Snake encounter

Australia can keep their snakes thank you very much.
Tonight, I was out riding my bike, minding my own business, and while heading along the esplanade just north of Semaphore (actually on Lady Gowrie Drive opposite Kybunga tce) about 6.15pm I notice a squiggly bit of rubber laying on the road... thinking initially that it was some rubber off a door trim come adrift from a car, or some other form of rubbish I maintained the 38km/hour speed that Craig and I were doing, by the time I realised it was a snake (alive one at that) it was too late to brake, and the car behind/beside us prevented us from swerving wildly into the path of traffic, so it was a case of just keeping the speed up, a little flick of the wheels at the last minute, and a little bunny hop, jumping over the top of the Red Belly Black snake, hoping it would not get time to get really angry and rear up or attempt to bite either of us. Craig managed to go around the right side of it and not get hit by the car, and I kind of went left and over the top of the other end of it. Luckily it had kind of got out onto the road, and had paused just as we came up, as if it was checking for traffic, (wise snake) and made a hurried retreat back over the foot path into the scrub on the sand dune after we disturbed his plan. It appeared to be heading out of the sand dunes, and over the road toward the houses. (wouldn't catch me looking to by a beach side house here...)
The driver of the car behind us watched the whole scene unfold, (was probably laughing at our sudden reactions once we realised that it was not already road kill) and pulled up beside as he came past and commented how close that was...

Any way, for the next few weeks, I will be treating every bit of radiator hose, lost plumbing pipe, crumpled up bits of oily black rag etc on the side of the road with a new sense of caution... and am looking forward to training rides back in NZ where nothing is going to slither out onto the road in front of you, or at least nothing quite that poisonous

So that is 4 types of Australian wild life that I have nearly run over on the bike now, first was Koala, while I was descending a hill at speed in the semi dark one evening in the first month or so after we arrived, then mountain biking with Phil I had some Roo and wallaby encounters, and now I can tick off bunny hopping a Red Belly Black. Hopefully the only snake encounter that I have to endure while here in Australia... (apart from the Zoo)