Cycling-Related Momentum-Impeding Sensory Over-Responsivity

Many individuals with autism have very strong negative responses to sensory stimuli, a condition called sensory over-responsivity.

For example, people with autism often over-respond to stimuli such as loud noises by getting angry where a person without autism would be able to control their emotional responses.

It occurs to me that cycling must induce a form of autism. If anyone or anything impedes the momentum of a cyclist there is a fair chance of sensory over-responsivity.

Why? Well, on the surface it’s because momentum is hard to regain on a bike, unlike a car where all it takes is a push of the right foot. That doesn’t seem enough, does it?

Your average cyclist will get unduly angry at anyone blocking their path and often all vestiges of empathy (i.e. gee, they didn’t even know I was there but I would drive just like that) go out the window.

Is this apparent similarity between autism and CRMISOR (Cycling-Related Momentum-Impeding Sensory Over-Responsivity) a coincidence?

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder. It affects information processing in the brain by permanently altering of how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize.

My hypothesis is that cycling temporarily impacts how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize, probably because the same nerve cells and synapses are being re-purposed and focused on sheer bloody survival.

Hence they are not available for dealing with the emotional responses to momentum-impeding incidents.

Hey, it’s a hypothesis. And it can be easily tested by wiring up some clown with all those electrodes and wires and setting them loose on a bike in Sydney.

What I’m saying is that under the right circumstances we can all be autistic.

It’s no coincidence that autism is just about the only medical condition that isn’t capitalized.