said:


> Underpants!



Not when I was cycling, but once when I was walking through Partick, I went down a side alley and came across a pair of pants. Now these were big and looked like they were from a woman, but the thing which made me quicken my step was that it was full of shoot . Now, a kiddie, that is something, but an adult??









ColinJ said:


> I was out on my mountain bike on a sunny day once and saw the sunlight reflect off something on the bridleway ahead. I was watching out for glass but discovered that the light was reflecting off the hologram on a ten pound note. I treated myself to a Chinese and a few beers with that!



I have found numerous £1 notes and coins over the years and occasionally a £5.



crazy580 said:


> A dead fox



I was walking to work a year or two ago, and came across a dead fox which had obviously been run over and then moved to the side of the pavement. There it was, still barring it's teeth for all to see. 

It lasted a couple of days before vanishing.


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## 2old2care (18 Mar 2011)

On different occasions I've seen fly tipped a caravan, a pile of tyres and down a rough track a man living in his car and two very embarassed men fly tipping from their transit vans


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## rusky (18 Mar 2011)

StuAff on a FNRttC 

Sorry, couldn't resist!


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## 661-Pete (18 Mar 2011)

Most of the stuff I see by the roadside is fly-tipped, so TBH the most *welcome* discovery I think, would be a sniper, all kitted out with night-sights, the lot, and ready to take out the next gang of ****ers that try that despicable game 

Which reminds me - one of the most interesting discoveries in the road was a complete clip of rifle ammunition - .303 size I think it was, and definitely 'live' and ready to fire. I handed it in to the police and they were most interested to learn exactly how I came by it. But I never heard any more. I only wish the sniper had been around too, to take out the fly-tippers...




ColinJ said:


> holding that porn mag and pointing out various fascinating photographs to his mates.


A bolder lad that I'd ever be! I often see porn lying by the roadside, wouldn't dream of touching it, don't know what it might be smeared with  ....



snorri said:


> I just cannot pass the magnetic L plates (for learner drivers) I see on the grass verges as I cycle along.


If they fell off a car driven by an 'L' driver, that would instantly make it illegal.



Gixxerman said:


> It transpired that the bag contained a house brick.


There have been worse things left lying in brown paper bags . Motto: leave alone...


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## Brommie77 (18 Mar 2011)

Not a cycling one, but years ago a collegue of mine working nights drove into a wheelbarrow that had been left in the middle lane of the M25 - the van he was driving was written off, the wheelbarrow was collected by the recovery chap and wheeled to the hardshoulder with little damage!


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## Chromatic (18 Mar 2011)

Mad Doug Biker said:


> Not when I was cycling, but once when I was walking through Partick, I went down a side alley and came across a pair of pants. Now these were big and looked like they were from a woman, but the thing which made me quicken my step was that it was full of shoot . Now, a kiddie, that is something, but an adult??



Not a cycling one either but a dog walking one out in the woods. I once found a pair of ladies knickers in a field but these were not big and not full of shoot. They were black, lacy and reasonably skimpy. I can only assume the owner had taken them off for a bit of al fresco shagging and had not bothered to put them back on. Also found, in the same woods but on another occasion, was a big pile of A4 printouts of pictures of TVs/chicks with dicks all with big hard ons and dressed in stockings suspenders etc. There was crumpled tissues around too.


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## Brommie77 (18 Mar 2011)

Chromatic said:


> Not a cycling one either but a dog walking one out in the woods. I once found a pair of ladies knickers in a field but these were not big and not full of shoot. They were black, lacy and reasonably skimpy. I can only assume the owner had taken them off for a bit of al fresco shagging and had not bothered to put them back on. Also found, in the same woods but on another occasion, was a big pile of A4 printouts of pictures of TVs/chicks with dicks all with big hard ons and dressed in stockings suspenders etc. There was crumpled tissues around too.




eeeerrrrr


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## BrumJim (18 Mar 2011)

Various parts of one of the jockey wheels from a dérailleur mechanism.

Mine.

Found all parts except on of the metal cups on the outside.


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## phantasmagoriana (18 Mar 2011)

Wow, some odd things on this thread! 

Nothing exciting found around here - the only thing I've seen recently was a pair of men's underpants by a traffic island on my commute for the last couple of days (the same pair - no one's claimed them!). Though it's next to a university, so probably some student prank!


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## Vigilies (18 Mar 2011)

Pliers both large and small. 
Pipe grips again large and small.
Junior hacksaw. 
Magazines of all types. 
Various dead and alive animals.
Crashed, burnt and burning cars. 
An Ipod. Which I turned over to the Police and then got back.
Bikes and BSO's.
Clothing and shoes.
Kids toys.
Several wallets and purses both full and empty.
The unwanted proceeds of a burglary.
None of these were in the same places.


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## Chromatic (18 Mar 2011)

Once saw an empty Felt bike box in the hedge on my way to work a couple of years ago. No bike with it unfortunately.


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## ianrauk (18 Mar 2011)

I found a five pound note whilst waymarking on a FNRttC.


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## Zoiders (18 Mar 2011)

The oddest thing I saw in the road was a local from a pub I once worked in, the delightfully named "hippy john" who was in fact an agrresive binge drinker.<BR><BR>He had been turfed out of the pub and everyone assumed he was in the usual drunken stupour, he was in fact having a cardiac incident due to an undiagnosed heart defect.<BR><BR>Almost made me feel guilty about cycling past when I found out later. <BR><BR>The was also the weird bridge arsonist who liked starting fires on canal bridges when I went out night riding, I saw him scurry away into the bushes once when the lights hit him - I think he thought it was the police - they picked some one up for an arson offence nearby a few weeks later according the local paper so I have not seen the phantom bridge burner of old Burlsem town since. It is a bit unsettling to be tootling down a towpath at night only to find an unattended bonfire blazing away on a bridge as you know some loony is out there in the dark watching you.


