Virginia man rides every roller coaster in the US—all 1,069 of them

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Rick Mathews, 39, of Leesburg, Virginia, has reached an incredible milestone by riding all 1,069 roller coasters in the United States open to adult riders. (Credit: Rick Mathews)

LEESBURG, Va. - A Virginia man claims to have ridden every single roller coaster in the U.S. that allows adults to ride. A total of 1,069 roller coasters. 

Rick Mathews, 39, of Leesburg, said he recently completed his accomplishment last week with the Road Trip Roller Coaster at YesterLand Farm in Canton, Texas. 

He said he rode his first U.S. rollercoaster in 1997 at King's Dominion in Virginia after moving from Cambridge, England. 

What they're saying:

"I love the thrill of them," Mathews said in an interview with FOX Television Stations. "I love…the adrenaline rush and getting everything going."

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The backstory:

Mathews said he has kept up with all the U.S. roller coasters with RCDB.com, an online database that lists every roller coaster in the country. 

He said about seven years ago, he realized that he had about 100 rollercoasters left to ride and traveled heavily across the country to reach his goal. 

Coaster Count, a German-based website that allows riders to track how many rollercoasters they've ridden, verified Mathews' claim to FOX Television Stations, adding that he has ridden on more than 2,200 different roller coasters around the world, in more than 50 countries spread over six continents.

"I love the thrill of them," Mathews told FOX Television Stations. "I love the adrenaline rush and getting everything going." (Credit: Rick Mathews)

Dig deeper:

Mathews said he self-funds his trips, but he has obtained many travel rewards through his work in event production. 

He said his favorite U.S. rollercoaster is the Boulder Dash Coaster in Connecticut, and his least favorite ones in the U.S. are the ones typically geared towards children, which he says can sometimes be "boring."

"I am a big fan of airtime, which is when you kind of get lifted out of your seat as you go over the hills," he added.  "I like when they kind of pull you from side to side as you go through. I'm not as big of a fan of inversions and going upside down. I do still like them, but I'm much more into the airtime."

He said his 13-year-old daughter also likes rollercoasters although she's not necessarily trying to follow in his footsteps. 

Mathews and his 13-year-old daughter. (Credit: Rick Mathews)

What's next:

Mathews said his next goal is to ride every wooden roller coaster in the world. 

"I have 19 left to go, 18 of them are in China," he said. "One is in the United Arab Emirates, and I will ride the one in the United Arab Emirates next week. Then I'm starting China in December. So I will try to ride every wooden roller coaster in the world."