The Most Interesting Man in the World

I first met Peter when we were both living in Australia and training for Ironman Australia in 2010. He was so reliable as a training partner. If he said he would meet you for a workout, he would definitely be there, and usually early. And it always cracked me up when Peter talked because I always felt like I was training with The Terminator, the cyborg made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie (check out the video of Peter riding the Harley in Hawaii when we went to race the 70.3). But Peter’s true claim to fame was that he was the one to teach me how to appreciate coffee on a ride. Before Peter, I was all about training; there were no coffee stops before, during or after training. The first time we finished a bike ride together, I said okay bye! Peter was like wait, what? He insisted that training was not done until you ride to a coffee shop and have a cappuccino. And thus was born my love for coffee, and even better, the coffee ride. I did not drink coffee prior to 2010. All those wasted years, especially when I was at my peak performance-wise!

I really think my friendship with Peter was meant to be, and guided by the Universe. We finished hand-in-hand at IM Australia despite never racing side by side all day. Our friendship has always felt effortless, even after we went our separate ways, with him in Vienna and me in Berkeley. This is my third time visiting Peter (and now his family, Monika, Paul and Lena) and I already have plans to be back next summer. In fact, I first met Monika in Brisbane, Australia, when he and she first started dating. They both work really hard, and I am so grateful to be the recipient of their kindness whenever I visit. Monika loves that I am so easily entertained by a simple breakfast of muesli and coffee in their stylish rooftop Vienna apartment, and that it’s my favorite part of the day.

So why the title? I jokingly call Peter the most interesting man in the world because dude does it all. He is a lawyer, has his MBA, Ironman, champion sailor, skier, MTBer, self-taught barista, father and he plays the trumpet! But more importantly, he is so damn kind to me. Both he and Monika would be offended if I did not stay with them. And he never lets me pay or help in anyway when I visit, I have to sneak doing both of these things. I had flats on back-to-back rides and both times he insisted that he change the flat. He also set up finding an awesome road bike for me to ride. I met several of his close friends on this trip and they all seem to be equally kind, on top of having an elevator in their homes, driving high performance cars, and ONLY drinking carbonated water, haha. So for those of you who are the recipient of my kindness (and sadly not everyone gets it, another blog post), you now know where I get it.

Big Cycling Block w Peter for 2010 IM Australia

2010 IM Australia

Peter Riding Harley Pre-Honu 70.3