Jim Thompson has cycled past some bizarre incidents in the past but a series of events during his Sunday bike ride made for an unusual afternoon.
At around 1 p.m. Thompson set out on a 33-kilometre bike ride. During his journey, he saw a cyclist running a red bike light at Pandora Avenue and Douglas Street, traffic being held up at Ogden Point by someone unloading their trunk, a raccoon running into the front of a van just past Fisherman’s Wharf and the aftermath of a collision involving a cyclist near the Black Ball ferry terminal.
“It was a completely weird day,” Thompson said.
“All these things happened in one ride.”
Thompson’s camera records five-minute segments at 207-degrees, so he decided to edit together what he had seen together and post it to Facebook. Under the video, Thompson wrote “one weird Sunday ride” before describing what he saw.
According to Thompson, the car that stopped near Ogden Point caused to a longer traffic jam than the camera was able to show. A motorcycle travelling in a bike lane to turn right also did not make it into the video.
Thompson also said he didn’t realize what had happened when he saw the ambulance near Oswego and Belleville streets but a commenter sent updates about the crash police had released to the public.
And while people commented on all parts of the video, it was the raccoon that really sparked interest.
“As I came up to him I could see him looking at me,” Thompson said, adding that the animal then decided to run across the road after that eye contact.
“I’m just glad he bounced off the car.”
According to Thompson, the driver of the van stopped to check on the raccoon but the animal had bolted.
And while he used to bike around Toronto when he lived there, Thompson said Victoria is where he’s had noteworthy sightings, such as a peacock crossing the road.
“It’s nice to share the weird things,” Thompson said.
Thompson is an avid Victoria cyclist who already has 7,700 kilometres on his new bike that he got in April. He said he’s always recorded his rides.
“If anything happens, it’s the unblinking eye witness,” Thompson said.
After Sunday’s ride, Thompson said he will continue to be a careful rider who watches all the mirrors that he’s installed on his bike.
“I’ll definitely keep a closer eye when interacting in or around cars,” Thompson said.
Alexa Huffman
