ahsposo 

This guy's got it bad. Got married and on his wedding day rode 175 miles.

1 Year, More Than 75,000 Miles: Cyclist Breaks 76-Year-Old Record : The Two-Way : NPR

From NPR.org:

Seventy-five thousand miles is long enough to cross the United States about 25 times. Long enough to circle the equator — three times.

And for 75 years, 75,000 miles was long enough to be legendary. Or more specifically, it was 75,065 miles — the miles-biked-in-a-year record set by Tommy Goodwin in 1939 and never broken since.

But on Monday, a man named Kurt Searvogel pedaled past that mark. On Saturday — the last day of his year of extraordinary biking — he's pushing towards 76,066, a full thousand miles further than Goodwin's legendary feat

So you think you're hardcore?

JanMM

I'm impressed.

Heard that on NPR today - he said that after he broke the record and still had a week to go, he decided it would be ok to not ride if the weather wasn't good. I didn't hear whether or not he was able to refrain from riding a lot of miles every remaining day.

GamblerGORD53

How many miles on the CHEATER bike ?

Machka 

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cy...en-1-year.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...ime-trial.html

Gresp15C

Do you mean, a bike with a derailleur?

bikenh

Problem is given the horribly written rules 100,000 miles in a year is totally possible. Its not psychology easy but its quite easy to do it physically. The rules for HAMR are so poorly written its incredible. They are too many rules that are vague and as a result leave open holes for someone to come in and swallow UMCA whole and show how crummy this challenge really is. I congratulate Kurt on what he has did, VERY impressive. But like I said to start with 100,000 in one year is very doable. Not cheap, but you don't need a crew chief or follow vehicle, actually follow vehicle wouldn't be permitted anyways given how you would have to do the 100,000 miles.

Homebrew01

Sad in my mind. All the other aspects of life missed for 1 obsession.

dim

100 000 miles a year equates to riding 270 miles a day, every day for 365 consecutive days .... pretty impressive

bikenh

Given the right environment, everything controlled, which is legal according to the rules when you learn how to read the rules it's quite easy to do it Head for an indoor velodrome and 100,000 miles in one year is easy...physically...yeah, psychologically is another story. Open road when doing all the getting around yourself, aka given what I've seen posted online, playing fair and not using someone to bring you back from riding 200 miles in a tailwind, or having someone take you to the top of a climb so you ride down it...playing fair and riding open road 75,000 miles is pushing it really far. I've heard Kurt and Steve both haven't played fair though...I kinda seem to hear Tommy didn't either.

FBinNY 

He dogged it for the last week. His average was 1,500 miles/week, yet he ONLY rode a thousand during his "take it easy" week.

bikenh

Sorry, somehow hit the send button before I wanted to.

When you stop to think about it 20 mph * 13.75 hours * 365 days = 100,375. On an indoor velodrome where you have no wind, no gravity, no traffic, no stoplight/stop signs, no rain, temperature controlled, mechanical issues down to next to nothing...100,000 miles in a year is quite doable. When you read the rules for HAMR:

7. Advance notice of routes will not be required. Riders will be required to have an active live tracking device in operation for all mileage to be credited for the attempt. In addition, riders will have a trip recording device (such as a Garmin) that will record the route taken, speed, elevation/gradient and at least one of heart rate or power. Riders will be responsible for carrying backup batteries to power whatever device/app we decide upon. The devices used will be subject to the approval of the Records Chairman. Ride data will be posted daily within 24 hours of the completion of the ride. Tracking/recording devices shall be tested at least two weeks prior to the start of the attempt to ensure that the Records Chairman will be able to access the data.

Notice it doesn't say it HAS to be a GPS unit. It say a tracking device. Use 3(easy math and easy detailed tracking) encoded trip sensors along the track placed 120 degrees apart. When tripped the sensors sends the signal to the computer recording the date and time the sensor was tripped and also puts that information up on a web page. At the same time also put a webcam and show live video of the attempt during the entire year. Guiness pretty much wants you jump through hoops Tommy didn't have to jump through to be able to certify you broke Tommy's record, one of those things is they want video, so give them both record video, with date and time stamp right on the video as well as given them the live web feed of the video.

FBinNY 

It's easy to theorize that something is possible or "quite doable" and a much different thing to actually do it. 280 or even 300 miles in a day isn't hard, (my personal record is 380 miles New York to Montreal in 24 hours) nor is 1,500 miles in a week, but neither translates to 2,000 miles per week for 52 consecutive weeks, even on enclosed velodrome.

It should be noted that at least two others attempted the record this year, and this was the only one successful. I'm sure that the record will fall if others try, but that doesn't detract from the achievement. Nor does the fact only a somewhat crazy person would attempt it.

bikenh

First the more you ride the better in shape you get. I ride 20,000 miles a year and have for the past several years now. I know the longer you do something the better you get at and the longer you can do it at a stretch. I've watched over the past several years how much better I've gotten. I know my biggest setbacks come from ignorance more than anything else at times. You can be too dumb for your own good. I am.

What Kurt has did is flat out incredible. I don't knock him for a second. Knowing what I read and what I have heard from other ultracyclists I think if Kurt had thought his whole year out a little more carefully he probably would have hit 100,000 miles. He's that kind of guy. I don't think he paid enough attention to the rules and I don't think he really thought out the attempt all the well. He is very competitive and he doesn't like adversity, so he put himself in a position where he couldn't avoid the adversity whether it be the weather or the climbing. Not many people out there could do it, that's for sure.

I saw in another post that someone else is thinking about throwing their hat in the challenge. I'm kinda curious who it is. Wander if it a name I recognize or not.

Machka 

Not unless you know a New Zealander, living in the UK, who has started the challenge here in Australia.

You can go look it up. I posted a link and he's got a Facebook page.

mightymax

Must not have to work a job I would guess. I rode 6830 miles last year and it was only because having to pay bills and hold a full time job got in the way. I can't imagine 76 thousand.
Max Bryant

bikenh

You mean Miles Smith? I must have misunderstood your post elsewhere. I thought you was referring to someone that was talking quite seriously about doing it, not someone who had already started. The only two that the UMCA website shows is Miles and Steve currently doing HAMR.

Machka 

No, I don't mean Miles Smith. Miles has dropped out.

The new addition to the people attempting to break this record started January 1, 2016 in Adelaide. Go look in the Long Distance forum.

Machka 

Here ...

bikenh

HAMR website only show Steve and Miles as having any potential current attempts. I realize from following along and seeing Miles hasn't did anything since Nov/Dec time frame that he had dropped out but the site doesn't show anyone else going for it. Bruce's name sure doesn't appear in those that are being tracked. Sorry, just finished reading the article after typing above. I take it Bruce isn't going to for HAMR then, only the Guiness record? As I understand it from Kurt, going back to emails with hime back to fall 2014, pretty much you have to have a mega budget, much more than Kurt's to even try to break the Guiness record. Guiness so much verification, video included that it makes it almost a million dollar attempt to try to break Tommy's record. I'll have to check out Strava. Thanks!

Nachoman

I totally agree. Even pedaling just a few thousand miles a year, I sacrifice many things.

Machka 

And yet ... for me ... cycling several thousand kilometres each year ... I gained so many things. I lived life!

The Quiet One

That's more than I've driven in the past 5 years.

Machka 

Probably a good thing.

SlinkyWizard

This sounds totally unbelievable to a newbie, may I ask , on average how fast do you people go in km/h? So far, the fastest I have gone on a bike is 49km/h ( timed ) going down a medium hill. This is just mind boggling. Like solving a Rubiks cube in less than 5 seconds.

Phil_gretz

Now what?