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## mickle (18 Mar 2011)

Just saw a yellow Lotus Esprit 350 Sport brok down on the verge between here and the sandwich shop.


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## chris-s (18 Mar 2011)

mickle said:


> Just saw a yellow Lotus Esprit 350 Sport brok down on the verge between here and the sandwich shop.




Whats odd about a broken down Lotus is ?


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## fungus (18 Mar 2011)

On one occasion I found about 100 CD's left at the side of a road & the ones I had a look at were in good nick, I presumed they had fell of the back of a trailer on the way to a car boot sale & another occasion 4 big boxes full of albums all either classical or from the 50's.


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## HLaB (18 Mar 2011)

I don't think I see anything unusual on the ride just the usual road kill and fly tipping; I'm not inclined to investigate any further.


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## henshaw11 (18 Mar 2011)

I've also found (as opposed to come across..) a rather broken vibrator on a cyclepath...presumably it had been stamped on, either that or someone in Staines is rather...err....energetic


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## photography27 (18 Mar 2011)

found a £20 note yesterday, rode past it and thought that looked like a £20 note, so pedalled a little more and thought sure that was a £20 note, so turned round and went to look and it was a £20 note.......why didnt i just stop and look in the first place lol.


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## MontyVeda (18 Mar 2011)

not quite an odd thing i found...

a few years ago i was cycling over Greyhound Bridge in Lancaster and heard a clank of plastic... I assumed I'd rode over some plasticky debris but when i got home, I realised it must have been my back light falling off, as I no longer had a back light.

A good six months after that I was round at a friends house who was telling me all about this back light he'd found on Greyhound Bridge, so I'm "Was this by the bus shelter, like, just at the start of the bus lane?" "Yeah", "And Was this about 6 months ago?" "Yeah", "It's mine!"


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## fossyant (18 Mar 2011)

A bloke in full winter cammo gear with a shot gun, on the opposite side of the river as I rode into work in the Snow this winter.....


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## ufkacbln (18 Mar 2011)

Weirdest one was an elderly guy lying in the road, unconscious and drunk.

Checked his ID for details and for other causes... inside was a card saying in effect to call the Police.

Turns out he was a murderer out on license and promptly returned to Prison


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## asterix (19 Mar 2011)

Next to York Tyburn I found a Swiss Army knife. The snow had melted a bit late last year. I guess it would have been very hard to find when the snow had been at its deepest. This year I have found a rusty horse shoe. Well the shoe is rusty so maybe so is the horse? Anyway that has to be lucky, no?


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## Jezston (20 Mar 2011)

Once when riding about the trails of Hampstead Heath with friends when I was a teenager, we found ourselves riding through a wooded glade full of large, middle aged and decidedly naked people just sitting about, like some kind of woodland nymphs gone wrong. We just kept riding.


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## Tollers (20 Mar 2011)

Frustruck said:


> oddest thing would be a subaru car. On its roof in the middle of the lane (have pic somewhere) after the driver have decided to show off his 'ability'. He and his chum were waiting for the wrecker truck (they were fine).
> 
> Most useful thing is a neoprene zip-up bootie for a small bottle - my front light fits it perfectly and the soft neoprene protects it from knocks and scratches.



You've reminded me of something that happened a few years ago that i'd completely forgotten about. I was once driving through Devon at casual 40mph or so, when the 4x4 in front of me suddenly skidded and then rolled!. Surreal to say the least. I was completely stunned, but managed to have my hero moment helping the driver get out from the upside down car.


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## brokenbetty (20 Mar 2011)

A bloke asleep on the pavement about 6am. I went over to check on him and he was (a) breathing, (b) smiling, and (c) clutching a half-eaten bacon buttie, so I left him to it.


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## straas (20 Mar 2011)

Walking along with the gf and came upon a bundle of notes lying on the pavement which turned out to be 75 quid, sorted me out with a new helmet!


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## BlackPanther (20 Mar 2011)

Last week I was cycling up Bawtry road in Doncaster. A lamp post was laying across the road on my side! The post was from a pedestrian island. The strange thing was that there was on of those little 'keep left' illuminated bollards 5 or 6 feet either side which were undamaged.

How they took out the lamp post without hitting the bollards was amazing.......and I'm sure that the police who had the crashed cars driver in the back of their car were asking them that very question!


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## moralcrusader (20 Mar 2011)

Not so much. Found a dead pigeon in a hat once.


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## twozeronine (20 Mar 2011)

moralcrusader said:


> Not so much. Found a dead pigeon in a hat once.



Was that all it was wearing?


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## phil_hg_uk (20 Mar 2011)

But also what type of hat was it wearing


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## Arfcollins (20 Mar 2011)

A peregrine falcon frozen solid. It was a bit cold that day.


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## totallyfixed (20 Mar 2011)

In this country, a big grass snake crossing the road just in front of us about 4 miles from Graffham Water and a dead wallaby about 3 miles from Mildenhall. After cycling past the latter I just thought, oh a dead hare, then the the thought gradually trickled into my brain that even hares don't have hind legs that long, but you know how it is, takes ages before you realise you just have to go back and check.


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## guitarpete247 (20 Mar 2011)

Walking back late at night (early in the morning  ) from a party, at somes friends flat, in Sunderland in the late 70's I was coming back over Wearmouth Bridge. roughly were the young boy is in the link. I heard a feint call of "help". Upon looking over the bridge I saw a guy lying on the side of the river here. It's about a 50 foot fall. Another guy walking the other way, on his way to work, also heard the call. I ran for the police, he tried to get down to him. 
The CID officer who came round to see me the next day said they suspected he had been walking on the parapet and had fallen. Someone at college, who was a local, had heard of the guy and that he lost a foot from his injuries.


