An irate cyclist claiming to have been sworn at by a passing London taxi driver responded by ditching his bike and climbing onto the cabbie's bonnet.
The angry biker, who was wearing a high-visibility jacket and a helmet, was seen by hundreds of passers-by as he leapt off his two wheels and clambered atop the taxi.
He is then said to have exchanged a few harsh words with the driver, who he alleged had targeted him with an insult as they both travelled down The Mall in central London today.
Police stationed near the scene of the coming-together, which was just metres from the front gates of Buckingham Palace, quickly intervened, but not before the Lycra-clad fitness fanatic made his ascent up the front of the cab.
One witness, who asked not to be named, said: 'I was in my car waiting to cross at the lights when I saw the cyclist cut right in front of the taxi.
'He jumped off his bike - leaving it directly in the driver's path - and climbed onto the bonnet.
'He appeared to be complaining that the cabbie had given him a rude gesture earlier on the route.
'Once on top of the cab, he sat down and exchanged words with the man - who looked almost as shocked as the tourists heading towards Buckingham Palace.'
Shortly after the man was seen scaling the car, uniformed officers approached the scene to decipher what was going on.
That - however - gave the cabbie's two customers the perfect chance to flee.
'It was a woman and what looked like her son and they just leapt out almost straight into another taxi,' a witness said.
'They didn't even pay. It was a complete nightmare situation for the driver.'
The incident blocked the left-hand lane of The Mall, with cyclists and passing vehicles seen taking a wide-berth around the scene.
However, as it continued, police opted to close off an entire section of the busy central London road.
Neither of the men were arrested, with the police offering both words of advice before allowing them to head off separately.
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