Special Thanks
The People Behind the Rides
150,000 km sounds like a solo effort. It wasn't. Behind every breakdown, every border crossing and every charity cheque there were people who helped, hosted, repaired, donated, designed, translated, cooked, laughed and occasionally pushed. This page is for them. I know I have forgotten some — if your name should be here, write to me.
Family & Partner
Martina Gödert
Partner, fashion consultant, co-rider on the Vespaseo Iberico, and the person without whom the Gentleman Giro would have been a lesser thing — flyers, masks, logistics, translations, moral anchor.
Mom & Dad
For their patience, their worry, and their unconditional support for every crazy project since 2014.
Mike Michael
Brother and base camp in Virginia Beach during the USA leg of the world tour.
Merly Vie
Family in Virginia Beach — hospitality and a home away from home in the USA.
Project Sponsors
Every project I have ever done — from the 2014 Europe tour to the 80-day world trip to the Gentleman Giro — was funded 90% out of my own pocket. Sponsors contributed gear, parts and materials, almost never cash. The partners below made the remaining 10% count. Without them, a lot of kilometres would have been a lot harder.
Giacomo Casale & Michael Kaiser — Alvivo
Years of support with outdoor gear, jackets, shoes and press coverage. Genuine believers from the beginning.
Olaf H. Just — Just-Vespa
Constant support with gear, caps and tour logo design. A friend who never said no.
Alex & the Scooter Center Team (Cologne)
Built the engine for the Gentleman Giro and provided ongoing technical backbone for multiple tours.
Heidenau Tires
Specialized scooter tires that survived the longest and most demanding journeys.
Marcel Keller — Vespateile
Donated tires and tubes for the Gentleman Giro when they were most needed.
Simon Rouhany — 4smarts
Essential mobile power and accessories that kept communication alive on the road.
Konrad Kwietniewski — Rare Bird London
Stylish riding gear for the global tours.
Hockerty
The custom suits and footwear that made the Gentleman Giro and Gentleman concept possible.
Motul & Luuv-Stabilizers
Technical support team during the 80-day world tour.
Emanuel von Oy — Die Wespe Magazine
Press coverage and loyal support across multiple projects.
Biltwell Inc.
Helmets (often with chrome visor) and bags for the USA coast-to-coast and other tours.
Helmade
Designed the personalised helmet design for the 80-day world tour.
Sea n Sand
Sponsor for the special Vespa T-Bags used on the tours.
MRP Racing
Technical mounts for navigation devices and luggage fixings.
The Scooter Rider — Raul TB
Scooter clothing, gloves and merchandise for the tours.
Aral AG
Fuel vouchers for the Giro Germanica 2017.
Ibis Hotels
Overnight accommodation support in Augsburg during the charity tours.
Niki Orange
Provided the online shop for the charity calendar sales.
Adidas
Two pairs of shoes and a shirt from their Vespa collection for an early 2011 project — the first brand to say yes.
Mechanical Heroes
Fabio Cofferati
Italian traveler (Milano to Tokyo) who performed a critical engine repair during the world tour. A legend helping a legend.
Luc Saint, David Castella & Skooter Rascal
Late-night "Mission Mosquito" piston repair in France. They did not sleep so the tour could continue.
Bob Hollis — Mighty Ohio Scooter Club
Solved a critical luggage rack failure in the USA. Small fix, enormous consequences.
Eric — 2nd Avenue Scooter Shop, Phoenix
Emergency motor swap in the Arizona desert. The world tour survived because of this man.
Scott Emch & Lesley Gercke
Saved the Arizona leg after an engine failure and provided a replacement motor.
David Schnakenberg — Scooter Mercato Atlanta
Essential tuning and exhaust upgrades during the USA tour.
Mirko Lüders — Ohriginals
Ignition parts and technical camaraderie across multiple tours.
Holger Kempter & Blechrollerbande Kempten
Motor repairs and local assistance — home team support at its finest.
Peppe Pettersson & Stein Overland — Scooteristen Mag, Oslo
Rode through floods to meet me and repair my broken kickstarter. Above and beyond.
Alex Vespaman
Gifted an Airhawk seat cushion that made the USA coast-to-coast physically possible.
Hosts & Friends on the Road
Björn Hauben — Hasselt, Belgium
Designed the official logo for the 80-day world tour and hosted a reception on my return to Europe. A friend who put beauty into the project.
Franz F. Schmalzl & Nicole Egger
Organizers of the Vespa Alp Days in Zell am See — years of invitations, hospitality and stage time.
Dejan Stojičić — Belgrade
Hosted me, exhibited my projects in his museum, and showed that Serbian hospitality is legendary.
Jaf Fernandez — Pamplona
Fellow adventurer, inspiration and provider of legendary paellas. Rode to the North Cape in winter and to Dakar for charity.
