Watch out for cows

**PamNY** · 01-25-2009, 08:14 PM

Apparently a cow knocked over a cyclist. Link goes to San Francisco Chronicle:

http://tinyurl.com/btj5j5

Be careful out there.

Pam

**Tokie** · 01-25-2009, 08:31 PM

Maybe the cyclist had milk on her breath and enraged the cow.

I've always given the (one) bull I encountered loose on the road very wide berth. but a cow? Always keep your bike between you and a cow I guess. Hold your arms up to appear larger to the cow? Oh, I know....I live in California.....the ads say we have happy cows here. Maybe we're safer. I've been charged by a chihuahua - not scary. A bigger dog - scary, bit my leg. and a dog and a chicken together - they gave up. If I find a cow, I will no longer assume it is benign. Probably it had been startled once too many times by mt bikers. Tokie

**smurfalicious** · 01-26-2009, 03:21 AM

Yup, here too:

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009...er-open-space/

**Tri Girl** · 01-26-2009, 04:17 AM

I'm sorry, I know that's not funny- but I laughed anyway.

Riding out here on the country roads that have many farms, I see cows often. Always behind barbed wire fences, but I've always thought them harmless. They sure do stare at me very creepily, but I always moo and am on my way. Who'd have thunk cows would be so dangerous???

**Aggie_Ama** · 01-26-2009, 05:02 AM

Yup, respect the bovines. In Texas (mainly Hill Country) we have open range ranches. You will hit areas where you cross a cattle guard and suddenly notice the barb wire gone and cow patties in the road. The cows have open access to all points in between and come and go as they please. On a bike you must be careful not to startle the cattle and they do startle easy! Once startled they usually run pretty unpredictably. As long as they anticipated you though they usually just stare at you. In a car you must be patient because there are times a big bull (or female they get big too!) will decide he is standing or laying in the road and nothing you can do about it!

**HillSlugger** · 01-26-2009, 05:47 AM

I like the comment in the first article that describes this as "odd, rare and random." Pretty well sums it up!

**jobob** · 01-26-2009, 06:58 AM

This was taken on Saturday, on the road out to the Pt Reyes lighthouse control of the SF Randonneurs 200K brevet:

There are several working dairy ranches along that road.

(this is a different location than that in the SF Gate story)

**Aggie_Ama** · 01-26-2009, 07:04 AM

Do you get an allowance on time for being held up by cows?

**jobob** · 01-26-2009, 07:50 AM

Hee hee, good question!

I was actually working the control at the lighthouse and no-one asked for a time credit so I suppose they weren't held up for too long.

**fatbottomedgurl** · 01-26-2009, 11:05 AM

We have cows where I mountain bike. I almost crashed once when one jumped through the bushes in front of me. I thought kamikaze squirrels were bad.

As far as it being "rare"- I dunno, we all know to be very careful up there. Last year a guy got chased down the trail by one of the bulls and was tapped from behind. And the mama cows are the worst!

I remember reading once where a group of racers all came down with e-coli from riding over patties and getting it splattered on their water bottles. Ugh.

**PamNY** · 01-26-2009, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by fatbottomedgurl

I remember reading once where a group of racers all came down with e-coli from riding over patties and getting it splattered on their water bottles. Ugh.

Oh, gag. I never even thought of that. My bike path goes right by the police stables, and further north there's goose poop everywhere. I'm off to research water bottles. Thanks for the tip.

Pam

**mtbdarby** · 01-26-2009, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by fatbottomedgurl

I remember reading once where a group of racers all came down with e-coli from riding over patties and getting it splattered on their water bottles. Ugh.

That happens here! And is why I don't use a water bottle on the mtb (hydration pack only) and when you do tours here they are recommended as well. And NEVER take any food at a SAG stop when they hand food items out without using gloves, or allow riders to reach into a bowl and take cut food items (bananas would be ok or anything wrapped). E coli is nasty and can spread quickly among a group.

**maillotpois** · 01-26-2009, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by jobob

This was taken on Saturday, on the road out to the Pt Reyes lighthouse control of the SF Randonneurs 200K brevet:

There are several working dairy ranches along that road.

(this is a different location than that in the SF Gate story)

I encountered that line of cows in the same location during a 300k from Healdsburg 2 years ago. (Jo we'll be riding this road for Death Ride training as well, so you'll have another chance to make friends with the cows.)

Don't mention cows to Veronica. We encountered a scary free range bull on Coleman Valley Rd., and she already has a cow phobia. Bovophobia?

**Tuckervill** · 01-26-2009, 01:03 PM

A giant pig ran across the road in front of me when I was doing some downhill mountain biking in Jamaica! It was squealing the whole way! It was hilarious!

Karen

**malkin** · 01-26-2009, 04:25 PM

I've seen cattle on roads a couple times. Once they were driven by a guy on a horse who whistled directions to them, and we could see them slow down and speed up in response to his whistles. That was amazing and cool.

Another time a sizable herd was driven by some yahoo cowboys in a pickup truck. The cattle were moving erratically and the knuckleheads were driving all over the road, I guess in an attempt to control the animals, but everything seemed out of control. We pulled as far off the road as we could get and held very still. Pretty scary.

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