{"692528":{"#nid":"692528","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Alumnus Biking 7,500 Miles Across Los Angeles ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing mathematical formulas, engineering principles, and a curiosity for exploration, a Georgia Tech alumnus is on a path to biking every public street in Los Angeles, covering more than 7,500 miles. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarc Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Ebegan cycling after joining the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;opi=89978449\u0026amp;url=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GTTriathlon\/\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwjenIzgj86WAxV55MkDHWbaFfUQFnoECBIQAQ\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw19VCllCdcZW9-Vf_qa_aIN\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Triathlon Club\u003C\/a\u003E while pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering. From his first ride on the Silver Comet Trail to weekend biking trips at Stone Mountain, he discovered that his newfound hobby could lead him to places he might not otherwise explore.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis showed me the distances it was possible to move by bike, and how it can bring you to a wide range of beautiful places,\u201d Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Esaid. \u201cI learned to love how bikes made exploration of the surrounding world so effortless, how you didn\u2019t even need to venture too far to see new things. Often, you could discover things hidden in plain sight right in your own neighborhood.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter graduating in 2021, Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Emoved to Pasadena, California. It didn\u2019t take him long to bike each square mile of the suburb. By 2023, as the two wheels of his 1989 Trek 400 carried him into new areas, he began to toy with the idea of riding every street in the city. By November 2024, he had fully committed to it. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust as he did when crafting routes from Buckhead to Bankhead while living in Atlanta, Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Eused math in his search for the most efficient way to cover large areas. He used distance formulas to recognize riding patterns, which led to the realization that the streets of Los Angeles could be modeled as a mathematical graph to solve the route inspection problem. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlanning is only part of his journey, which has come to be known as \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/lifestyle\/story\/2026-08-04\/biking-every-street-los-angeles-marc-papas\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Project\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d He has now completed nearly 85% of the route, often forced to deviate from his mathematical approach due to environmental factors such as road closures and construction. Putting his degree into practice, he performs his own bike maintenance and likens caring for the frame to the upkeep of tools required to complete a lab experiment. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENavigating each hurdle, Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Eis reminded that he is charting his own course, but it\u2019s not a new feeling for the Tech graduate.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeyond a certain point, there is no blueprint. When trying to find details on riding in specific areas or streets, there\u2019s often no prior knowledge that I can use as a base. I\u2019m effectively creating my own system and approach to venturing into unknown territory. But, instead of being purely daunting, it was also exciting. Because dealing with the uncharted and presenting what I find to the world is exactly the sort of thing my Ph.D. has prepared me for,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat same excitement motivates Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Eeach time he prepares to traverse a new street or area.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCuriosity is the driving force behind the project, because I will see areas on the map and simply be curious about what\u2019s there. When I identify where I\u2019ve decided to ride that day, I will look up the neighborhood, find out where its name came from, what its history is, when it was annexed into the city, and what its function and role in the city is. In a way, I\u2019m doing a literature review of the area to supplement the experience of riding around,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll roads lead back to Georgia Tech in some ways. Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Euses an app called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wandrer.earth\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWandrer.earth\u003C\/a\u003E, which he downloaded in 2019, to track his progress. It wasn\u2019t until he began his LA adventure that he realized the app was created by fellow Yellow Jacket alumnus Craig Durkin. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs word spreads about his journey, Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Ehas engaged with local safe-street advocates and enjoys sharing his experience regarding safety and bike infrastructure with fellow riders. He hopes that his project can \u201cinspire positive changes in the surrounding built environment.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Since 2024, Marc Papakyriakou has been attempting to pedal down every street in Los Angeles. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESince 2024, Marc Papakyriakou\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Ehas been attempting to pedal down every street in Los Angeles.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Since 2024, Marc Papakyriakou has been attempting to pedal down every street in Los Angeles. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-09-10 18:37:24","changed_gmt":"2026-09-10 18:45:51","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681133":{"id":"681133","type":"image","title":"Marc Papakyriakou","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto courtesy of Marc Papakyriakou\/Instagram.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1789065874","gmt_created":"2026-09-10 18:44:34","changed":"1789065874","gmt_changed":"2026-09-10 18:44:34","alt":"Marc Papakyriakou","file":{"fid":"265493","name":"imgi_2_482822562_923684679847720_1121730920957190628_n.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/10\/imgi_2_482822562_923684679847720_1121730920957190628_n.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/10\/imgi_2_482822562_923684679847720_1121730920957190628_n.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":467831,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/10\/imgi_2_482822562_923684679847720_1121730920957190628_n.jpg?itok=_bjp3ala"}}},"media_ids":["681133"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/lifestyle\/story\/2026-08-04\/biking-every-street-los-angeles-marc-papas","title":"Is Los Angeles the World\u2019s Best Biking City? He\u2019s Biked 5,840-Plus Miles in One Year to Find Out"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"13494","name":"Los Angeles"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013\u0026nbsp;Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}