Paralyzed Pittsburgh Cyclist Again Pursues World Record

PITTSBURGH, Pa - Attila Domos is nothing if not resilient.

As he trained in August for his second attempt at breaking the 24-hour handcycling distance world record, the paraplegic athlete hit a pothole traveling at about 30 mph. His tire blew out, his front rim was damaged and a spoke cut through his big toe, which was broken in the mishap, down to the bone.

“I’m just happy it happened to my foot and not my hand,” he said. “It (stunk) having to ride all bandaged up, but at least I could still ride and train.”

Less than two months later, Domos is recovered, the bike is repaired and he’s going to make that run at the distance record - 24 hours straight from 5 p.m. on Oct 6 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 7. The attempt will occur at Uber’s test track facility in Hazelwood.

Domos, 50, hopes to top the record of 403.8 miles set in 2009 by Thomas Lange of Germany. IT won’t be easy. He tried to do it last year on a track in Borrego Springs, CA. But he was battling a bladder infection and rough road conditions and ended his ride after a disappointing 198 miles in about 14 hours.

But even as he was being taken to a hospital to treat the infection and a concussion he received while riding, Domos knew he would be making another attempt at the record.

“I fully expect to break it this time,” he said. “If I don’t do it here, it’s because I’m just too old.”

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.

“Let’s see - I took up competitive powerlifting, pushrim marathons and then endurance hand-cycling,” he said.

Endurance certainly is the key to Domos’ quest. To break the record, he has to cycle nearly 17 miles an hour for the entire 24 hours. He had no problem doing that unofficially on a track in Highland Park before his aborted attempt in California last year, “So I really think I’ll be fine.”

The public isn’t permitted to watch him on the Uber track because of potential liability issues. But two film crews will be on hand to document the attempt and former WTAE-TV news anchor Wendy Bell, one of his biggest supporters, will stream the event live on Domos’ website, his Facebook page and Bell’s own website.

After the difficulties he endured last year, what is motivating him to go through the trial of a 24-hour bike ride again? What’s going to keep him going in the still of the middle of the night around and around the Uber track?

“My thing is this,” he said. “If you have a chance to prove to the world that you’re the best in the world at anything, anything at all, you have to go for it.”

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