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## moralcrusader (20 Mar 2011)

phil_hg_uk said:


> But also what type of hat was it wearing



Baseball cap. Backwards. Very 1990's. Which it was, coincidentally.


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## phil_hg_uk (20 Mar 2011)

Wasnt wearing jeans exposing its arse as well was it


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## niggle (20 Mar 2011)

Frustruck said:


> oddest thing would be a subaru car. On its roof in the middle of the lane (have pic somewhere) after the driver have decided to show off his 'ability'. He and his chum were waiting for the wrecker truck (they were fine).


In my case it was a Peugeot 206 on its roof in the middle of the road, near the bottom of an icy hill, no occupants (January last year)

EDIT: another oddity found when riding a motorcycle was a large wardrobe, just lying there on its back in the middle of my lane.


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## Christopher (20 Mar 2011)

Great thred!

Further oddities: a pair of pink lacy knickers... fluttering in the breeze 20 ft up a tree at the side of a cyclepath. Someone had an interesting night out. And a pair of black ladies stockings (only) on the platform of Frodsham railway station.

Found a bunch of masonry drill bits scattered over the road once along with the box they lived in, think someone must have taken a bend too fast. I did think of keeping them but they were massive, at least 25mm thick and half a metre long, way too big for our little drills. So I piled them back into the box and left it there and the box and its cotents had gone by the next morning.

Have sometimes seen drunks asleep in the park when I cycle to work early. It's one of the signs of summer in Preston!


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## ColinJ (20 Mar 2011)

I found a pile of about 100 uncooked loose sausages in the middle of a busy A-road. Everybody was swerving round them so they were still intact.


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## mr_cellophane (20 Mar 2011)

Not on my commute, but this thing lying in the road is very odd.


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## brokenbetty (20 Mar 2011)

ColinJ said:


> I found a pile of about 100 uncooked loose sausages in the middle of a busy A-road. Everybody was swerving round them so they were still intact.



I hate it when old bangers get stuck in the middle of the road


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## TheDoctor (20 Mar 2011)

In Portugal we narrowly avoided what looked like half a salt cod lying in the road.
And in Turkey I stopped and carried a tortoise across a dual carriageway.
It would have taken the thing ages to get over, if it didn't get squidged before it managed.


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## Mad Doug Biker (21 Mar 2011)

straas said:


> Walking along with the gf and came upon a bundle of notes lying on the pavement which turned out to be 75 quid, sorted me out with a new helmet!



I bet the GF was pleased about THAT!! 



ColinJ said:


> I found a pile of about 100 uncooked loose sausages in the middle of a busy A-road. Everybody was swerving round them so they were still intact.



And there, illustrated is where we lie in the standings of road users. Everybody avoids some sausages, but on sight of a cyclist, they just drive on and mow us down!  Do you think the sausages payed 'road tax?'.


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## bonker (21 Mar 2011)

Great topic. 

One of the most amusing things I have seen by the side of the road was on the A24 just south or Horsham.
I used the route when I was training for the Ironman so had to get lots of miles in. Early one Sunday I noticed a purple glittery vibrator by the side of the road, just in the verge, I passed that dildo several times during the summer and spent hours day dreaming as to how it may have ended up there.

Then one Sunday morning it was gone. I found this slightly disturbing.


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## mightyquin (21 Mar 2011)

Well, I saw a discarded and clearly used condom the other day, some side street. Clearly someone had been having fun in the back seat of their car...... 

And yesterday I found my Oyster card after realising it had fallen out of my pocket, i cycled back the way I'd come. Lucky as I'd just topped it up!


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## ColinJ (21 Mar 2011)

Mad Doug Biker said:


> And there, illustrated is where we lie in the standings of road users. Everybody avoids some sausages, but on sight of a cyclist, they just drive on and mow us down!  Do you think the sausages payed 'road tax?'.


Do you know what - they _were_ giving the sausages more room than I tend to get as a cyclist! How weird is that?


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## wesa (21 Mar 2011)

Some years ago I saw a truck go round a corner too fast, it was one of those little (7.5t ?) frozen goods trucks with doors on the sides, haven't seen them for a while. One of the doors came open and a big box of McCane (However you spell it) frozen chips fell out. I had no way of keeping them cold (it was the middle of summer) so I just piled them at the side of the road.
I spend teh rest of the ride coming up with some realy bad jokes about loose chippings.

I used to know a chap who swore blind that while waiting for a lift, hitch hiking on some motorway intersection or other, he offered a silent prayer that a cold beer would be nice, a few minutes later a truck dropped a pallet of beer right in front of him. There were some breakages but he really appreciated the bottle opener on his pen knife. He reported that it was much easier hitching a lift while sitting on a pallet of beer.


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## Mad Doug Biker (21 Mar 2011)

mightyquin said:


> Well, I saw a discarded and clearly used condom the other day, some side street. Clearly someone had been having fun in the back seat of their car......



Try rowing on the Clyde, you will regularly see them floating past 




> And yesterday I found my Oyster card after realising it had fallen out of my pocket, i cycled back the way I'd come. Lucky as I'd just topped it up!



Lucky you, I remember several years ago, I had just bought a decent bike computer from Halfrauds (I know I know, but I wa about 15 at the time). I fitted it on and set off .....only for it to fall off several hundred yards down the road and promptly get crushed by the car behind. I was not impressed! 



ColinJ said:


> Do you know what - they _were_ giving the sausages more room than I tend to get as a cyclist! How weird is that?



