On the way: a blog about cycling, scuba diving, and flying…
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Day 3: When the cycling gods finally smile – Perfect weather and Potsdam’s bike paradise
A chilly fresh start After last night’s cats and dogs downpour, the morning air was crisp and clean, a refreshing 10 degrees that had me questioning my clothing choices. The rain had washed away yesterday’s misery and left behind that perfect post-storm clarity. Of course, getting out of my warm bed into that cool air…
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Day 2: When rain plays mind games – 115km and a lesson in humility
The unwelcome wake-up call 5 AM. Heavy rain hammering against my window like an impatient debt collector. This wasn’t in the optimistic forecast I’d checked last night. My alarm wasn’t set until 6:30, but sleep was now impossible with that relentless drumming overhead. When I finally dragged myself up, every fiber of my being wanted…
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Baltic to Adriatic Day 1: Escaping Copenhagen, battling headwinds, and meeting fellow cyclist
The journey begins (208km/2011km – 10% Complete!) They say the hardest part of any journey is taking the first step. Today proved that saying right, though in my case, it was more like taking the first pedal stroke an hour later than planned. The reluctant start I’ll be honest, I postponed the departure by a…
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May: How a devastating crack nearly destroyed my ultimate journey
As previously mentioned, May became my official “month off”, which in cycling terms means I barely touched my bike for two weeks and called it “recovery.” After April’s Mallorcan torture session left me questioning both my life choices and lung capacity, my body staged a well-deserved rebellion. The great bicycle boycott of early May Most…
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Pedaling through pain: My shocking survival of Mallorca’s brutal 312
…nothing went wrong but everything happened. April was meant to be my final training crescendo, but Mother Nature had other plans, hurling snow blizzards at me in Helsinki while my work travel schedule played calendar Tetris with my riding days. My training suffered more than my quads on a 20% gradient, and those crucial long…
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From Spanish rain to surprise half-marathons
Hello, dear readers! It’s time for yet another monthly recap of my failed successes. But wait, this time I’m actually on schedule with my monthly update! Let’s dive into my past mishaps and the future ones I’m eagerly planning. The Spanish Rain Festival (That Was Supposed to Be a Cycling Camp) I never mentioned my…
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Happy New Year… If we’re still counting in March
Greetings to everyone I’ve neglected to wish seasonal joy, and yes, I’m aware wishing “Happy New Year” in March is like bringing out the Christmas tree in February – technically possible but generates enough raised eyebrows to power a small village. I’ve finally diagnosed my blogging condition: chronic inspiration deficit disorder. I wait for divine…
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New bikes, old walls: A winter training story
Ah, winter. That magical season when my cycling adventures primarily consist of staring at my walls while pedaling nowhere on an indoor trainer for 1-4 hours at a time. After a few thousand hours of this riveting entertainment, I can confidently map out every crack in my ceiling. But fear not, dear readers, there’s more…
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My big fat Greek meeting: chasing sunsets, history, and baklava in Athens
I haven’t ventured much to the south and east, ironic given that’s where I supposedly hail from, though some might argue otherwise. My compass, it seems, prefers pointing west and north. But this time, the skies themselves insisted I head south, mostly for work (because apparently, that’s what I do now). In the few precious…
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so long and thanks for all the fish
It’s been a few days since I got back from my trip. Not entirely sure what I was expecting, maybe a standing ovation from life? Mostly, I just wanted to tick off the box of “things I’ve stubbornly decided to do.” When I started, I was already mentally exhausted and ready to quit before I’d…
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Splashdance: Riding the Croatian wave
I may have spoken too soon in my previous post, as the day morphed into an unexpected escapade. Friends on the same island, in a village nearby, nagged me into visiting, arguing that biking 18 km with a 3 km hill was somehow easier than driving. Thus, I dusted off my bike, only to discover…
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Dive hard: A Croatian Odyssey
I’ve been scuba diving for a few years now. Initially, I dived quite actively, but after moving north, my participation has decreased drastically to about 10-15 dives per year, only during annual scuba diving camp. Cold water isn’t my forte, which limits my opportunities further. This year, my entire cycling trip was planned around scuba…