Heyl: Paralyzed Pittsburgh Cyclist Pursues World Record

PITTSBURGH, PA - What would be insurmountable obstacles for most are but minor hurdles for Attila Domos. You probably would have difficulty cycling for 24 consecutive hours. I know I would.

Domos has done it as a paraplegic.

That occurred last year, when he set an unofficial 24-hour distance record on a handcycle at a cycling track in Highland Park. He traveled 407.7 miles, besting the 403.8 miles that earned Thomas Lange of Germany a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009.

“Now I want the official record,” said Domos, 49, of Squirrel Hill, who will travel to Borrego Springs California in November for another 24-hour cycling marathon at an officially sanctioned Race Across America timed trial course.

But Domos doesn’t want to travel alone. He wants to bring along a local film crew that for months has been chronicling his efforts to break the record in a documentary titled “Attila’s Next Step.” Toward that end, Domos and his friends will hold a fundraiser Thursday at the Spirit event hall in Lawrenceville.

Those friends will include former WTAE-TV anchor Wendy Bell, who will emcee the event; and Pittsburgh biking legend and Dirty Dozen bike race founder Danny Chew, who was paralyzed from the chest down after a biking accident last September; and of course the crew, who will be filming the event for possible inclusion in the documentary they hope to finish filming in California.

“My next step is no longer about me,” Domos said. “It’s about the community that has risen up to encourage, challenge, and care for me.”

Domos has been a paraplegic since 1993, when a rope he was using to help him descend from a ladder he had climbed at the former Squirrel Hill theater snapped. The fall left him paralyzed from the waist down but didn’t diminish his intent to remain active.

“I was determined not to let my injury define me,“ he said. “I took up competitive powerlifting, pushrim marathons and then endurance handcycling.”

Competitive handcycling appears to suit Domos well. He has finished first in the Great Race handcycling event three times, won the Pittsburgh Marathon handcycling competition in 2010 and won it again in May just a year away from turning 50.

“I’m an old man,” he said with a chuckle. “There must be something in that eastern European water.”

Dave Majcher, a local sound technician, met Domos last fall while he was training on his handcycle. The two quickly became friends and came up with the idea of filming a documentary that Majcher would direct.

“The film’s core message is to get out there, get off your (butt) and do something with your life,” he said. “Whatever your challenges are, you can overcome them.”

Domos is living proof of that. In addition to being an inspiring athlete, Domos also is a singer and songwriter. His latest CD is expected to be released next month. Its title is a reminder of what he accomplished on his handcycle in a single day and what he hopes to accomplish again in California.

“It’s going to be called `407.7,’” he said.

Eric Heyl is Patch’s Pittsburgh field editor. Reach him at 412-334-4033 or Eric.Heyl@Patch.Com

Photo via Attila Domos.