I can just about beleive you! - I guess that becuase it isn't a common sight on the road, drivers were having a WTF? moment.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (21 Mar 2011)

Not on the bike, but in the car, I found a Norwegian at a bus stop in Hathersage a few years ago after a bout of heavy snowfall

He had been visiting friends in Manchester and travelling by bus to Sheffield and had decided to make it a day-long trip stopping off at a few picturesque villages along the way. When the snow started to fall, he wasn't worried as it was only a bit of snow

When I picked him up at about 7pm, having gone for a scenic detour home from work whilst everyone else was panicking and dumping their cars in town, he was very puzzled as to the lack of buses and why they had not simply fitted snow chains and continued running

He was probably lucky I'd taken the detour as apart from a few trucks from Hope Cementy Works, I was about the only vehicle on the road, and it was starting to get a bit tricky on tight bends uphill to keep momentum without spinning out


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## Bman (21 Mar 2011)

Mad Doug Biker said:


> Try rowing on the Clyde, you will regularly see them floating past




View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOaSuBYZzc


[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOaSuBYZzc[/media]


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## Cringles (21 Mar 2011)

Not odd or strange. But today I ploughed through the remains of a cat...or maybe a rabbit, or possibly a graboid.

I've never been so glad to have mudguards.


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## asterix (22 Mar 2011)

> He was probably lucky I'd taken the detour as apart from a few trucks from Hope Cementy Works, I was about the only vehicle on the road, and it was starting to get a bit tricky on tight bends uphill to keep momentum without spinning out



That would have been tricky with a Norwegian on the back. You must be fit!


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## Nigel-YZ1 (22 Mar 2011)

On the A630 going towards Doncaster climbing from Hooton Roberts there's an engine inlet/exhaust valve embedded in the road.

Don't know what you have to do to an engine to get one of them to escape!


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## astrocan (23 Mar 2011)

I once found a MASSIVE adjustable spanner which I thought "That will be usefull" but it hung around for about 6 years until I realised it wasn't.

Many years ago I found a large tub of Walkers Salt and Vinegar crisp flavouring, no crisps just a barrel of white powder. If I had been a bit older and/or less naieve I could have made something of that.

On a FNRttC ride to Whitstable there was a bra and a mattress. No idea if there was any connection, and don't really want to know.


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## MossCommuter (29 Mar 2011)

3/8" allen key this morning.

I nabbed it


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## sabian92 (29 Mar 2011)

Christopher said:


> Great thred!
> 
> Further oddities: a pair of pink lacy knickers... fluttering in the breeze 20 ft up a tree at the side of a cyclepath. Someone had an interesting night out. And a pair of black ladies stockings (only) on the platform of Frodsham railway station.
> 
> ...



I've spent a lot of time at Frodsham station and it does get _very _quiet at night... I can only imagine how they came to be on the platform!


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## Fnaar (29 Mar 2011)

3 badgers, all lying end to end next to a rural road
a dead deer, of some sort, again next to a rural road (not at the same time or place as the badgers)
and only last week a load of fly-tipped rubbish... there was a bloke going through it, I looked at him and his white van, slowed down a bit ready to say "Oi, you fly-tipping ne'erdowell..." but he looked at me as if to say "I didn't do it, honest, I'm just having a look to see if there's anything I could use, and I promise to report it to the council"... amazing what can be communicated non-verbally




unless he was telling me fibs with his eyes...


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## Brommie77 (29 Mar 2011)

Over the last few days at work some little scatterings of nails that are spread in such a way that I am certain some little gits have placed with the sole intention of causing punctures to cars and bikes   


The bar end cap that I thought I'd lost the other day


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## screenman (29 Mar 2011)

Cycling related in a way, I was out at work and the wife phoned to say she had been digging around the garden and decided to have a go with the metal detector. On the phone she told me she had found an old bike lamp, 9 or 10 inches long 3 inches wide and looked like a bomb. Yep we needed the bomb disposal squad around, turned out they think it had dropped out of a Lancaster during the war, they used to fly from an airbase just outside of the village.

Not the brightest spark, the wife that is but I suppose that is a good thing with explosive materials around.


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## Panter (31 Mar 2011)

Never seen anything of interest by the side of the road, barring the odd over inflated Badger, until today...






Yup, furry handcuffs next to a discarded pair of boxer shorts. Obviously some people have a far more interesting journey down this road than I do...


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## punkedmonkey (31 Mar 2011)

Not so much 'in the road', but if his night was starting like this it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in the road at some point...


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7jPOV6NYs


[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7jPOV6NYs[/media]


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## phil_hg_uk (4 Apr 2011)

When out riding yesterday spotted the following choice items:


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## PoliceMadAd (5 Apr 2011)

Mad Doug Biker said:


> I was walking to work a year or two ago, and came across a dead fox which had obviously been run over and then moved to the side of the pavement. There it was, still barring it's teeth for all to see.
> 
> It lasted a couple of days before vanishing.



I rode past a newly killed fox at the side of the pavement a few weeks back on the way into town, came back the opposite way and had completely forgotten it was there, then later that day walked back past the original way with a mate, chatting away not looking at the floor and almost stepped on it, gave us both the shock of our lives, even though i should've known it was there.

I found a plastering scraper thingy in the middle of a busy RAB not too long ago sharp side up, had to move it before someone would've ran over it and probably caused a nasty accident.


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## ColinJ (5 Apr 2011)

I found a 2 inch screw lying in the road once. The funny thing was that it was lying on its end. What was not so funny was that I found it by treading on it! It's hard to believe that a screw could fall onto its end and stay there, so I assume that it was placed there deliberately by some tw*t up to no good.


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## SavageHoutkop (5 Apr 2011)

mickle said:


> Just saw a yellow Lotus Esprit 350 Sport brok down on the verge between here and the sandwich shop.



I saw a lamborghini with its front wheel/tyre off and its front axle resting on the ground...


