In recent months, there’s been a proliferation of a certain type of media stunt that pits bike commuters against car drivers and public transit straphangers. In most larger urban settings, the winner is invariably the cyclist — owing no doubt to a somewhat, uh, lax approach to traffic signals and the rules of the road. (What am I saying?! Of course all bike riders obey all laws! Right?)

But Top Gear, the hella-cool British automobile show, recently added a speedboat to the mix, in a race across London to City Airport. Show host Richard Hammond still managed to win, though — but he was clearly on the rivet.

And the 37-year old beat his fellow competitors by some 15 minutes. Clarkson, who travelled by speedboat came second, The Stig arrived third after taking the Tube, and May came in last, after paying the congestion charge to crawl across the capital in a 5.5litre Mercedes ML500 SUV.

As he pelted through the Blackwall Tunnel, Hammond told viewers, “I’ve got 19mph showing on my little speedo here. I’ve got to keep that up. I feel sick.”

I’m especially impressed that he rode in a Speedo. Those funny European guys!