Cyclist making 577-mile ride to New Orleans to raise money for education nonprofit

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A metro Atlanta man is starting a big journey. Sedrick Alphonzo is cycling from DeKalb County to New Orleans over the next five days in an effort raise money for an education non-profit.

The moments before Sedrick Alphonzo started on his five-day journey were filled with excitement and prayer.

"Well one I'm going to ride a bike today 577 miles starting right here at Stonecrest Mall and we're going to ride all the way to New Orleans." Alphonzo said.

He's making the trip in an effort to raise money for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called Achieve 365.

"So, Achieve 365 is going to help students build social skills necessary to get out into the real world and compete. In addition to that, we're going to help them with applications to college, FAFSA, which is the application to student aid, as well as transition into employment if that's what they want to do," he said.

The goal is to raise $150,000 to start initiatives in the Atlanta area and another in New Orleans. Alphonzo is a high school counselor, so he's seen the need for these kind of services for his students.

"In the education system we have to do something to address those social and emotional needs." he said.

His trip across four states on two wheels is not just about raising the money.

He will be breaking up the ride across five days. The first day he plans to ride 118 miles, followed by 147 miles the second day. He says his longest ride to date has been 100 miles, but he's up for the challenge.

"The goal is to inspire people to do things they've never done. I've never done anything like this, but guess what, you can do it too," Alphonzo said.

To learn more about the ride and the mission visit: https://go.rallyup.com/achieve-365/Campaign/Details