The Ride

The morning started early with a challenge: fitting everything onto the rack. Classic beginner's mistake: Sixteen kilograms of gear staring back at me, and I had no idea what to leave behind. (Eventually, a few items will find their way into a parcel bound for home.)

My last day in the Waterford office flew by in a blur, followed by a farewell party with the awesome IBM Z team at Geoff's Pub in the city. Well-wishes and the surreal feeling of closing a chapter. That's it—I'm "officially" retired now.

Tomorrow, the first stage begins for real.

My Irish friends gave me two gifts for the road: 

• A bike jersey with my home destination printed on the back — challenge accepted. 
• And a compass, engraved with Waterford's coordinates, to find my way to the continent... and back again.

Last working week, last set of meetings, last business trip to Ireland, many good-byes and a farewell. I have been fortunate to build a career that has been both deeply fulfilling and rich in playful curiosity. Now all this comes to a full stop (for now). 
Here's what I'll treasure most: the people and the colors.
From IBM "blue" to Lotus "yellow", Acoustic "green", and Red Hat "red" — each team, partner, and customer added richness to my story. And my final chapter with building an entirely new team in Waterford, Ireland? Simply unforgettable.

The countdown begins. 

I am wrapping up my last month at the office while sneaking in training rides around the neighborhood in Herrenberg. The weather has been perfect for these "warm-up laps" 🌤️

The long journey along EuroVelo 1 and 6 is just around the corner... 

So far everything works according to plan: I took the long journey with wife, dog, and car by ferry from Dunkirk. The bike came along in the trunk and is now safely stored in Tramore until the summer (thanks, Michael). 
The long easter weekend in Benvoy Beach near Annestown is just marvelous - with loads of fresh salty air and wonderful light and shadows. The few last remaining work days in the Waterford office are quite busy (as usual). Next time I'll be back in July for the final good-bye party and the long expected departure of my cycling adventure.

It was one of the last "normal" business trips to Waterford: 2 Weeks in the country featuring a customer event we hosted together with South East Technological University (SETU). It's February and the evenings were really cold, but no reason to not checkout my favorite beaches at the Copper Coast: Kilfarrasy, Tramore, Dunmore East, Ballydwan, and Bunmahon's Trá na mBó with the secret passage way to the "beach behind".

As a spoiler: The next trip will be by car and I'll bring the bike along  ...

The preparations have been kicked off: New bike, new tent, and a lot of other updated equipment. 
The first bookings are also confirmed: In March we will take the ferry to Waterford and bring the bicycle along. The main struggle right now is to get the body in shape. The winter sun is great, but the hand-over to my colleagues at work keeps me quite busy.
 

Although the trip is still far out, obviously my excitement starts right now and here.