How to Bike Over a Million Miles

Sept. 18, 2006 — -- It doesn't take long to realize that there is something special about Freddie Hoffman. Whether it's his firm handshake, his intense stare when he meets someone, the cadence of his voice or the matter-of-fact nature of his words, it's clear that Hoffman will do whatever he sets his mind to.

Born with an oxygen deficiency to his brain, Hoffman entered the world with certain challenges most of us will never face. The sense of self-esteem, which might have been torn down by the cruelty of children on the playground, came back a pedal push at a time once Hoffman discovered the freedom he could have on two wheels.

"Other boys didn't accept me, so I turned to my bicycle as a brother, companion and even a playmate and counselor," said Hoffman. It was something I could do on my own without the help of others."

Inspired by watching astronauts land on the moon, Hoffman realized at a young age that his limitations would keep him from becoming an astronaut, in the literal sense. So he decided to ride the distance to the moon (approximately 238,856 miles) on his bicycle.

Now 48, Hoffman long ago reached that goal. He said he's totaled 1.3 million miles, far enough to make it to the moon and back -- twice.

"I actually have a lifetime average of 81.4 miles per day over the past 41 years. My diary has recorded about 24,700 days riding and approximately 1,500 days that I entered zero that I didn't ride," Hoffman said.

He has taken thousands of photographs of places he has been. His travels have taken him across the United States more than 20 times, over all 48 contiguous states -- across mountain passes and deserts, through the smallest towns and the biggest cities, sometimes to the most desolate corners of America. "I've been on roads that are not even published on maps where I could go all day. ... I had one instance in Nevada where I rode 200 miles, and not a car passed me on the highway," he said.