Cyclist recalls being 'torpedoed’ by squirrel

A squirrel seriously injured a bicyclist when it ran into Bohemian Highway during the Levi's GranFondo charity ride in Sonoma County on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. The squirrel was also killed. A squirrel seriously injured a bicyclist when it ran into Bohemian Highway during the Levi's GranFondo charity ride in Sonoma County on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. The squirrel was also killed. Photo: Courtesy / Christopher Davis Photo: Courtesy / Christopher Davis Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Cyclist recalls being 'torpedoed’ by squirrel 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

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, “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.

A squirrel had darted onto the course as thousands of cyclists rode down Bohemian Highway. Just south of Monte Rio, at about 9:45 a.m., the critter bolted into Davis’ front wheel.

The squirrel got jammed between the fork and 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.

“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 was wearing a helmet, he said he suffered a concussion and a minor facial fracture. It took him an hour to remember his home address, and days later, he’s still having trouble finding the right words.

He also has a swollen cauliflower ear and is covered in scrapes and bruises.

Davis said he knows it also could have been worse: The squirrel died, after all.

“The squirrel did get the worst of it, and honestly, I feel blessed,” he said. “Cycling has inherent dangers. I didn’t think squirrels would be one of them.”

Davis said he’ll be back on his bike — which was hardly damaged — to train for next year’s GranFondo.

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 at the hospital that he couldn’t fathom a squirrel-in-wheel crash.

“Things happen,” Davis 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