Bicycle Streak Cyclists Runners Athletes Cycling Mileage Junkies

The Pasadena Cycling Club circa 1887 A streak cyclist, or a streak athlete for that matter, is someone who rides (runs, swims, etc.) every day trying to string together as many consecutive days of riding as possible. And, even in cycling’s earliest days (photo) it wasn’t uncommon for riders to track their mileage trying to better their peers or top their previous year’s effort, witness Karl Kron’s book published in 1887, Ten Thousand Miles on a Bicycle (a highwheel bicycle, too!).

I first heard the term while running cross country in high school around 1970, and a friend and I tried to top each other putting together weeks of uninterrupted streaks a few times. Later we heard about British great Ron Hill who won the 1970 Boston Marathon and who is said to have logged a 20-year streak. He held himself to a high standard running twice each day. He once injured his ankle so badly he had to hop his runs to keep the streak alive, and it only ended after an automobile crash left him in a coma.

I was quite inspired by Ron Hill, but what made me start riding every day was aging. Up until I was about 35, I could ride or not ride and still feel pretty good on the bike as long as the riding I was doing was quality riding. Yet, only a couple of years later, even a single day off left me feeling stale and stiff and unhappy on the bike. So, in 1990, I set a goal of streak cycling for ten years. This was a pact I made with myself. I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t know if I could do it and I felt it would be hard enough to keep the promise to myself. I also decided not to record the rides in any way but to simply commit to giving it my best try and see if it was possible to ride every day for 3,650 days.

I kept the ride requirements simple: to go for a real ride every day. By a real ride, I meant that I had to get suited up and go out for approximately an hour. I didn’t have to kill myself, but it had to be a real ride where I broke a sweat and got out for a good local loop or, if the weather was bad enough, pedaled in place on an indoor trainer (to me, much harder than riding outside).

Before I tell you how my streak has gone, I’d like to say that I believe anyone who’s a little stubborn and determined can do this. It’s just a matter of making up your mind to do it and making it happen; that and a little luck. In fact, you probably brush your teeth every day already. Don’t laugh. Cycling every day isn’t all that much harder. Really. And it has wonderful benefits like almost never getting sick, always feeling comfortable on the bike, being able to peak for races or events quickly and easily, staying fit and trim and eating what you like (within reason), and having good, positive energy most of the time.

My streak went smoothly for almost 3 years from January 1, 1990 to December 23, 1993. A highlight was a cross-country driving trip in a rental truck packed with stuff we moved from New England to our new home in California. I strapped my beautiful Richard Sachs on the back of the truck for easy access and each morning early, before the family was up and ready to roll, I got in my ride. In this fashion I enjoyed a spectacular view of Mount Rushmore, a ripping tailwind in Cody, Wyoming and the sheer terror of rush hour in Las Vegas.

Then the whole thing came to a crashing halt, when on a frigid morning, just two days before Christmas in 1993 I hit black ice in the Santa Cruz Mountains, went down hard and broke my right hip. I was sure it meant the end of serious cycling for me, however, the doctor explained that it’s a very common cycling accident and that I’d be fine once he put me back together again, which required 3 4-inch-long stainless-steel screws to pull the bone back together (I asked for titanium, but they said stainless is good enough).

The doc was right. After only six days off the bike, on December 30, 1993, I started my new streak riding on a trainer one legged, my healing leg propped up on a soapbox per doctor's orders. I realize in hindsight that if I had only had a little more resolve, I probably could have found an exercise bike in the hospital and not even taken a day off, which would have kept the streak alive!

But, I didn't, and I lost those six days. The good news is that the broken hip made me even more determined to complete the 10 years of non-stop rides and I hit that mark a few years back and just kept right on going. I'm now working on my 15th year of consecutive rides and very proud to have made it this far.

Enough about me, though. I want to tell you about some other truly impressive streak cyclists and mileage junkies who have done, or are doing things I could never dream of accomplishing. If you know of other streak cyclists or mileage junkies, please let me know and I’ll add them to this page with whatever information you provide or I can round up.

Scott Dickson
Scott writes, “My cumulative mileage since I began tracking it (January 1973) is 710,000. There’s probably another 5 to 6K prior to that from tours (Iowa to Minnesota, Iowa to Wyoming), training, and racing, but I do not count that since it was not properly logged. So far I have 1,826 century days (days with 100+ miles). I have at least one century every month for 301 consecutive months.

Winters in Iowa where I used to live were always a challenge. February 28 & 29 and December 5 & 13 are the only calendar dates in which I have not ridden a century, and I hope to pick those off over 2007-8, weather permitting. Spending 10 winters in Austin, Texas really helped in picking up the dates that would have been difficult in the north.

I have ridden every day (outside) for 8,645 consecutive days (24 years this May). The last time I missed riding a day in October, November, December was 1972. The last time I missed riding a day in January and February, June, July, August, & September was 1973. My minimum mileage is 3, but for almost 10 years from 1988 to 1998, the minimum was 20. I still remember doing 20 miles on the mountain bike in Iowa City when the high temperature was minus 15 degrees. There was a 15mph NW wind, but at least it was sunny.

Since my last day off the bike, I have logged 549,000 miles, 1,472 centuries, and 381 race wins. Over the past 25 years (1982-2006) my shortest year was 2001 at 21,397 miles. My biggest year was 1987 with 27,513 miles, 171 century days, and 42 race victories (including PBP). My two shortest years since 1980 are 20,370 (1980) and 21,397 (2000). My 25-year average is 23,200. I currently have 422 race victories since 1965, too. Plus, I have plenty of other obscure, yet interesting streaks, such as the number of years riding at midnight at New Years, and consecutive miles of racing in Europe without losing a race.”

Freddie Hoffman
I spoke with Freddie a few times on the phone when I was working at Bicycling Magazine, but I’ve never met him personally. I don’t know Freddie’s cycling stats, but he is said to have pedaled more than a million miles and according to David Perry's fine book Bike Cult, once covered 115 miles one legged after suffering a knee injury. And most of his miles have been ridden on basic bicycles (Perry also says that Freddie did his first century in 10 hours on a Schwinn Sting-Ray!), without cycling clothing and unsupported, too. I will add any more facts as I can turn them up.

If you’re interested in becoming a streak cyclist, my advice is to go for it. Just take it one day at a time, stay determined and you’ll probably find that the more days you chalk up, the more you’ll want to keep the streak alive. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.