The Trnava cyclist Karol Lipovský rewrote the history of the record for riding on a wooden bicycle, Draisienne / Laufmaschine, also known as a dandy horse or hobby horse. On the afternoon of September 26, he rode 18,167 metres on this predecessor of today’s bicycle, thus beating the best performance until then by more than four-and-a-half kilometres.
He used a replica of a wooden bicycle from 1817, weighing almost 40 kilograms. The bike is powered by human force – by touching the ground with your feet and bouncing. The dandy horse model does not have pedals or gears. At the Trnava Slávia stadium, Lipovský beat the record of Czech Ivan Křivánek from Slavkov near the city of Brno, who completed 13,600 metres in an hour.
It was the mayor of Trnava, Vladimír Butko, who shot the starting gun a few minutes after 16:00 at an asphalt oval. A large audience, made up especially of cycling fans in Trnava, who came to watch the record attempt, and many of the spectators took a photo with the record-holder, after Butko handed over the certificate from the Book of Slovak Records confirming the new record, and the historical bicycle. The records can be followed at www.slovenskerekordy.sk.
