Halting the Iron Crank

I pushed past the heavy ground-floor entry and marched straight out into the wide open street! Leaning against the sunlit brick wall stood a towering two-wheeled metal beast. A thick, notched pedal hovered right at my chest level! I didn't skirt around it. I lunged forward and slammed both clawed hands into the black plastic block to shove it aside. It snapped into motion, spinning backward with a sharp mechanical whirr! I didn't flinch. I dug my feet hard into the gritty concrete, threw my entire weight against the spinning arm, and clamped down with all my strength. Clonk! The pedal ground to an abrupt halt, locked tight under my grip!