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Every day, Rob Peterson wakes up and takes his stationary bike to a public spot in California’s Marin County and cycles up to 100 miles for a cause he holds dear to his heart — showing support for the State of Israel and Jewish people and raising awareness of antisemitism.
Peterson, who was approaching the 121,000-mile mark when he recently spoke with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), already holds the RecordSetter world mark for most cumulative miles recorded on a stationary bicycle, and his goal is to reach 250,000 miles within the next three years.
“I’m on my way,” he said. “I pedal very slowly, but I get the mileage in. I’m very mobile with it, I take it all over the place. I’m in gyms, at intersections, street corners, parks, anywhere where there are people congregating.”
Peterson, 62, is a retired tennis pro and real estate developer who also holds Guinness World Records for most consecutive tennis serves and longest tennis rally. His cycling mission began in 2016, to benefit research on multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease his daughter is afflicted with.
In 2020, Peterson underwent hip surgery, but he was back cycling within several months, with his eyes on the quarter million-mile target.
Since the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel, Peterson’s cycling has taken on a new purpose. He now rides next to a placard with a QR donation code for Operation Life Shield, an Israeli non-profit organization that builds bomb shelters in communities prone to rocket attacks.
“In 2008, my wife and I founded a small ministry called ‘Two Christians for Israel,” Peterson said. “God put in our hearts a love for Israel and the Jewish people, I can’t really explain it, it’s a God thing. We bless Israel, through giving, prayer, and special events like these fitness challenges, and speaking out in support of Israel and trying to educate people who we come in contact with.”
When he cycles in public, Peterson seeks to teach his onlookers about the situation in Israel.
“We have a handout that explains the truth about Israel,” he said. “We live in an area, the reception is lukewarm, let’s put it that way, so we’re able to educate people on the truth about what’s going on in Israel and the dangers of antisemitism.”
“Initially, right after October 7th, everybody was very supportive,” Peterson noted. “But it seems like it’s waned over the past few months, and everybody is kind of buying the lies they are seeing about Israel in the media.”
Peterson’s ultimate goal is to get a tour vehicle sponsor and travel all over northern California, as well as Texas, where he and his wife own another home near San Antonio.
“I plan to just keep on pedaling, as long as my body holds up,” he said.
For more information, Peterson can be contacted at: StationaryBikeWorldRecord@yahoo.com
