Felix Guirola, a former welder who builds his own contraptions, has been riding his 18ft-high bicycle through the narrow streets of Old Havana, dodging low-hanging electricity cables, potholes and pedestrians to the astonishment of passers-by. He needs the assistance of three people to mount or descend from his bike.
Mr Guirola claims that even as Mr Goertzen was claiming his record, he was already pedalling the world's tallest bike – he just never knew to register the feat with officials at Guinness.
"Nobody ever told me anything," he said with a hint of disgust.
Mr Guirola has now let officials know that he has what he believes to be the world's tallest bicycle and is awaiting official confirmation.
A vendor of small household items by day, and a renowned tinkerer in his spare time, Mr Guirola crafted his first bike – one that was 6.5ft-high – in 1983.
He thought he might use it in some way to raise money to help his disabled sister, who died in 1994.
Since then, his bicycles have grown in scale. He now plans to go even bigger, constructing one that will soar to 39 feet.
"I say sometimes it's like an obsession," his wife, Francisca Acosta, said. "It is always about bicycles and each passing day it gets a little bit taller."
Every day he drops her off with his tall bike at the restaurant where she works – an unusual commute, but one she has grown accustomed to over the years.
"At first I felt a bit strange, I was not used to this type of bike," his wife said. "Little by little, he won me over."
