Returning to Canada

I’m on a plane over the Atlantic, on my way back to Canada for the 4th time. It brought back memories of my previous trips. First time was in 2002 when I visited Toronto for the World Youth Day festival, where I got to attend Mass with Pope John Paul II. We also got to …

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Wild Atlantic Way Cycle

5 days in West Cork & Kerry on the bike with the Microsoft Crew Day 1: Kinsale to Skibbereen 106 kilometres A long day - 2 days in 1 really, up at 5:20am with the alarm, to get on a bus to Cork. Seeing new faces and old friends. A quick pitstop change in Kinsale …

Charity Events at Work: What I Learnt

In September 2018, I took part in a charity fundraiser with my colleagues at Microsoft Ireland. A team of 80 people fundraised over €110,000 for Ireland’s only children’s hospice, Laura Lynn. I wanted to share my thoughts on all the great things that I learnt by taking part, both from a personal and team point …

Exploring Co. Down

Last weekend, I spent a couple of days in Northern Ireland. My excuse was the Belfast Titanic Triathlon, so I stayed on and explored a new part of the province – East County Down & the Ards Peninsula. It was a really nice couple of days, staying in Portaferry and cycling a lap of Strangford …

Thoughts on America

January 2018: After a week in Trump’s America, working, travelling and meeting people, here are some thoughts: Work Start early, finish early Face to face meetings are great Redmond, WA has so many job opportunities The drinks fridge is impressive Microsoft is full of white & Asian people The Reno office is really quiet People …

Skiing in Tahoe, USA

I was lucky enough to ski at Lake Tahoe in January 2018, while on a work trip to Reno, Nevada. It was very cold but beautiful and a great experience. It got me thinking - how does skiing in the USA compare to the European Alps? 20-Jan: Skiing at Heavenly Back in South Lake Tahoe …

Rotterdam Memories: 11 years later

I wrote this piece in 2017, after spending a week in Rotterdam. In September 2017, I was back in Rotterdam, 15 years after I first stepped off the plane in the Netherlands. First, I came to Maastricht on a university exchange in 2002. I loved it so much and it changed my world, that I …

Cycling in Gran Canaria: North vs South

Gran Canaria is a mecca for winter cycling, on the road and off-road MTB. For years I’ve spent a week around Christmas riding through the valleys and climbs on the southern coast, based out of Free Motion in Playa del Ingles. This year I explored the north of the island, based out of Las Palmas. …

Gran Canaria Cycling: Pico de las Nieves from Las Palmas

Route: 91km, +/-2855m, 5hrs, 20th Dec 2017 HC climb – for years I watched the Tour de France and didn’t really know what it meant. Hors Categorie – without categorisation. Climbs could be graded 1-4 depending on gradient and length. HC was invented for climbs off that scale – tougher than a Cat1. (In Ireland …

Cycling around the Netherlands

September 2017 Overall thoughts After 5 days of cycling around the Netherlands, there are a few great things I noticed and appreciated, which makes cycling safe, enjoyable and easy. Touring on a bike is such a great way to see the countryside. You discover so much more than going by car or train. It’s a …