ATLANTA — A Georgia Tech student traveled 2,228.4 miles from Marietta, Georgia, to Los Angeles, California, by bike.
“I bought a bike during quarantine and the idea of riding across the country somehow seemed like a good one. A lot of people laughed at me, didn’t believe that I could do it, or just looked at me like I was crazy,” said computational science and engineering student Ali Amirfazli.
In preparation for taking the challenge, Amirfazli trained on the Silver Comet and skipped commencement. Instead, the Fall 2020 industrial engineering graduate set out for the trip, setting a rough goal of 100 miles per day. He wanted the whole trip to be about four weeks.
According to Amirfazli, his favorite part of the country was the area between Flagstaff, Arizona, and the start of his final approach into LA. He liked the descent along epic mountains, riding through the Mojave Desert, and seeing “Los Angeles” on the highway signs as he was about to touchdown.
During his journey, Amirfazli faced several problems, including broken bicycle parts, multiple flat tires, snowy conditions, and low temperatures.
“I just had to remember that between weather, road conditions, and everything else around me, a lot of things are out of my control during this trip. All I can do is put myself on the bike from sunup to sundown and if I don’t make it to LA on time, then it wasn’t for lack of effort,” said Amirfazi.
He finally arrived with his bike in Los Angeles after an intense 24-day journey.