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## Bicycle (5 Apr 2011)

Many years ago I was riding a tandem over the Bow Flyover eastbound and a Mini Clubman came past on our right making a grinding noise... it had lost its nearside rear wheel.

Moments later, the wheel and tyre bounced past on our left.

As the car slowed, the wheel caught up and sort of bumped along next to the rear nearside wheel arch, as if wanting to re-attach itself.

The Mini pulled over and we went on past....

That's the only time I've ever been overtaken by the one car on both sides at the same time...

Does that count as an odd thing on the roadside?

A more recent (and regal) example is a big, slow, lazy buzzard flying at just my speed about five feet in front of my nose, being buzzed by an angry pair of crows. It was my own, private David Attenborough moment and despite lasting only 10-15 seconds before the trio wheeled away from the road I can still remember it almost photographically.


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## Black Sheep (7 Apr 2011)

snorri said:


> I just cannot pass the magnetic L plates (for learner drivers) I see on the grass verges as I cycle along.
> The magnetism is just not strong enough to hold them to the car bodywork at 60mph. It's not so long since I gave a few away, but today there are seven on my freezer door awaiting recycling.




The ones my brother and, two years later, I used coped very nicely at 70mph on the dual carageway with only the lower magnet of the one fitted to the bonnet having moved slightly due to the airflow




upsidedown said:


> I found a Madame Cholet (i think)Womble, the McDonalds happy meal cuddly toy type. It was among a load of other stuff scattered from what i presume was a stolen car in Solihull. There were lots of other kid's stuff like pencil cases and school books but i only picked the Womble up. She now adorns the front of my bike, as seen in Sloane Square at the Martlett's fnrttc:





think thats Alderney from the 1990's / early 2000's 'young wombles' series


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## Jezston (8 Apr 2011)

PoliceMadAd said:


> I rode past a newly killed fox at the side of the pavement a few weeks back on the way into town, came back the opposite way and had completely forgotten it was there, then later that day walked back past the original way with a mate, chatting away not looking at the floor and almost stepped on it, gave us both the shock of our lives, even though i should've known it was there.
> 
> I found a plastering scraper thingy in the middle of a busy RAB not too long ago sharp side up, had to move it before someone would've ran over it and probably caused a nasty accident.



Saw a dead squirrel in the road on the way in to work yesterday.

Today, In the same place, I saw a burgundy blob, and then a series of increasingly smaller burgundy blobs about a metre apart going about half a mile up the road.

I'd imagine some lorry driver is going to have a rather unpleasant cleaning job to do on his lorry this evening


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## Christopher (10 Apr 2011)

An intact banana in the road yesterday, at the foot of a bumpy 1 in 7 descent. Picked it up, it'll be my mid-morning snack today.

On another ride, I did see where a farmer towing a load of hay on a trailer attempted to keep going after a wheel came off the trailer. The axle ripped the tarmac to shreds - local coulcil must have been a bit miffed. I passed the tractor and trailer about 200 yards after the wheel came off - both were pulled up at the side of the road...


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## Mad Doug Biker (11 Apr 2011)

Going along the cycle track last Tuesday towards Glasgow in the driving rain at Milton (between Dumbarton and Bowling, just west of Glasgow), I came across a large, whole fish, just lying by the side of the path. I don't know what it was exactly, but it was probably a Trout or Salmon, or similar.


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## annedonnelly (11 Apr 2011)

Not on the road, but on a shared cycle/foot path - a guy kneeling on the white line, forehead on the ground as if praying. When he heard me coming he got up, looked around rather sheepishly and started walking away.


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## XmisterIS (11 Apr 2011)

annedonnelly said:


> Not on the road, but on a shared cycle/foot path - a guy kneeling on the white line, forehead on the ground as if praying. When he heard me coming he got up, looked around rather sheepishly and started walking away.



Lol! My road bike is rather silent when I am crusing; I rounded a corner once to spot a man urinating into a bush by the side of the road ... slowed right down until I was directly behind him on the opposite side of the road ... then I shouted "BAAAHHHH! as loudly as I could ... He gave a little falsetto shriek and jumped! Whether or not he peed all over his own foot, I don't know ...


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## MrHappyCyclist (11 Apr 2011)

Christopher said:


> An intact banana in the road yesterday, at the foot of a bumpy 1 in 7 descent. Picked it up, it'll be my mid-morning snack today.



That's amazing! I read this message this morning, then went to a meeting (on foot). On the way back, I found a whole banana in the road, undamaged! What are the chances of that?


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## ColinJ (11 Apr 2011)

MrGrumpyCyclist said:


> That's amazing! I read this message this morning, then went to a meeting (on foot). On the way back, I found a whole banana in the road, undamaged! What are the chances of that?


Quite high if a sportive ride had recently passed by that way! 

I found two separate bananas and a new windtop in the road within a couple of miles on the Kirklees Sportive. People stuff things in their jersey pockets and don't always push them in far enough. 

I've also found a (smashed) MP3 player + earpieces, a map, and a few other bits and pieces which had clearly been dropped by cyclists.


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## MossCommuter (4 Jul 2011)

Found this chap pottering across the A57 on Sunday morning (3rd July).

I am guessing he's a newt but he's a very small one (about pencil thin and maybe 6 inches long).


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## Digital_Cowboy (4 Jul 2011)

Ive found money of various denominations, tools, bus passes (usually expired), clothing/shoes, but the two best finds was a Digital Camera, and a digital audio recorder. And of course roadkill in various stages of decomp. Came close several weeks ago to hitting a bunny rabbit, various items of clothing, no sex toys, yet

Oh, yes, both the digital camera and the digital audio recorder worked and still do to this day.


