A ewe-nique view of the Tour de France! Sheep are fitted with ACTION CAMERAS to record cyclists as they pass by fields
- Five sheep from Harewell Hall in Harrogate have been fitted with cameras
- The ‘sheepcams’ are remotely controlled by farmer Ian Hammond
- Each camera is waterproof and features image stabilisation
- Tour De France starts in Leeds on Saturday before travelling to Harrogate
- There are 21 stages and riders finish on the Champs-Elysees on July 27
In two days’ time, the streets of Yorkshire will host the most prestigious cycling event of the year.
And as 198 cyclists begin the gruelling 118-mile (190km) trip across the UK and into France, the first stages will be recorded by an unlikely source - sheep.
A total of five ‘sheepcams’ will film the bikes as they pass through Harrogate, and the cameras will be controlled remotely by farmer Ian Hammond.
A total of five sheep from Harewell Hall in Harrogate have been fitted with cameras (pictured), dubbed 'sheepcams'. Each camera will record the Tour De France as it passes through the Yorkshire town on Saturday
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS IN SHEEP
Research has found that a sheep’s experiences soon after birth can shape its later behaviour - and also that of its offspring.
The study from the University of Bristol investigated whether early-life experiences can alter behavioural responses to a naturally painful event in adulthood - giving birth - and also affect behaviour of the next generation.
Female sheep that had their tails docked showed more pain-related behaviour when giving birth to their first lambs than did females who had not had these early-life experiences.
Lambs of those mothers who had experienced a mild infection in early life were less sensitive to pain during the first few days of their lives.
Each of the animals from Harewell Hall have been fitted with wearable action cameras from Sony.
They are waterproof, include image stabilisation and all five can be controlled at one time with a single remote.
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Ian Hammond said: ‘Locally we are really looking forward to the Tour de France coming through Yorkshire, the dales certainly are a good test for cyclists and I’m looking forward to seeing how my flock perform as Sony’s first ever sheep cam’.
Earlier today, German entrant Marcel Kittel, 26, warned Yorkshire's roads could be too narrow for the Tour de France.
He said the winding streets, enclosed by dry stone walls, were 'risky' for riders taking part in the opening stages.
The wearable Full HD video cameras are splash-proof and feature image stabilisation. Live footage can be merged with GPS data to track the location of the sheep
The 'sheepcams' will be remotely controlled by farmer Ian Hammond (pictured left). The Live-View Remote, seen on Hammond's wrist, can control up to five cameras at one time. The cameras are securely fastened using a harness (pictured right)
Kittel warned parts of the route from Leeds to Harrogate were 'very dangerous' for the peloton, who will be waved off by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on Saturday.
One particularly tricky area in Buttertubs Pass, a high road in the Yorkshire Dales that winds north from Sinstone, near Hawes, towards Thwaite and Muker.
The opening stage of the Tour de France begins in Leeds on Saturday, before the second stage commences from York to Sheffield on Sunday.
The event, won last year by Britain's Chris Froome, often includes technically challenging routes, including mountain climbs, narrow streets and cobbled surfaces.
A spokesman for Yorkshire's Grand Départ defended the region's roads as testing, but suitable, for the world's best riders.
The opening stage of the Tour de France starts in Leeds on the morning of 5 July and ends in Harrogate (pictured). The sheep will record the footage as the cyclists travel between Ripon and Ripley
German entrant Marcel Kittel, 26, warned Yorkshire's roads could be too narrow for the Tour de France. He said the winding streets, enclosed by dry stone walls, were 'risky' for riders taking part in the opening stages. The peloton is pictured riding between Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier during last year's event
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