MARIETTA, Ga. — What started as a joke soon turned into reality.
Georgia Tech student, Ali Amirfazli picked up biking as a hobby at the beginning of the pandemic. He said he quickly fell in love with the sport but wanted to challenge himself more.
"I was getting annoyed," he said. "Why do I always have to turn around? I want to go forward."
He joked with friends and family that he would keep riding forward until he made it to the other side of the country.
Then, last December, he proved he wasn't kidding.
"It stopped being a joke, and it started being real," he said.
Amirfazli wrapped up his final exams, skipped his undergraduate graduation at Georgia Tech, and hit the road. He biked about 100 miles a day for a month.
He planned along the way, finding hotels and mapping his route each night.
Of course, he hit some bumps in the road. Mechanical issues on the bike and severe weather, like strong winds and snow, did not make his journey easy. But, he didn't give up.
"I had to keep going not just for myself but for everyone who was involved in my story," he said.
He documented his journey on his Instagram page. Seeing their responses, he said, motivated him to keep pushing.
He hopes his trip motivates others to achieve their goals big or small.
"Don't be afraid to tackle a problem you don't think you're ready for," he said. "You can surprise yourself. I surprised myself every single day I was on the trip."
He's now working toward another goal: completing his Master's degree at Georgia Tech.