Despite being the first African country to play at the World Cup, Egypt has been absent from the tournament since 1990 until their recent qualification last October.

Apparently, the qualification means the world to Egyptian, Mohamed Nufal who has set off for Russia 2018 on his bicycle!

According to Reuters, Nufal started his trip last Saturday with a group of cyclists and friends who escorted him out of Cairo to boost his morale. Spending 65 days on the road, he hopes to make it to Russia in time for Egypt’s first match on June 19.

To make sure nothing stops him from getting to watch the Pharaohs play in Russia, Nufal packed spare parts, an extra phone, batteries and camping gear.

Considering the distance between Egypt and Russia is 1,800 miles, you’d naturally expect him to take a flight – cutting his travel time to about 3 hours and 42 minutes. However, the 24-year-old explained what the trip means to him:

“It is about the road more than the arrival. If it were just about the World Cup, I would take a plane. It is a great chance for me to see new things.”

On his way to Russia, Nufal will go through Jordan, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. He plans to fly over Syria and Iraq for security reasons.