Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

World’s Greatest Cunning Stunt

Monday, 21st April 2008 by Rob

Please note that some or all of the objects mentioned in this post are no longer visible on Google Earth or Google Maps.

We’ve all been there - the camera is on us, and we suddenly feel a burning desire to impress it. Sadly, not everything turns out how we plan.

Take for example this cool customer - he spots the Googlemobile cruising down his street, and decides his patented bicycle ’skid and turn’ manouvre should be executed, maybe with the objective of sending a small puff of dust into the eyes of the unsuspecting driver.

As our intrepid daredevil starts to make the turn everything seems to be going perfectly - but suddenly the stunt falls apart, and moments later he lies in a bizarre tangle with his two-wheeled friend.

As the camera car moves on - rather heartlessly I might add - we see the boy in further distress as he presumably tries to free himself by way of a reverse roly-poly.

As the Google car continues on down the street the poor lad appears to be lying flat on his back, presumably regaining his composure. I do hope he was alright.

Thanks to Jason O and Streetviewfun.

21 Responses to 'World’s Greatest Cunning Stunt'

  1. 1. cookie monster says:

    As a rule i never use the ‘lol’ expression but i must admit that this poor chumps misfortune made me laugh out loud.
    Send it to Youve Been Framed* and get 250 quid!

    *Americas Funniest Videos to the rest of you!

    You can keep you Shakespeare and your Woody Allen and all your other so called ‘comedy’. There is simply nothing funnier than someone falling over!

  2. 2. Izzy says:

    Love YBF! Funniest and best thing on TV. It’s weird seeing stuff on YBF that you’ve already seen on YouTube.

    Best thing seen so far on StreetView.

  3. Google Sightseeing Admin
    3. Rob says:

    I actually think that Street-View is the greatest thing in the World. There, I said it.

  4. 4. Jack says:

    You think the guy across the street got a laugh out of it too. He seemed to watch the whole thing.

  5. 5. julian says:

    Great find. Did you read that the google vans have been spotted in Europe? There was also something about them having “frickin’ laser beams” so they can make accurate scans of the area for the 3D version of google earth. If google earth became truly 3D I think I’d start living there.

  6. Google Sightseeing Admin
    6. Rob says:

    Of course, since we do not know the speed of the camera car, it is perfectly possible that the events we have witnessed in the 3 frames actually happened closer to each other, and the roll happened just after the fall.

  7. 7. nova72 says:

    @ Rob

    Although I think you are probably right about the time sesquencing, I think a more interesting and entertaining possability is…
    That in a moment of desperation after screwing up the skid and turn he decides to attempt yet another stunt. The kip-up! Which goes embarrassingly wrong as well.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kip-up

  8. 8. dr.R. says:

    C’mon, give the kid a break! I think the idea of millions of GSS viewers watching him doing his stunt was too much. That’s what you call stage fright…

  9. 9. Didier says:

    Rob, beware of Spoonerisms!

  10. 10. Rob says:

    Pretty dang funny, that one!

  11. 11. blahblah says:

    Check out the guy on the other side of the street…

  12. 12. Chi Chu says:

    Scarry, the eye in the sky it every where.
    some things go wrong the whole world have chance to know about it.

  13. 13. Adrian says:

    Your writing style made this even more hilarious!

  14. 14. hackie says:

    Google Aerth is really getting Hi-tech. Aren’t you guys scared that one day, thieves and robbers can spot your place to be their prey? Damn!

  15. 15. nova72 says:

    @ hackie - google earth really isn’t that bad. I don’t know about elsewhere in the world, but here in the US most cities and/or counties have Geographical Information Websites which include aerial photos, property tax information, property owner information (mailing addresses), recent property sales prices, etc.
    So theorectically a thief could glean more information from those websites than from Google Earth.

  16. Google Sightseeing Admin
    16. James says:

    So the day after we posted this entry, I went and fell off my bike, spraining my wrist on my dominant hand in the process. I guess that’s what I get for laughing.

  17. 17. yuck says:

    I actually think twice about going into my front yard sometimes for fear that some morning when I go out in my ratty pj’s to let my dogs out, that google will be there to capture it. :(

  18. 18. buck eye says:

    and of course the kid is from cleveland. sheesh, that city catches no breaks.

  19. 19. Christian says:

    LMAO. Figures, it’s Cleveland. All the intelligent life in Ohio migrates south.

  20. 20. Seanybiker says:

    ha ha ha thats hte funniest thing I seen in a long time. Never even heard about this kinda thing on google earth. thats deadly.

  21. 21. KellyB says:

    The sighting was funny, the post was hilarious. You’ve made my day.

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