Congratulations to Dan McGehee for setting a new 12 hour Outdoor track fixed gear record in the Male 60-69 age group on an upright bike
Dan also set 3 other embedded records – for a total of 4.
These are also new Guinness World Records (non-age group)
| Distance Event Kilometers | Time | Avg Sp (Km) | Avg Sp (Miles) | |
| 300 Km Outdoor Track | 08:28:37.81 | 35.39 | 21.99 | |
| Distance Event Miles | Time | Avg Sp (Miles) | Avg Sp (Km) | |
| 200 Mile Outdoor Track | 09:04:55.21 | 22.02 | 35.44 | |
| Timed Event | Miles | Kilometers | Avg Sp (Miles) | Avg Sp (Km) |
| 6 Hour Outdoor Track | 135.509 | 218.080 | 22.58 | 36.35 |
| 12 Hour Outdoor Track | 256.849 | 413.359 | 21.40 | 34.45 |
Dan also currently holds these other 3 fixed gear outdoor track records:
| 100 Km Outdoor Track | on 11/10/2024 00:02:25:22 | |
| 200 Km Outdoor Track | on 11/10/2024 00:05:17:51 | |
| 100 Mile Outdoor Track | on 11/10/2024 00:04:02:11 |
12-Hour Fixed-Gear Solo – Tucson Speedway, March 21-22, 2026. 6-Hour, 300-K, 200-Mile, and 12-Hour Guinness Record Attempts
For some reason, with my Nov 2024 Fixed-gear Outdoor Track run, I decided to only do the 100K, 100-mile, and 200K. Not finishing it with the 6-Hr sort of stayed with me, so I thought I would pick up where I left off and try to cruise through the 200K, past the 6-Hr and onto the 12. Fixed-gear can always be good early season training, so I was hoping to build some endurance and mental fortitude as I lead up to the Unbound XL and Leadville races.
I am blessed to know a group of WUCA officials that are not only great at what they do, but they love watching me punish myself. Larry and Jeannette Burns have invaluable experience, with Jason and Carrie Kornetsky having timed innumerable races as CEP Timing! Just incredible how meticulous they are to detail – so I never have to think about that side of it. Always smiles and laughter with this group – very special folks!
Arizona weather is not usually this unpredictable. 105F temps on the lead-up days was a shocker for March. We decided to do an overnight, as the temps would at least drop to 67F. 10:45PM was relatively calm, it’s a shame it didn’t stay that way. Fixed-gear is unrelenting and, with increasing wind, you have to make a decision to expend more energy holding cadence into the wind to float the tailwind – or – let the cadence drop into the wind to save power but have to lift the tailwind cadence to hold ave speed, which would create a 20+ variance in cadence every lap. I would love to say that there is a sweet-spot, but just when you think you find it, you end up having to re-adjust. At least it keeps the mind occupied, along with the SE wind want to push me up the track coming into turn one, just to push me towards the cones exiting turn two.
Around the 4:30 mark, my Garmin power pedals decided to malfunction and I lost all cadence and power info. At first it pissed me off. But as the hours progressed, I realized that I would have focused too much on what I felt I “needed to do” instead of just listening to what my legs, lungs, and HR could actually do. The heart rate decoupling was expected, after the 6-7 hour mark, so watching the HR drop along with the wattage would have only frustrated me further – although it would be nice to know what the cadence actually ended up doing (in addition to just dropping systematically).
I can not give enough kudos to Greg and Michael Hemmerlin. This father-son dynamic duo has been invaluable in our team efforts to go after these records. Michael had finished 2nd in the AZ State Crit championship that afternoon and was still game to spend the overnight doing handoffs!! As accomplished cyclists, they understand full-well the prep and demands that these events pose. It was, once again, a pleasure to have them lead our team and I am truly grateful for their support and friendship.
Bill Peschka, an icon in AZ endurance cycling, spent (what appeared to be) the entire night walking opposite laps to monitor the cones – and guessing where I was going to see him next had become a game in my head by 6 AM. A great – and needed – distraction. Thank you Bill! At some point in the middle of the night, I noticed another person that I could not account for. Found out later it was none other than Britt Brewer – the Elliptigo Guinness records holder. He had come and gone, later seeming like it was just my imagination!
The sunrise brought more wind, but a renewed sense of accomplishment. When I hit the 200 mile mark, I decided to spin down a bit and then stop to change my helmet. The POC I had been wearing was drenched and the wind was blowing my head around in it. It seems that the Tempur is very good at going straight, but not so advantageous when the wind blows around. Every rider knows how the intention is to stop for “just a minute” that somehow turns into 17. But, at this point, it was just about pacing out to the 12-hour mark. Having Justin Peschka (my endurance coach – and son of Bill) show up to cheer and yell a bit was a good was a good little jolt in the last few hours!
In the end, it was a good experience! The timing and lap count appears to spot on and I did not bury myself in the process, so a week easy with a little less chocolate, and I’ll get back at it. The times and distances do not set the bar very high – especially for the likes of Collins and Lefthand, but 12-hours on a fixie is a bit of a niche (some say stupid) endeavor, so maybe the marks will stand for a bit!
Can not thank my wife, Mary, enough for her love and support. One of these years, I’ll get her on the tandem for a 12-hour record – maybe a fixie! A Very special Thanks to John Lashley and John Powers of the Tucson Speedway – I dedicate this ride to them, as they have always been so supportive and enthusiastic about the records we have been going after on their track. Let’s see what’s next Boys!!