Lornhorns

Last Saturday morning I continued what’s become a weekly bike ride in preparation for next April’s MS 150. This is my first real experience with a road bike and so each week I am learning how to shift gears, avoid traffic, unclip my shoes from the pedals and fall with a minimum of damage to me and to the bike.

This week I got to practice my falling technique again (narrow bridges are a challenge for me) and I learned how to change the tube of a flat tire – potentially important lessons on a ride from Houston to Austin.

I also discovered that negotiating traffic can include cows.

We came around a turn in the trail to discover a half dozen or so longhorn cattle blocking the path. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do next – the horns are really big up close. Hardie (my friend, biking companion and “instructor”) suggested that we just proceed slowly. It seems to be that both ends of a longhorn are “business ends” and both should be approached with equal caution so with his encouragement slowly maneuvered around the herd (I’m not sure how many cows are required to constitute a herd – but it seemed like enough).

I can’t think of many other places where a morning bike ride might be interrupted by longhorn cattle. That’s another reason why I love living in Texas!