A cyclist has made history by becoming the first member of
his species to successfully bring a bike to a halt at a pedestrian crossing.
Dozens of stunned onlookers watched as the
cyclist – a fully mature adult male – pulled off the manoeuvre at a
zebra crossing in central Bristol this morning. Mobile phone footage of the
incident has already been watched 11 million times on YouTube.
Over the years, there have been isolated instances of cyclists
managing to stop at crossings in laboratory conditions, but this is believed to
be the first time the feat has been achieved in the wild.
Scientists have long theorised that cyclists have evolved in
a way that makes it impossible for them to detect the white and black markings
of a zebra crossing.
Helen Montgomery, a professor of Lycrapology at the
University of Glasgow, who has spent three decades studying cyclists in their
natural habitat, said: “In homo sapiens, the left side of the brain is responsible
for logical functions, such as solving mathematical problems, while the right
side of the brain performs more creative tasks.
“With cyclists, however, both sides of the brain concentrate
on being reckless, self-absorbed and superior.”
Responding to this morning’s incident, Prof Montgomery said:
“It is too early to say if this was an accident or if we are
genuinely moving towards a new epoch in the evolution of the cyclist species.
However, it is certainly an interesting development, and one which warrants further study
and further research.”
Others were less circumspect.
Dr James Lincoln, an expert in pedals, chains and water
bottles at Keele University, said: “I have watched the footage of the incident
a number of times and I am in no doubt that the cyclist was fully cognisant
that he was approaching a potential danger zone, and that the most appropriate
course of action would be to apply the brakes in order to avoid a collision
with the pedestrians in his path.
“This really could be a breakthrough in our understanding of
how cyclists’ brains work, and how they interpret different stimuli.
“With further research, we may one day be able to understand
other phenomena, such as why cyclists ride on pavements and only ring their
bell to warn you of their presence when they are less than a metre behind you.”
A team of researchers headed to Bristol to try to capture
the cyclist involved in this morning’s incident.
They had hoped to put him through a series of tests to
determine if he was anatomically different from others of his species. However,
he evaded his captors and is believed to have escaped to a nearby velodrome.