Thomas Sweeney has pedaled more miles than the circumference of the globe, and that is just to and from work as an elementary school teacher in Loveland.

He rides his bicycle to and from his home in Fort Collins every day, rain, shine, wind and snow, tallying more than 29,000 miles over about eight years.

His coldest ride was when temperatures hit eight below. He has battled hefty winds and pedaled through pouring rain. He burns through about four chains, four sets of tires and three sets of brake pads each year.

And he loves every minute of it.

“I’ve never wished I was in a car,” said the fifth-grade teacher at Sarah Milner Elementary School. “Even on those bad days.”

Photos along the way To see a sampling of photos teacher Thomas Sweeney took on his daily bike rides to and from work along with slide shows from each of the past four years, visit his website at www.ridetoschool.shutterfly.com.

An avid cyclist since he was 12 years old, Sweeney has always loved seeing the world around him from the seat of his two-wheeled bicycle.

So, it only seemed natural to him to start riding it to and from work. After all, he was concerned about the environment and wanted to cut down on vehicle trips.

He has routinely ridden his bike to and from work for the past eight years, but four years ago, he started riding every single day. He has not driven a day since, even arriving at school twice only to find out school was canceled because of a blizzard.

“I’ve had four perfect years,” said Sweeney.

Wednesday marked his 1,224th day riding to and from school. At 24 miles round trip, the very least he rides each day, that calculates to 29,376 total miles or 4,475 miles more than the distance around the circumference of the globe.

During those four years, Sweeney blended his love of photography with his love of cycling and began taking at least one photograph per day and posting it on social media for friends and family to see.

Then at the end of each school year, he compiles those daily photos into a YouTube slide show that mixes everything from birds to patterns in the snow to moving traffic to the full moon framed in the silhouette of a tree. His photos capture the weather, the architecture and the sites along his route, mixing the routine with the breathtaking.

Tallying up all those miles in the seat of his Soma (and his old Trek mountain bike on snowy days) led Sweeney to try another adventure.

He embarked upon several week bicycle tours over the past two summers, through which he has now cycled on four continents — North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has pedaled a combined 5,999 miles through 11 countries including Portugal, Switzerland, Croatia and the Republic of Georgia.

He figured if he could tally so many miles in basically a circle between Loveland and Fort Collins, he may as well put on some miles seeing the world. So, he filled four panniers on his bike, two in front and two in back, with supplies, including his trusty camera, and hit the road.

And once again, this school year, he is back to cycling every day and aiming for a fifth perfect year.

For Sweeney, it’s a routine he plans to continue. It’s just what he does.

“In education, they say it takes 28 days to make a habit,” Sweeney said. “I’m at 1,224 days.”

Pamela Johnson: 970-699-5405, johnsonp@reporter-herald.com, twitter.com/RHPamelaJ.