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## abo (5 Jul 2011)

Goldfang said:


> A 'Snap-on' burglars type crowbar/ jemmy (brand new)



Off topic, but I once took my Escort into the garage for a new brake servo to be fitted. When I got it home and opened the bonnet I found a really good quality, new looking crowbar wedged in the engine bay


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

mightyquin said:


> Well, I saw a discarded and clearly used condom the other day, some side street. Clearly someone had been having fun in the back seat of their car......
> 
> And yesterday I found my Oyster card after realising it had fallen out of my pocket, i cycled back the way I'd come. Lucky as I'd just topped it up!



Okay, what is an "Oyster card?" Is it like a prepaid debit card?


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

bonker said:


> Great topic.
> 
> One of the most amusing things I have seen by the side of the road was on the A24 just south or Horsham.
> I used the route when I was training for the Ironman so had to get lots of miles in. Early one Sunday I noticed a purple glittery vibrator by the side of the road, just in the verge, I passed that dildo several times during the summer and spent hours day dreaming as to how it may have ended up there.
> ...



If it has a motor in it, it's a vibrator, no motor and it's a dildo. Not to, uh split hairs.


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## abo (5 Jul 2011)

Again, not on a bike, but a few years ago I was driving along the A66 with a mate in the car, when we got to the A19 junction at Middlesbrough there was a Reliant Robin parked up on the embankment broken down I guess, which we had a bit of a chuckle about.

The next day we were travelling along the same bit of road and there was the Robin, this time rolled onto it's side and the back window was broken. More chuckles.

Two days later we were headed that way again, same mate in the car. There was the Robin. This time it had been tipped onto it's roof, spun round and because it was still up the embankment we could see the engine was missing. Well, we started pissing ourselves laughing, luckily there was a layby just up past the junction, I had to pull over until the laughted subsided for our own (and others) safety.

Last week I came across a Transit tipper parked up on a bridge over a little back leading to the Tees, near an A19 underpass. There were a couple of blokes transferring some liquid from one container to another, dunno what was going on but needless I didn't stop and say hello...


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## jefmcg (5 Jul 2011)

Digital_Cowboy said:


> Okay, what is an "Oyster card?" Is it like a prepaid debit card?



Oyster is a prepaid/seasonal public transit ticked in London. Similar to NY metro card, but smart card based with auto topup etc.

Google "London Oyster" and learn.


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## abo (5 Jul 2011)

punkedmonkey said:


> Not so much 'in the road', but if his night was starting like this it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in the road at some point...
> 
> http://www.youtube.c...h?v=bJ7jPOV6NYs
> 
> ...




Came across this guy a while back when I used to post on a running forum:

Mr Testicles


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## SportMonkey (5 Jul 2011)

Digital_Cowboy said:


> Okay, what is an "Oyster card?" Is it like a prepaid debit card?



It's a London Transport card. Works as prepaid debit, it uses Mifare Classic RF technology but is currently being migrated to Mifare DESFire. The cards track ALL your movements on the system, and most cards are linked to your home address. I'd advise coughing up the extra and buying normal tickets with cash if you ever visit London. Not that we live in a police state.



jefmcg said:


> Oyster is a prepaid/seasonal public transit ticked in London. Similar to NY metro card, but smart card based with auto topup etc.
> 
> Google "London Oyster" and learn.



It's not a ticket, really not. The card stores your last few journeys on the latter bytes, I believe it also uses a UID based password to make the encryption stronger.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/termsandconditions/12321.aspx#section-1


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## jefmcg (5 Jul 2011)

Digital_Cowboy said:


> If it has a motor in it, it's a vibrator, no motor and it's a dildo. Not to, uh split hairs.



I used to think so, but take my guidance from Fight Club. Talking about a vibrator that has been turned on in luggage in transit and triggered a security alert: "always say 'the dildo' not 'your dildo'"


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

abo said:


> Off topic, but I once took my Escort into the garage for a new brake servo to be fitted. When I got it home and opened the bonnet I found a really good quality, new looking crowbar wedged in the engine bay



Uh, do I want to ask/know why they would use a crowbar to change the brake servo?


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

jefmcg said:


> Oyster is a prepaid/seasonal public transit ticked in London. Similar to NY metro card, but smart card based with auto topup etc.
> 
> Google "London Oyster" and learn.



Okay, thank you. Here in St. Pete we have them as well, for a day's worth of unlimited rides, or a weeks worth of unlimited rides, or a months worth of unlimited rides. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge there isn't any option to reload them. You use it for the day/week/month and than buy a new one.

To me it would make more sense to make them more durable and reusable.

The weekly/monthly passes are good for 7 or 30 consecutive days. So if you buy a weekly pass on Monday it's good to next Monday. If you buy a monthly pass on a Monday, its good for 30 days from that date. And of course a daily pass is only good from midnight to midnight. Even though if I am not mistaken there are no buses that run at midnight. I think that for most routes they stop around 2300 - 2330hrs and start at again at around 0500 or 0600hrs.


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## Mad Doug Biker (5 Jul 2011)

I was out cycling late at night a few weeks ago and passed a couple of woman probably walking from the pub nearby. I heard one of them shout something at me, but I didn't really register it until a bit further down the road.

What they had shouted .....or at least, what I THINK they shouted was 

'Hey, will you spank her?!'


I wish I had gone back to find out now!


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## SportMonkey (5 Jul 2011)

Digital_Cowboy said:


> Okay, thank you. Here in St. Pete we have them as well, for a day's worth of unlimited rides, or a weeks worth of unlimited rides, or a months worth of unlimited rides. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge there isn't any option to reload them. You use it for the day/week/month and than buy a new one.
> 
> To me it would make more sense to make them more durable and reusable.
> 
> The weekly/monthly passes are good for 7 or 30 consecutive days. So if you buy a weekly pass on Monday it's good to next Monday. If you buy a monthly pass on a Monday, its good for 30 days from that date. And of course a daily pass is only good from midnight to midnight. Even though if I am not mistaken there are no buses that run at midnight. I think that for most routes they stop around 2300 - 2330hrs and start at again at around 0500 or 0600hrs.



