While hard to confirm, it seems like half the Lotto-Intermarché team were banjaxed by a bovine bacteria found in manure, in a race in Belgium, but close encounters with cows can result in much worse outcomes than a bout of sickness and diarrhoea (as dreadful as that must be to deal with while attempting to ride a race).
While cyclists in some countries have to contemplate encounters with more serious sounding wildlife, such as bears, for gravel and rural road riders in Britain, the common cow is easily the most dangerous animal around - aside from impatient humans driving a car on rural roads.
