Predator on the trail

Bike mentor Dave offered sage advice when asked about riding the dodgy stretech of trail between the River and downtown Sacramento:  "Just ride like a predator, man."

I'm not 100 percent sure what that looks like, but I think of it every time i ride the pedestrian/bike bridge and the camping area immediately south of the river.

And I thought of it this morning when I shared the trail with a real, live predator.

This wasn't the actual guy, but you get the idea.  He wasn't quite as bold as the pair I encountered in October (read about that bizarre event here) but he wasn't as shy as I expected either.  He loped across the trail a dozen yards in front of me and then stopped to watch me go by.  I clanged away on the brass Crane bell, and it did seem to produce a flinch, so who knows.

Yes, I'm fully aware that coyote attacks are exceedingly rare, (although not unknown) but I rode faster from that point on... like a predator.