It's not that, we do that kind of thing, but it holds a value, it's definitely not a travel pass. For what it's worth travel passes are better but not as profitable.


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## screenman (5 Jul 2011)

I hope all the things found were handed in to the police other wise of course it is theft. The bar certainly needed to go back to the garage concerned, mechanics do not earn a lot and the cost of quality tools is high. Sometimes a bit of leverage was required to remove the master cylinder from the servo, as there was often some corrosion in that area.


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## abo (5 Jul 2011)

screenman said:


> I hope all the things found were handed in to the police other wise of course it is theft. The bar certainly needed to go back to the garage concerned, mechanics do not earn a lot and the cost of quality tools is high. Sometimes a bit of leverage was required to remove the master cylinder from the servo, as there was often some corrosion in that area.



Our usual family mechanic at the time didn't want to take the job on so it went to a main dealer. The car had to go back twice for rectification work and the bar was left in when it came back after it's third time in. I was 18, so I just kept the bar...


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

Bongman said:


> http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5HOaSuBYZzc
> 
> [media]
> ]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOaSuBYZzc[/media]




I love that show, and I love that episode. Thank you for the memory boost.


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

jefmcg said:


> I used to think so, but take my guidance from Fight Club. Talking about a vibrator that has been turned on in luggage in transit and triggered a security alert: "always say 'the dildo' not 'your dildo'"



It's funny you should mention a vibrator getting turned on in one's luggage. Back (many, many, many (too many) moons ago) when I was in High School one of my female friends had a birthday and some of her friends gave her a vibrator as a gag. Well it fell out of her bags, rolled across the floor and turned on.


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

Mad Doug Biker said:


> I was out cycling late at night a few weeks ago and passed a couple of woman probably walking from the pub nearby. I heard one of them shout something at me, but I didn't really register it until a bit further down the road.
> 
> What they had shouted .....or at least, what I THINK they shouted was
> 
> ...



Yes, *YES*, you should have. An opportunity missed is an oppertunity lost.


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

SportMonkey said:


> It's not that, we do that kind of thing, but it holds a value, it's definitely not a travel pass. For what it's worth travel passes are better but not as profitable.



Yeah, I can see that. As if a person buys a weekly or monthly pass but doesn't use it everyday than whoever is in charge of issuing the pass makes pure profit on those "unused" days.

It would be nice if instead of being good for x-number of days that the weekly/monthly passes were good for a set number of unlimited day rides, i.e. a 7-day pass would be good for 7 days worth of rides whether consecutive or not. The same with the 30-day passes.

But I guess that that would be asking too much, as well as making too sense.


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## Digital_Cowboy (5 Jul 2011)

screenman said:


> I hope all the things found were handed in to the police other wise of course it is theft. The bar certainly needed to go back to the garage concerned, mechanics do not earn a lot and the cost of quality tools is high. Sometimes a bit of leverage was required to remove the master cylinder from the servo, as there was often some corrosion in that area.



Yeah, I can see the police being interested in having some cyclist (or anyone) turning in a few dollars/pounds/quid to be returned to it's "rightful" owner. Someone who more likely than not didn't/doesn't even know that they've lost it. More likely than not, any such money turned into the police would likely "disappear" into either the LEO to whom it was turned into pocket, or it would go into their coffee fund, or their petty cash fund.

As for tools, MP3 players, digital recorders, digital cameras, etc. I can see how a case of conversion could be made. But theft seems to be a bit strong.


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## Cheddar George (5 Jul 2011)

I have to slow down for a tight blind bend and then there is a fork in the road.

A ...... fork ...... in ...... the .......road !

The road surface is crap and there are a series of deep cracks one of which contains an eating utensil ..... its been there for months and i can't help looking at it everytime i go round the corner. If it wasn't such a dangerous bend i would try and prise it out as it is such a distraction to me.


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## Riding in Circles (5 Jul 2011)

In this country nothing, in Nigeria a few years ago I saw a dead body by the side of the road, our convoy passed it every day for three days, that was pretty nasty.


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## benb (5 Jul 2011)

I saw a tiger in Cheam the other day.
[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU1dJL_Kdb0[/media]


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## jefmcg (6 Jul 2011)

SportMonkey said:


> It's a London Transport card. Works as prepaid debit, it uses Mifare Classic RF technology but is currently being migrated to Mifare DESFire. The cards track ALL your movements on the system, and most cards are linked to your home address. I'd advise coughing up the extra and buying normal tickets with cash if you ever visit London. Not that we live in a police state.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you read that link? You can put 7 day and longer season tickets on it. How is that not a ticket? (unless you think eTickets aren't tickets either). And if you are paranoid, you don't have to register for PAYG and 7 day tickets.

Oh, and don't carry a mobile phone either. 

And definitely do not use Facebook.


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## Riding in Circles (6 Jul 2011)

SportMonkey said:


> It's a London Transport card. Works as prepaid debit, it uses Mifare Classic RF technology but is currently being migrated to Mifare DESFire. The cards track ALL your movements on the system, and most cards are linked to your home address. I'd advise coughing up the extra and buying normal tickets with cash if you ever visit London. Not that we live in a police state.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Paranoid much? Maybe the zionists did it.


