Congratulations to Thomas Cassidy for setting 4 new WUCA records for the an Outdoor Velodrome in the Male, 60-69 age group on a standard bike.

Distance Event Kilometers Time Avg Sp (Km) Avg Sp (Miles) Previous records : Male, Standard Bike, 60-69 age group
100 Km Outdoor Velodrome 02:42:26.79 36.94 22.95 none for 100 Km
200 Km Outdoor Velodrome 05:34:45.06 35.85 22.27 Douglas Chivington 2021-04-16 00:07:05:32 17.52 mph
Distance Event Miles Time Avg Sp (Miles) Avg Sp (Km) Previous records : Male, Standard Bike, 60-69 age group
100 Mile Outdoor Velodrome 04:22:47.70 22.83 36.74 Jerry Shafer 2012-06-16 00:04:27:57 22.39 mph
Timed Event Miles Kilometers Avg Sp (Miles) Avg Sp (Km) Previous records : Male, Standard Bike, 60-69 age group
6 Hour Outdoor Velodrome 132.953 213.968 22.16 35.66 Douglas Chivington 2021-04-16 106.39 17.73

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTMqMa6_KVY

Ride Report:

What: 6 Hour World Record attempt

Who: Thomas R Cassidy

When: September 17 at 9:21 AM

Where: San Diego CA Velodrome, located in Balboa Park, across the canyon from the World-famous San Diego Zoo.

The conditions were essentially perfect, the temperature was 67° at the start, with little to no breeze – Strava said 4mph.   This was a huge relief, only weeks before Southern California had seen temperatures of 105 for nearly a week. The humidity was 80%, but San Diego is a beach town, so that is not uncommon.

Why: my “A” race since 2018 has been the 12 Hour WTTC (World Record Time Trial Championships) put on by RAAM, in Borrego Springs CA – this yr held on Nov. 4th. (hoping to break my own 12 Hr record of 240 miles) So, each year in the month or two proceeding, I’ve focused on 1 or 2 significant events to prepare. In 2018, I rode from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 7 days to support pediatric cancer – in 2019, I finished the 444-mile Natchez Trace time trial, which is an epic, bucket list ride everyone must do! (Not necessarily the race, just go ride it! 444 miles, one road, no stop signs, no turns!)  And, after 32 hours of nearly non-stop riding, a 12 hour time trial didn’t seem like a very big deal, great preparation!

So this year, after perusing the WUCA records, I got intrigued with the velodrome. The wooden Olympic velodrome in Carson, CA would have been a sweet ride, but that’s a very busy place & it was hard to coordinate. There’s an outdoor velodrome in Encino, CA but they’ll only allow track bikes, and I’d be riding my TT bike. That meant San Diego, the only other velodrome in CA, a 333.3 meter asphalt track. After reviewing a few existing records, I was quite confident I could set a new 6 hour record, & along the way, pick up a few more. I predicted if I could stay on pace, I would knock out 132 miles, the end result, 132.960.

Bike: Specialized S-Works Shiv Fuel

Aero bars: Tririg Alpha One

Front wheel: Mercury 90mm balanced w ceramic bearings

Rear wheel: Aeron X disc w ceramic bearings

Saddle: ISM 4.0

Tires: Vittoria Corsa Speed 25c @ 112.5 psi

Derailleurs: Shimano Dura Ace Di2

Cranks: Dura Ace w Pioneer power meter, 56t big ring – 42t small

Cassette: 11-23

You’ve no doubt heard of weight weenies, always searching for the lightest everything – well, I’m a watt weenie-always seeking any/all marginal gains possible. I continue to research all ways faster….it least what seems faster, in my head!

Food & drink: for more than 10 years, I’ve relied on Infinit Nutrition, an amazing electrolyte formula, custom made for each individual – it can sustain me for 4-5 hours, but I did throw in a few homemade almond butter protein balls for good measure.  I’ve finished about 70 ultra events both running and cycling depending on this great product, and once again Infinit, came through!

The best part was two things: strong preparation that paid off to determine just how far I can push myself, in a velodrome, that I had no experience with. The entire velodrome gig was, well, very different.  It’s extremely rewarding to see just how far we can push ourselves… The other INCREDIBLE part was the crew, four men from PAA of Pasadena CA, my local cycling club, who jumped on the road at 5:30 am, drive 123 miles, to officiate and support me. Lon Bender, Russell Burt, Cris Garcia, Marshall Yale & Rik Hartman were soooo spot on, and flawless! I could not have asked for anything more from these guys! They were super dialed in and I didn’t have to worry about anything but pedaling my butt off. A huge shout out to my coach, Chris DeMarchi (RAAM 8-man WR Holder & 8 time National Champion or more) who is a complete beast among beasts, and because of him, his guidance & insight, I’ve been able to accomplish more on the bike, than I can wrap my head around.

The most challenging and difficult part was staying highly focused, concentrating on riding as close to that white line as possible (which I was so-so at) ……being ultra aero, pedaling efficiently for max power, and just staying between the lines. I only had to do that for 643 laps, no problem ha ha! There is a good possibility my ultra-endurance velodrome days, are over. Was it a one, and done? A lot of you probably know we tend to forget pretty quickly……However, Ron Guitard, board member from the San Diego Velodrome, posted my “unofficial” results on their FB page, and someone already posted my stats we “soft”. The guy posted he’d rather be paid to ride, than pay. Ya, me too lol. I’ll pay your fee, so better get ready to ride.

With all the preparation, and an amazing rock solid crew, everything went right on target, I’m very grateful how it all came together. HUGE thanks to soooo many – my incredible wife Mary Sol, who is always incredibly supportive, I love you! John Walsh for being an amazing coach & advocate, Rick Babington who put me in touch with the SDVA peeps. Ron Guitard, SDVA board member, Infinit Nutrition, zero idea why everybody doesn’t use your customized products. The remarkable Unchained Bicycle Garage owners/mechanics of Arcadia CA – Freddie & Mark, you guys RAWK! Crew member Russell Burt shot & edited an excellent YouTube Video, very well done, sir! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTMqMa6_KVY

Can’t ever forget Bill Loitz, the behind the scenes wizard, engineer, machinist and manager of the Think Tank, always willing to drop what he’s doing to help, thank you! And, finally John Farrell, great friend & the ultimate bike geek, I learn so much every time we talk, many thanks.

I’d also very grateful for the outstanding support from the records chair, Larry Oslund, thank you Larry!

The team wrapped up this ride @ 3:20 1:55 PM – until next time??

Thomas Cassidy

Team Lo Que Sea (Team Whatever)