Kurt Searvogel aiming to ride more than 75,000 miles in a year

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It won't bring him fortune or fame. In fact, it will cost him about $75,000. Even ardent cyclists might not be paying attention.

"Somebody asked me why I'm doing this and I said, 'I don't know,' " says Searvogel. He paused to think about it, then laughed. "I guess because I have to. I don't know why I have to. I just have to do this."

"This" is the record for most cycling miles pedaled in a year.

In 1939, Britons Tommy Godwin and Bernard Bennett set out separately to top the mark of 62,657 miles, ridden by Australia's Ossie Nicholson in 1937. Bennett went more that 65,000 miles, Godwin did 75,065. Godwin's record -- officially known as the Highest Annual Mileage Record (HAMR) by the UltraMarathon Cycling Association (UMCA) -- has stood all the years since.