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## SportMonkey (6 Jul 2011)

Not paranoid, well maybe just a little , just have industry knowledge - I used to develop with these cards in the security sector. I'll admit that I'd rather not have the state knowing my every move, my love of privacy and freedom - not that I'd knowingly break a law *cough*


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## Angelfishsolo (6 Jul 2011)

Most expensive - A written off 4x4 that looked as though it had be torched very badly. 
Best find was a multi-tool. 
I see numerous prams for some reason. Maybe the child decides "I can walk now" and the Mum or Dad dump them???


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## ColinJ (6 Jul 2011)

Not found on roads, but on bridleways ...

A £10 note all but buried in thick dust and gravel. A flash of sunlight reflecting off the hologram caught my eye. It paid for beer and a takeaway when I got home! 

A new-looking, freshly laundered Goretex skullcap which just happened to be my size! (Worth about £18 and very good for cold, wet rides.)


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## Angelfishsolo (6 Jul 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Not found on roads, but on bridleways ...
> 
> A £10 note all but buried in thick dust and gravel. A flash of sunlight reflecting off the hologram caught my eye. It paid for beer and a takeaway when I got home!
> 
> A new-looking, freshly laundered Goretex skullcap which just happened to be my size! (Worth about £18 and very good for cold, wet rides.)


Were these on the same ride. Maybe the poor rider was buried in the dust and gravel again. Did you take the skull cap from a oddly head shaped rock??? :


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## Riding in Circles (6 Jul 2011)

SportMonkey said:


> Not paranoid, well maybe just a little , just have industry knowledge - I used to develop with these cards in the security sector. I'll admit that I'd rather not have the state knowing my every move, my love of privacy and freedom - not that I'd knowingly break a law *cough*



Sound to me like you are involved in something nefarious and as such should be put under close scrutiny by the state.


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## SportMonkey (6 Jul 2011)

Catrike UK said:


> Sound to me like you are involved in something nefarious and as such should be put under close scrutiny by the state.



Think the exact opposite. I was involved in the security sector, including working with the same cards for some government organisations.


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## ColinJ (6 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Were these on the same ride. Maybe the poor rider was buried in the dust and gravel again. Did you take the skull cap from a oddly head shaped rock??? :


No ... The £10 note was found on a ride on one bridleway. The skull cap was found on a walk on a different one and I think I saw the people who dropped it. 3 lads on mountain bikes had gone screaming down a bridleway descent as I was walking up it. I found the skull cap at the top on the section of bridleway that they had ridden about 10 minutes previously. I asked around, checked the LBS and the Singletrack World forum. Nobody was moaning about losing their skull cap so I kept it for myself!


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## Angelfishsolo (6 Jul 2011)

ColinJ said:


> No ... The £10 note was found on a ride on one bridleway. The skull cap was found on a walk on a different one and I think I saw the people who dropped it. 3 lads on mountain bikes had gone screaming down a bridleway descent as I was walking up it. I found the skull cap at the top on the section of bridleway that they had ridden about 10 minutes previously. I asked around, checked the LBS and the Singletrack World forum. Nobody was moaning about losing their skull cap so I kept it for myself!


Good for you


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## MossCommuter (6 Jul 2011)

MossCommuter said:


> Found this chap pottering across the A57 on Sunday morning (3rd July).
> 
> I am guessing he's a newt but he's a very small one (about pencil thin and maybe 6 inches long).



Is it a newt or wot?


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## Panter (6 Jul 2011)

MossCommuter said:


> Is it a newt or wot?




A Lizard I would've thought. I can't remember what the common UK Lizard is but it would be worth a Google

EDIT: There you go, a common lizard!


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## benb (6 Jul 2011)

MossCommuter said:


> Found this chap pottering across the A57 on Sunday morning (3rd July).
> 
> I am guessing he's a newt but he's a very small one (about pencil thin and maybe 6 inches long).



A small one, you say?
Why, it must be my newt!!


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## SavageHoutkop (6 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I see numerous prams for some reason. Maybe the child decides "I can walk now" and the Mum or Dad dump them???



I saw a moses basket today...


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## Angelfishsolo (6 Jul 2011)

SavageHoutkop said:


> I saw a moses basket today...


Was he in it?


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## MossCommuter (6 Jul 2011)

Panter said:


> A Lizard I would've thought. I can't remember what the common UK Lizard is but it would be worth a Google
> 
> EDIT: There you go, a common lizard!



Blimey

In all my 42 years I never knew such things existed!

Not so common after all then


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## MossCommuter (6 Jul 2011)

benb said:


> A small one, you say?
> Why, it must be my newt!!



ptish... boom


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## SportMonkey (6 Jul 2011)

MossCommuter said:


> Blimey
> 
> In all my 42 years I never knew such things existed!
> 
> Not so common after all then



I've only ever seen them in Cornwall, mustn't like the rain here in Salford.


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## benb (6 Jul 2011)

MossCommuter said:


> ptish... boom



Thankyou. I was rather pleased with that.


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## Digital_Cowboy (6 Jul 2011)

SportMonkey said:


> Not paranoid, well maybe just a little , just have industry knowledge - I used to develop with these cards in the security sector. I'll admit that I'd rather not have the state knowing my every move, my love of privacy and freedom - not that I'd knowingly break a law *cough*



Agreed, I don't think that it's being paranoid not wanting the state to know everywhere one has gone. Which is why if I drove I'd never buy a sun pass. It's either a bar code that people slap on their car, or it's an RFID tag that lets them pay the toll without stopping. They can also be used to track one's movements.

What business is it of the state's where I go and how long I spend there?


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## peppyuk (6 Jul 2011)

I had to cycle around a dead 'sting ray' type of fish a few years ago. I'm not sure if was a sting ray or some other kind of ray but it was pretty big!


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## Pat "5mph" (10 Oct 2019)

Mod Note:
Locking this old thread, discussion continues here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-found-while-riding.254049/


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