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Md. man with two Guinness World Records for riding the longest and fastest wheelies trains for a third world record attempt

As a child, Rich Flanagan wished to be a basketball player or a golfer (because they make a lot of money playing their sport), but wheelies are his calling.

Rich Flanagan is a two time wheelie riding Guinness World recorder holder. Flanagan, the 56-year-old grandfather of three, father of five, was born in Bowie but now lives in Crofton, Md. In 2016 and 2017 respectively, he set the records for the farthest distance bicycle wheelie in one hour (16.07 miles) and the fastest bicycle wheelie over 100 meters (10.86 seconds).

This fall, he's making his first attempt at a third Guinness World record: the longest ever wheelie ride. The record is currently held by an Austrian man who clocked in about 26 miles, but Flanagan is aiming to blow that record out of the water with a cool 100 mile ride! Why is he aiming to set the bar so high? "Because I think I can," Flanagan said.

What makes his story even more interesting is that this wheelie world record holder, who works as a bartender at Jasper's in Largo, Md. by day, didn't even own a bike when he popped his first wheelie at age 8. 

Credit: WUSA
Rich Flanagan is showing WUSA9's Ariane Datil the proper wheelie technique

"When I was in the third grade...I was in the schoolyard," he said. "Everybody was taking turns riding this Schwinn bicycle." 

It was the only Schwinn bicycle in the whole neighborhood the wheelie champ explained.

"Everybody was trying to ride a wheelie on that bicycle. I didn't even know whose bicycle it was," but the then-novice believes he was probably the youngest kid there. 

"Somehow somebody gave me a turn on the Schwinn," Flanagan said, and he took off. "I looked left, started peddling, popped that wheelie and ... I kept going and going." 

He only stopped riding because he was going to run into the school building.

"I was being swarmed by everybody," he said.

The then 8-year-old was so nervous that he'd never get another chance to ride a wheelie on a bicycle again that he called an audible. 

"I quick peddled back to where I began and did it again," he recalled. "But, this time, instead of running into the building I leaned [to the left]...I turned and that was the second time that I rode a wheelie on a bike." 

Now at 56, he has plenty of bikes of his own and wheelie miles under his belt. 

When Flanagan claimed the record for the farthest distance wheelie ride in one hour, the two time champ, did 65 laps in 60 minutes around the South River High School track in Edgewater, Maryland. To reach the 100 mile mark, Flanagan thinks he'll need to do about 400 laps. That ride will likely last between eight and nine hours.    

How's he training for this massive undertaking?

"I ride six days a week," Flanagan said. "I ride at least 10 miles every day. Twice a week I practice and I ride long. I ride 50 to 100 miles, on one wheel."  

His longest ride to date is 52 miles!

There's a lot of physical and mental preparation that goes into breaking a Guinness World Record. After about an hour of riding wheelies around an empty school parking lot during this interview, Flanagan said he could break the 26 mile record right then and there. But, when it comes to the setting the record at a whooping 100 miles -- that takes an added level of focus and strategy. 

On the days when Flanagan practices his long rides he follows a strict diet. 

"You need a constant input of carbs," he said. Every hour, he aims to eat 40 to 50 carbs. Those calories are fulfilled by eating: 

  • 1/8 cup - white rice
  • 1/8 - bagel
  • 1/6 - banana
  • Energy bar
Credit: WUSA
2x Guinness World record holder Rich Flanagan maintains a strict diet on long ride training days.

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Eating like this on days with long rides allows the food he's eating to be used as energy needed to peddle the bike without any excess waste (wink wink). Flanagan won't be able to take bathroom breaks during his Guinness World record attempt so this eating strategy allows him to keep riding without needing to make a pit stop. 

On the day of the attempt he won't be alerting the media nor telling many family members. 

"I need to stay focused," the two time time world record holder said. Flanagan will be sharing the ride information with his daughter and just few a more people who need to be there in order to help record the event for the Guinness World Record. 

If Flanagan's story has inspired you to try and pop your first wheelie, he says don't get discouraged if you don't get up on one wheel on your first shot. 

"Just make little progressions," he said. "A little bit every single day and before long, you're a lot better at it then when you started."

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