My goal was “just” to beat @redwelly record, and it wasn’t that hard, energy wise. However, it was painful as hell (mostly due to too narrow aerobars and an urge to pee), so I tried to distract myself from the pain.
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Wow! Very impressive Simon. Congratulations on reaching your goal.
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Thank you for your messages, here is a report and some photos:
On Sunday, May 18, I unicycled 100km at the Vélodrome des Landes de Reine in Pleslin-Trigavou in 3h06min29sec — about 30 minutes faster than the current IUF world record.
This challenge started 3 years ago. My original goal was to unicycle 100 km at over 30 km/h (under 3h20).
I had planned a first attempt in 2023, but canceled it—I wasn’t ready. After summer 2024, I threw myself back into this challenge. A friend told me about an unusual velodrome near Rennes. The track isn’t flat and lies just 10 km from the sea and its salty wind, but with slightly banked turns and smooth asphalt, it’s a fast and beautiful loop.
I went there in December—cold weather, tough ride. I began to doubt. Then January came: rain, floods, no training. I didn’t ride my race unicycle for a full month. In February, I restarted, far from my best shape.
Then came spring. Warmer temps helped. Training got better. Three days before the attempt, the weather forecast looked ideal. Time to aim higher.
Race day: just one warm-up lap. I had planned to ease in for 10 km, but didn’t find my rhythm until km 20. From there to km 70, I aimed for maximum consistency—smooth, fast, no red zone. In the last 30 km, I stopped looking at my heart rate. It was all about holding on. Gusts of wind hit me in the final 20 km. I was afraid of falling. I heard “3 laps left” and finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I counted carefully. On the final lap, I sprinted all-out—but still wondered: “What if there’s one more lap?” I was so disoriented. I think part of me expected to keep riding forever.
I stayed tucked in on the aero bars the whole time. My feet got a little numb, but the saddle didn’t feel too bad. I rode the first 50 km in 1h33m23s, and the second 50 km in 1h33m06s — almost perfectly even, with a slight negative split. Maybe I could have saved 1 more minute with a quicker start and no wind at the end. But last Sunday, I was really close to my best possible performance. I got lucky, and I’m very happy with the result.
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