Russia Tour Diary: 4,000km, 12 countries: The bicycle trip of an Argentina fan in Moscow

Moscow, June 15: Marcando Paso looked a lost man when he was riding his bicycle towards the FIFA Fan Fest at Vorobyovy Gory.

I actually chased him down at the signal just outside the Red Square - the centre of Moscow, gushing through the cars that were shocked to see me cross when there was a green light for them. Paso finally noticed me as he turned back to look at a Russian girl, also gesturing at him to stop.

Paso, an Argentina fan, rode a bicycle for three months from the beginning of March - from Barcelona to Moscow - to support Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano at the FIFA World Cup 2018.

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Yet, the Argentinian could only spare three minutes of his time to answer questions of his journey as he was getting late for the opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

"I have travelled 4,000 km across 12 countries which are Spain (country of origin), France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and finally Russia," Paso, also a Barcelona fan, said.

"I hold an Italian passport and we don't need visa for Argentinian people. I reached Russia one week ago itself. But I was at Bronnitsky, the place where the Argentina national team was training. After that I reached Moscow and I'm staying with a family here through the app called couchsurfing."

What spurred Paso to make the trip all the way from Catalunya to reach Moscow? Well, he says the message was to inspire Argentina, who closely lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, to finally bag the Cup this time as a tribute to their stalwart Messi.

"I wanted to show the passion I have towards football and more importantly, how crucial the World Cup is for Argentina. I have done this to inspire Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano at this World Cup."

The journey was not easy to say the least. Paso had to encounter storm threat for the last month nearby Russia and still turn up unscathed.

"The distance I traveled was 4,000 km from Barcelona. Roughly 100 km a day I managed by starting in the beginning of March," he said.

"The first three weeks of my trip was tough. I never trained for this and that's why it took a toll on me. I just took the bicycle and started riding. When I started off, I did not think I'll reach here by June 14 for the opening game. It was a personal challenge and it worked because here I am."

Paso looks fit enough to manage a 100 kilometres a day but he often felt dehydrated along the way. Fortunately for him, he always got help at the required time and even found a riding companion from Czech Republic.

"Many helped along the way like how they do in India. Yes, I have been there many times, travelled across Rajasthan," he said.

"There is another rider but he did not travel as much as me. We rode together for the last month from Prague (Czech Republic)."

Amid all the World Cup hype, Paso did not have much time - or money - to book his tickets for all Argentina matches at the FIFA World Cup. He's only watching the one game - against Nigeria - in the group stages. But he obviously knows that Argentina will go much further in the tournament.

"I only have a ticket for the Nigeria vs Argentina match in St Petersburg. I'm using the free train to go there and not riding!" he said.

"So I'm here in Russia for the next month and I'll head back on July 15 back to Spain by bicycle. The party goes on till 11 pm on July 15 and it starts now! Now I'm heading to the fan fest, which is 8 km from here," he signed off.

You can follow Paso's adventures on Instagram.

(myKhel.com correspondent Aravind S is in Russia, covering the event though typically from a fan's perspective).