An Erie native who faced a major setback during a cross-country bicycle trip is back home after receiving an outpouring of support from people across the country.

Jon Craig was traveling across the United States in January when his bicycle and most of his gear were stolen in Arizona, leaving him stranded.

“It was like something got torn away, my everything got torn away,” Craig said.

After the theft, Craig launched a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise enough money to purchase a new bike and make his return trip home. The response exceeded his expectations.

“It’s extremely humbling,” Craig said. “There were a lot of moments when I wanted to soak in those bad feelings and just give up, but there is a lot to be said about what could happen when you just keep moving forward.”

Craig reached his fundraising goal of $5,000 in just eight days, thanks to donations from supporters both locally and across the country.

“To be able to just pour my heart out on social media and have a lot of people respond within two weeks was an astonishing feeling,” he said.

Someone eventually located Craig’s stolen bicycle and belongings. Once they were recovered, Craig decided to pay it forward.

“They recovered it and I was able to get that bike back,” Craig said. “The person who let me stay at their home in Tucson had been wanting to get into bikepacking, so I thought, how perfect is that? I got the bike back and passed it on to them, and it made a new home.”

Despite the challenges, Craig said he remained determined to finish what he started.

“It’s a bump in the road and then a push forward with good people,” he said. “It’s almost as if I just had to keep going. There wasn’t anything holding me back at that point.”

Craig was grateful for his family, friends, and strangers for helping him complete the journey.

“For something to turn from bad to good that quickly, I can’t thank anybody enough,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”

Craig said he has no major trips planned in the near future and is looking forward to spending time at home with his family.