As I am sitting at the airport waiting for my plane home, I think back on the past weeks with a lot gratitude.
If you ever wonder if people are naturally good and hospitable I recommend a long-distance bicycle tour through Canada.
Of all the 14 countries I have cycled in on my tour around the world so far, I. have been most amazed by how friendly, open and supportive Canadians are across the board.
I have had countless encounters with perfect strangers who would chat me up at a gas station, on a ferry, or on the campground and give me the feeling that I am not alone and that I could ask them for help if I needed to.
No A few encounters were very special though and I would like to thank the following persons explicitly:
- Aaron for hosting me once more in Toronto and get me to watch the first tennis match in my life
- Tamara and Kosta at Toronto Airport who helped me to finally get Rosinante and my luggage
- The lady in the car that stopped just before Warkworth and who would offer me cold water
- Michael and Sonya in Warkworth who hosted me in their B&B that they had just bought that week and that was actually still closed and under renovation
- The couple at the campground in Erinsville who shared muffins and a beer with me
- Silvia, Sean and Brian, three road cyclists from Carleton Place who cheered me up and Silvia for hosting me
- Jonathan and Virginie and their cute daughter Eve for hosting me twice in Montreal and showing me the TamTam and Mont Real
- Claude who cheered me up after my power bank got nicked near Quebec City
- Pierre and Marianne for hosting me and showing me the beauty of Quebec City
- Mathieu and Claudia and their little daughter, fellow long-distance cyclists who I had met in Témiscauata-sur-le-lac and who shared dinner with me
- The two campers in St Léonard who shared their beer with me
- Alfred, the 77-year old owner of the campground in Andover-Perth for letting me stay in a shed during a rainy rest day.
- Jerry and Jaqueline who I met in Andover-Perth for sharing their breakfast and their truly fascinating conspiracy theories with me
- Michèle and her brand new boyfriend John from France for hosting me in St. John while meeting each other for the very first time
- Shannon and Marco, two fellow TransCanada cyclists from near Ottawa who gave me company for a couple of days in PEI and in Nova Scotia and shared their Korean dinner with me
- Lindsay for hosting me in Charlottetown and joining me for dinner
- Trevor, the warden of a campsite in Shubenacadie, for letting me set up my tent in a shed during a heavy rain
- Dany for feeding me and taking me on a great kayaking tour during a rest day in East Ship Harbor
- Jack for hosting me in a First Nation reservation in Paqtnkek and teaching me a lot about the Mi’kmaw
- Jamie and Miranda for hosting me in Arichat and talking me through their business of teaching locals how to make a living from SAP development
- James for sharing his conspiracy theories with me and accepting to be challenged by me in a long discussion in North Sidney
- Blair and Stan, two fellow cyclists, who cheered me up on the way from Argentia to St. John’s
- Wade for being an awesome and generous host in St. John’s
- Thorsten, my longtime friend who is currently paralyzed from his neck down, for his relentless positivity and perseverance that inspired me during the tough times of my tour
- Our marketing team especially Hannah, Anne, Antonia, and Lena for creating great social media coverage about this fundraising tour
- All our Cosmikk-Foundation Ambassadors for supporting the work of our foundation financially
- My partner-in-crime Uwe for having my back and running our company when I was on the road
- My wife Carolin for supporting me and allowing me the freedom to pursue this project since 8 years now
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you : THANK YOU!
