George Artin

Early life George Artin Tajirian was born on 5 November 1941 in Baghdad, Iraq. When he was young, his parents gifted him a red bicycle because he was a "destructive youngster", thinking that "it would keep him away from the house where [he] would destroy everything in sight." By October 1968, his collection of bicycles had grown to 28, including "two 24-pound white racers" that he took to the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Career In February of 1967 in Paris, France, Tajirian cycled for 129 and a half hours without eating or sleeping, setting a world record for cycling endurance. He stated that "[his] only nourishment was some water [and that he] had a flask strapped to my racer."

Later life

Tajirian died on 30 November 2001.