(Photo: huanqiu.com)

Liu Jinsong, a 46-year-old restaurant owner, is in the midst of an incredible journey that has led him across 6,500 miles as well as countless towns and cities on his way to Moscow, Russia to see the World Cup.

According to Huanqiu.com, Liu’s goal is to reach Russia to see the World Cup by himself. His cycling trip started on April 26 when he left Manzhouli, a city in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Presently, Liu is biking along national highway 107 and is 1,800 miles into Russia. While that might seem like a lot of miles, Liu is only 2/3 finished with his trip.

Liu said that he is a huge fan of retired football star Diego Maradona as well as Manchester United. He said he chose a bicycle as his mode of transportation to express his passion for soccer.

However, his journey has not been without setbacks. Even though Liu has been on the road from nearly two months, there are some days when he cannot ride due to inclement weather conditions. Other times, Liu said he has been unable to find shelter from heavy rain and has had to combat hunger.

Despite these problems, Liu said he’s been lucky to have met so many warmhearted people to help him overcome adversity. One man in particular, a herdsman by the name of Chayriguet, was kind enough to offer Liu a ride, a warm meal, and shelter.

Liu is thankful for all the help he’s received from strangers and friends during his journey.

“It’s because of them I can make this trip come true,” Liu said.

Liu said his fascination with Chinese folk rock music also influenced his decision to make the trip to Russia, because he would get to travel through many Chinese cities depicted in his favorite songs.

Though he is alone in his trip, Liu keeps a running diary of his exploits by sharing his moments in a WeChat group with his friends. Liu said his friends use WeChat along with Google maps and Maps.me to inform him about weather, altitudes, and road conditions.