French cyclist Oscar Delaite spent 6 hours and 31 minutes doing a wheelie. Circling a 200-metre indoor track in Vittel, France, he covered 752 laps without his front wheel touching the ground. Those laps added up to 150.4 kilometres, setting a new world record for the longest bicycle wheelie.
“All that’s left is the official certification,” Delaite wrote on Instagram after finishing. “It will soon be validated!”
A familiar name in the record books
This isn’t Delaite’s first time setting a Guinness World Record. In November 2024, Guinness officially confirmed his record for the longest one-handed wheelie, a feat lasting 1 hour, 46 minutes and 34 seconds.
“That’s it, it’s validated!” Delaite announced after receiving confirmation. “I now officially hold the record for the longest duration one-handed wheelie. See you next year for another record!”
It’s safe to say he delivered on that promise.
From viral videos to record books
Delaite, who rides for Rose Bikes and WTB, kept the setup simple, just a tire swap and a single chainring conversion. He used the bike’s original brakes, which is almost unthinkable for a ride demanding that much control and endurance.
He admitted the final laps were painful: “Once I got past the finish line, I had cramps all over,” he said in response to a follower. “It was a bit of a struggle for my legs.”
How his record stacks up
Before Delaite’s ride, the greatest continuous wheelie distance was 81.59 km, set by Richard Flanagan of the U.S.A. in Maryland in 2019.
There have been other impressive entries in the record books, too:
•Manuel Scheidegger (Switzerland) covered 30.95 km in one hour while wheeling in 2020.
•Kurt Osburn (USA) rode 4,569 km across America in 1999 while performing wheelies. It took him 21 days.
The endurance of focus
Riders online were quick to highlight not just the physical challenge, but the mental one. “The mental stamina is impressive,” wrote one commenter.
It’s hard to imagine the concentration needed to keep the front wheel perfectly in the air, lap after lap. Just endless focus on body position and brake control.
For Delaite, it’s the culmination of years of riding. And if this record holds up under official Guinness verification, he’ll have done what most riders can’t do for more than five seconds for 150 kilometres straight.
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