Video: Man versus Sheep - animal outpaces cyclist

The music is awesome!...

It's a shame the one I encountered in the Scottish Borders when I lived there didn't have the same turn of speed.

I hit it side on at about 25kph, went over the handle bars and skidded along the verge. As I looked up dazed and muddy I had a vivid image of it trotting back up the side of the hill from whence it came.

Every morning on my bridleway commute I get this. The trick I have developed is to move slowly to one side of the track behind them and then cut quickly to the opposite side. Sheep have good peripheral vision [prey animals] so the sudden disappearance from view on one side usually causes them to execute an escape onto the opposite verge...works a treat 8 or 9 times out of 10.

Very odd place to cycle as Wasdale's a dead end valley.

Agree with the comments about animal welfare. Sheep are bonkers and I tend to slow and let them off the road. In the past I've been attacked by a squirrel in Hertfordshire, hit by a pheasant in Lancashire: it whacked me in the ribs, span between my arms and the top bar and flew off unscathed. Weasels, snakes, low flying barn owls. ..Early morning summer rides are risky.

Only 2 days ago in Snowdonia I thought "What the f*** is that skittering across the road in front of me? A massive black caterpillar the size of a jumbo banger ?' It turned out to be a mole with a death wish! I think I missed it...At least I didn't find bisected mole in the back brake. I don't know who was more surprised - me - or the driver behind me who also had to swerve to avoid running over it.

#bloodymoles

To anyone who lives more than a mile from Starbucks this is a pretty normal experience. But the choice of musical accompaniment was inspired .....

coming second after a sheep

yea we've all done it

Woolly Derny!

Pace cycling just got a lot more environmentally friendly... There may be mutton in the musette bags depending on how this turns out.

People are worried about the sheep's safety even though it wasn't in hi-viz like those sensible and responsible Yorkshire sheep?!

Looks like the road down from Wasdale Head to me. A fabulous place to go for a ride.

Those Herdwicks are very fit!

Think he was training for next years RAAM....

I've had a fox run off from me whilst i've been cycling into work for earlies, they can shift when spooked.

Love the soundtrack as well.

Regulation people not grasping potential seriousness of situation. Tick.

Regulation outraged comment. Check.

Definitely on some baaa-nned substance...

EWE - P - O usage if ever I saw it ...

Did the sheep post his time on Strava?

WOW - either at how out of tune my sarcasm detector is, or at a lot of the comments.

Sheep are pray animals, this one thought it was on the menu hence the running away as fast as it could, it was scared. ill advised "pursuing it" for lack of a better word, as someone mentioned as the are dumb animals and it could have turned across in from of the cyclist causing a crash, never mind the fact the chasing it could have cause it to abort it's lamb if it was female and pregnant.

Does anyone know where the road is? Looks glorious

I'm from Aberdeen. I wouldn't have let the sheep get away.

I've cycled through a field of sheep (public cycle path before anyone gets righteously indignant) and when they flock they run right into your path and in front of you. They are truly the world's dumbest animals.

Run AWAY, sheeps, run AWAY!

Blatantly taking Sheep - P - O....

Sorry couldnt resist

Without knowing anything about the rider (or the effort) in question, I don't think it's too much of an amazing event that 'something goes faster than rider'. I'd be suprised if a sheep could keep up with Quintana on the Alpe at a race-pace effort, but 'bloke rides slower than something else' isn't particularly earth-shattering...

I visited Wast water in 1990 and was butted by a sheep.

Merino sheep...be afraid!