WATCH: Bull Attacks Man During Bicycle Race

A California man is resting up after a vicious attack came from a bull while he was riding his bike in a Madera County race.

Tony Inderbitzin is one of three racers who were injured by the bull, and the one whose attack was caught on video.

The Rock Cobbler race was taking place in Bakersfield, California on Saturday.

“I am extremely sore,” Inderbitzin told FOX26 News. “I’ve never been this sore. Initially, right after the attack, my neck was killing me. That was the focal point of the soreness, now it’s the lower back.”

The Bianchi Rock Cobbler is a challenging 80-mile race that is all off-road. A variety of surfaces and total distance makes for a 6,500-foot altitude change, and obviously, plenty of wildlife along the course.

Video of the incident shows Inderbitzen biking up a small hill toward the animal, which had its back turned.

“I was coming through a section that was kind of a drainage area. You’re constantly crossing sandy sections. I was coming off of kind of a long sand section, so I was carrying some speed and there was a slight incline," he said.

He said he didn't see there was an animal in his path, but at home in North Folk, he sees cows all the time and rides by them with no issue.

“I didn’t think much about there being a cow there, and just thought it was one cow versus a dozen that I might ride through any one grouping on any day. I kept going, and as I got 10-15 yards from him, he turned – because he had his back to me. He turned, squared up, and I had maybe a second to brace myself or do anything," he told the outlet. “It’s a case of mistaken identity from a cow to a bull."

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He says the only parts of him that aren't in pain from the attack are his arm and his head.

“As I was on my hands and knees trying to get back up, he circled around and came up with his head underneath my head and chest and flicked me up in the air.”

The organizer of the race released a statement after hearing there were a total of three riders who had a bad encounter with the bull.

For the record, while we love our shenanigans at the event, this was not planned, we don’t condone riding at or near bulls. In nine years we have passed countless cows and bulls. All riders involved are safe, unharmed if you can believe it and two of the three finished the ride and toasted beers. Rider safety is a top priority, so while this is able to get some laughs, thankfully, we will review or modify our route as needed for next year.

Read more at KMPH

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