More cowbell!!!!

I wasn't much motivated to ride yesterday, but I went out for an hour-long solo ride anyway. It was windy, and I was feeling a little tired. But I made the best of the hour and got in some good training. And I'm kinda glad I went out on this particular ride on this particularly windy day.

I made one of my normal right turns (Darbytown to Yahley Mill) on one of my normal routes from work, and there were about 8 cows in a small field grazing about. I hadn't ever noticed them before.

Once I made the turn, I saw the cows. And the coolest thing happened- the wind blew a bit harder and the cows' bells started a chorus of pinging.

For those of you not familiar with bicycle racing, cowbells are often rung by spectators watching the race. It's tradition that goes back at least a hundred years if I had to guess. The cowbell can be heard by everyone- yelling out names at a group of focused cyclists whizzing by at 25mph doesn't get noticed over the sound of the wind and the sound of the bikes. The simple cowbell does. It's a motivator, too. It gives you a mental boost, and pushes you just a tad harder, when you can hear someone cheering you on.

So, on this particular ride on this particularly windy day, I had a small cheering section of cows. They were unknowingly ringing their bells, pushing me just a little bit harder, and making me glad I made myself go out for a ride.

I was also thankful for a headwind for possibly the first time in my life. If not for the wind, the cowbells may have been as silent as the cows themselves.