Brace yourselves, Spokane. We have officially hit the skids.

No, not another story about downtown parking garage litigation. This is the kind of long slide Jim David believes will bring fame to our city, not infamy.

David, 40, is a securities and insurance agent for the Principal Financial Group.

That's the day job. In his off hours, the father of two dons a stretchy Lycra suit and prefers to be known as Mr. Super Skid.

With good reason.

Just days ago David received a fax from England telling him that the 337.54-foot continuous skid he made on his bicycle last spring had been accepted as a Guinness World Record.

That's right. The Lilac City is now Skid Mark Mecca of the Cosmos.

"I am able to confirm that you are the current Guinness World Record holder," wrote Belinda Jordan, a Keeper of the Records. "Your record has been entered into our database."

Never at a loss for words, the kyperkinetic David is issuing statements faster than Don King on a post fight espresso binge.

"I'll be forever linked as the grandfather of the Super Skid," he said. "I expect a phone call from the mayor. Maybe the key to the city?

"This could lead to lower taxes. Better streets. I don't care what it is, I'll tie it in somehow.

"Let's blow this out of proportion!"

No problem there, Jim. I practically wore out two felt-tipped pens trying to keep up with this guy's verbiage.

"Look at the Spice Girls. Look at people who have been given celebrity for things that are insignificant. And I personally don't consider this insignificant,"he added in a wordy blaze.

"This is like the Nobel Prize. What's the difference?"

Here's the engaging thing about David. True, he is deadly serious about hsi, ahem, skidding prowess. But the man also has enough humor to appreciate the zaniness of it all.

One thing is clear, however.

David is Bill Clonton on a bicycle when it comes to slip-sliding away.

It has always been that way. As a kid, he became obsessed with locking up his back tire to see how long a rubber trail he could leave.

When it comes to skidding, at least, David never grew up. He just got better.

So last April, after hearing a Guinness representative on the radio, he took his bike and an entourage to the Spokane Raceway Park drag strip for a record-setting skid.

Speed was no problem. Fit and lean, David logs 120 miles a week on his bike.

With the wind pushing his backside, he left a 425-foot skid on his first run. His second skid, this time facing the breeze, measured nearly 250 feet.

The two were averaged to produce the record length., David used an off-the-Ashelf Giant road bike with standard pneumatic tires on a flat surface.

It helped that David's pal's treated the event like they were working a NASA moon shot. They videotaped. They measured.

Guinness is extremely picky when it comes to establishing a record. Every aspect is thoroughly checked and rechecked.

The only down side is that David's big moment came too late for this year's Guinness Book of World Records. There's a decent chance, however, that he could make next year's edition.

That is, unless another lone rider comes along to set the new "Longest Continuous Skid on a Bicycle."

Not on your 10-speed, vowed Mr. Super Skid.

"This is mine. This is my destiny. I don't care if it's Lance Armstrong, I'll destroy him. You don't see me invading the (Tour de France)."

David paused for a breath.

"Don't worry," he assured. "This is gonna stay in Spokane!"

- Doug Clark, Spokesman-Review