A New Jersey cyclist will be riding 11,000 miles around the United States to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis.

Jeffrey Brath will spend the next six months riding his bike through 31 states around the country.

“I’m going to have a great six months. Get some good sunburn and see a lot of the country,” he says. “And hopefully help influence parts of the MS community, inspire people to maybe get involved and help out.”

Brath’s ride started two weeks ago in Florida. He is currently in North Carolina and is headed to Maine. He will then travel to the West Coast and then back to Florida. He says that he expects to bike just about every day through the end of October.

He says that he has done something like this before when he rode across the country. But that was only 3,000 miles. He says that he has learned some important lessons along the way.

“Gas station hot dogs are never a good idea no matter how hungry you are,” Brath says.

Brath says that the hardest part of the trip is to be mentally prepared.

“It’s really the mental game that gets you. Sitting on those long open stretches in Montana where you’re just eating headwind all day or going down in Arizona and dealing with the immense heat. So it’s all a head game after you’re physically ready for it,” he says.

Brath’s bike is stocked with everything he needs for the trip, from maps and flashlights, to motivational stickers. He also has a sleeping bag because he usually sleeps in campgrounds and parks. He says sometimes he is hosted by a family.

“It’s a lot of fun, you’re hanging out with a group of people, and you’re getting really involved with them…You really kind of form a great little family by the end of the trip,” Brath says.

Brath says that is his riding for MS because his uncle suffers from the condition. He has set up a fundraiser to help.