World's Largest Bicyclist Statue: world record set in Sparta, Wisconsin
SPARTA, Wisconsin, United States--Ben Bikin, a tall fiberglass statue for the Bicycling Capital of America, manufactured nearby at FAST Corp, "Ben Bikin", also known as "The Bicycle Man of Sparta" or “Big Ben”, stands 32 feet high atop an 1890s-era Penny Farthing bicycle, thus setting the world record for being the World's Largest Bicyclist Statue, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.
"Ben Bikin is the crown jewel in Sparta’s crown as the “Bicycling Capital of America.” Sparta is the northern terminus of the Elroy-Sparta Trail, the first rail-to-trail project in the United States," the State Trunk Tour reports.
"A local company, F.A.S.T. (Fiberglass, Animals, Shapes, and Trademarks) Corp., created the statue. He is considered the World’s Largest Bicyclist."
"Ben represents the bike trail where a old abandoned railroad bed use to be. When first built, the base he sat on talked – since then has been replaced with cement stone base. Ben still talks and tells you about the trail and Sparta attractions in another statue," the Jaquo reports.
"A ginormous old fashioned, large wheeled bicycle in Sparta, Wisconsin. His name is Ben Bikin. Sparta bills itself as the bicycle capital of the world," the Way Marking reports.
"The fiberglass sculpture depicts a man riding an old-fashioned high-wheeler Victorian bicycle. He wears a red coat, yellow pants, black riding boots, a black hat, and a curled mustache that would make any hipster jealous," Silly America reports.
"This Sparta, Wisconsin attraction’s base is painted green with an inscription that reads “Welcome to Sparta, Wisconsin” and installed inside is a speaker box that gives visitors an audio history of Sparta."
"F.A.S.T. (Fiberglass Animals, Shapes & Trademarks) is the premier manufacturer of fiberglass statues in America. It’s probably the most well known Sparta tourist attraction as you can stop by the grounds to check out the field of roadside attractions in various states of creation. But before hitting up F.A.S.T. you can see a magnificent sample of Sparta’s fiberglass art in action at the Ben Bikin, the World’s Largest Bicyclist, statue at the entrance to the town."
All photos: courtesy of
Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 9,522 at the 2010 census.
"Just 30 minutes from La Crosse and 8 minutes from Fort McCoy, we offer a small town community with a big personality!", says
the
Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce.
"As the outdoor recreation hub, Sparta offers historic bike trails, a fisherman's paradise, miles of kayaking adventures, an impressive city park system, in addition to city walking trails across hand-built wooden bridges. We really do have something for everyone!"
World's Largest Bicyclist: Testimonials from Trip Advisor
"The little town of Sparta has a nicely kept area where you can see this statue, take some photos, and get a feel for their fantastic bike trail area."
"This statue is fun and is in a nice little park which we walked around to stretch our legs. Sparta calls itself the "bicycle capital of the world". I don't know about that but want to return and do some of the bike trails as we did see a lot of folks biking."
"The attraction is cared for and not run down. The park is well groomed and the bridge was in pretty good shape. For a small town with, I'm sure, a limited budget you'd expect things like this to be run down. Well done Sparta!!"
"Took a break to check it out and have a picture. Worth the stop especially if you have kids along."
"Love this park and the walking trails , you can also enjoy a cool refreshing dip in the stream that runs next to it!!! I love it, very beautiful."
World's Largest Bicyclist
Address: 101 E. Wisconsin Street (Highways
16/71 at Highway
21), Sparta, WI 54656
Phone:
(800) 354-2453
N 43° 56.344 W 090° 48.518
15T E 675872 N 4867439
Cost: Free to see
Hours: Always Visible
Directions: I-90 exits 25 or 28. On the southeast edge of town, in a small park on the southeast corner of Hwy 16/Wisconsin St. and Water St.
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest rideable bicycle has a wheel diameter of 3.3 m (10 ft 9.92 in) and was built by Didi Senft (Germany) and measured at Pudagla, Germany, on 2 October 2012. The bicycle measures 7.8 m (25 ft 7.09 in) long, 3.7 m (12 ft 1.67 in) high and weighs 150 kg (330.69 lb).
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the longest bicycle; it is 47.5 m (155 ft 8 in) long, and was achieved by Bernie Ryan (Australia) as measured and ridden in Paynesville, Victoria, Australia, on 14 November 2020.
