Felix Guirola The Cuban who built the tallest bicycle in the world Country: Cuba

1. A Cuban Welder Who Built the Tallest Bicycle in the World
2. Biography of Felix Guirola

A Cuban Welder Who Built the Tallest Bicycle in the World

Felix Guirola, a Cuban welder, rides through the streets of Old Havana on his self-built 18-foot (5.4m) tall bicycle. Felix plans to apply to the Guinness Book of World Records to establish a new record for the Tallest Bicycle, previously held by Canadian Terry Goortzen and his 13-foot (3.9m) bicycle.

Biography of Felix Guirola

Felix Guirola is a former welder from Cuba who now hopes to make a living from his inventions, and one of them, the Tallest Bicycle in the world, deserves respect. Riding or dismounting from his unusual-sized iron horse requires the assistance of three people. Of course, talking about a relaxed and comfortable bike ride is not quite appropriate - it is unlikely that one can relax on a bicycle that is almost 5 and a half meters tall. However, Felix never aimed for a casual ride - his goal was to set a world record.

Interestingly, the previous record in this category was held by Canadian Terry Goortzen, who built and rode a 13-foot (3.9m) bicycle in 2004. However, Guirola claims that he started designing his tall bicycles even earlier, he just didn't think to officially document his records. Felix recalls that as early as 1983, he rode a 6.5-foot (1.9m) bicycle, and every year his bicycles grew taller.

Felix's wife says that his husband's obsession with bicycles is a real compulsion. As much as she knows Felix, he is literally obsessed with bicycles, especially tall ones. Overall, Felix's contraption looks quite strange, and it is unlikely that one can immediately recognize it as a bicycle. A staircase leads to the top of the structure, where one can see and identify the seat, handlebar, and pedals. By the way, the whole idea of a tall bicycle is that it operates from the pedals, so it can be considered a "normal" bicycle in principle. However, the difficulties of such a bike ride are evident - in order to start moving, Felix needed three people to "push" him, and then they would run alongside him to catch him and give him the opportunity to dismount.

Nevertheless, Felix Guirola's construction can still claim the title of the Tallest Bicycle in the world, as it has everything necessary to be called a bicycle - there is a handlebar, pedals, chain, and saddle. Pedestrians waved at the record holder with smiles - indeed, such a cyclist looks quite comical. But for Felix, a tall bicycle is much more than just a hobby and entertainment, as he has high expectations associated with his invention.