Julio Gan, Henry Side & Andrés S. Orellana — Barcelona Scooter Club
Friendship and help settling in Barcelona. The people who made Spain feel like home.
Thanos Papadopoulos, Ali Maria Kleinofen & VC Piraeus
Hospitality in Athens and a gifted phone headset that kept me connected.
Alexander O'Tellin
Friend from West Virginia and St. Petersburg who kept my scooter safe in Russia during the world tour.
Ronny Kvalvær — Norway
Generous host during the northernmost tours.
Patrick & Elke Smith — Hückelhoven
Treated me like family on the Giro Germanica.
Saul Jeavons & Paddy Tyson
Gave me the opportunity to present my story at the Overland Event in Oxford alongside Ted Simon.
Kitty Bee & Tanja Zimmermann
Saved the Cologne stop of the charity tour through spontaneous and brilliant organisation.
Florian Steppacher & Markus Glas
Coordinated the Gentleman Relay Ride in Germany.
Fellow Adventurers
Ilario Lavarra — Vespanda
Fellow world traveler who crossed 60+ countries on a Vespa. Proof that it can be done.
Sean Jordan — The Vespa360 Project
An early inspiration who rode around the world and shared beers and stories in 2014.
Juvena Huang — The Wandering Wasp
Female adventurer from Singapore who proved that two wheels and a Vespa know no borders.
Stergios Gkogkos & Alexandra — Worldvespa
A couple riding the world on a Vespa — met in Greece, instant connection.
Antonio Veciana Ferrus
Legendary Vespa circumnavigator from 1962 who honoured my world tour start in Madrid.
Ross Dicker
Young traveler riding from Europe to Australia on a scooter — the next generation of the madness.
Special Gestures
Armin
A worker who personally donated 200€ because his wealthy boss refused to sponsor the trip. One of the most moving moments of the Gentleman Giro.
Heidi Arnold
Crocheted a life-like model of my Vespa "Eleanor" — one of the most extraordinary gifts I have ever received.
Xisco Clapés — Mallorca
Donated six handmade 925 silver pins to be auctioned for children with cancer.
Annamária Szabó & Peter
Crafted limited-edition metal cogs to raise funds for the charity rides.
Stephanie Herb
Optician who gifted high-end glasses for the 2021 Gentleman Giro tour.
Gerhard — Nienburg
Sold a restored PX80 and donated the full €1,500 to the charity cause. Without hesitation.
Nacho Panero González
Vital help with the Spanish translation of my books.
Guntram Teufelweich
Designer of multiple tour logos and constant creative supporter.
Walter Zegwaard
Patches and hospitality in the Netherlands.
Stefan Wallenborn
Provided waterproof bags that kept gear dry across thousands of kilometres.
Giovanni Bonura
Donated a reserve iPhone for tour coordination — small device, enormous impact.
Tony Rowlett
Surprised me with a poem about the 80-day adventure. Sometimes words are the best reward.
Hospitality & Local Support — Extended
Brechtje — Utrecht
Hosted me and provided safe storage for my scooter during the logistical transitions of the world tour.
Osman (Holland) & Ibrahim (Trabzon)
Invited me for meals and coffee during the 80-day world tour. Kindness from strangers is the fuel no garage sells.
Aleksandr Sizov — Moscow Vespa Club
Guarded my scooter "Rosinante" in Moscow. Trust across borders.
Pasquale Ioan Bouchoris & Kostas Grantis — Thessaloniki
Hosted me for a memorable evening in Greece.
Jorge Perez — Montenegro
Warm hospitality during the Balkan leg of my journey.
Edi Cimit — Durrës, Albania
Generous hospitality during the Balkan tour.
Salvador Ramon Arrom — Mallorca
Hosted me at the Comodoro Playa Hotel after the world tour. Rest after the storm.
El Gaucho Rosamilia — Mallorca
Authentic Argentinian barbecue in Mallorca. Some meals you never forget.
André Balz — Malaga
Offered a bed and support during recovery in Spain.
Ricardo Antequera Valiente — Barcelona
Bed and support during my early days in Barcelona.
Ove — Mo i Rana, Norway
Travelled from the Arctic Circle to visit me in Germany. That is dedication.
Vitaly Pecherskyy & the Condor Squadron — USA
Took me on a flight out of Van Nuys Airport. One of the unexpected highlights of the USA coast-to-coast.
Iñigo Andrieu Azcarate — Bilbao
Welcomed me with rich food and cold beer at his "Vespa temple" Peregrinos.
Victor Rocha & António Rocha — Portugal
Assistance and hospitality during my travels in Portugal.
Bora — Istanbul
Sent critical spare parts to Trabzon to keep the world tour moving. Lifesaver by post.
Kevin — VC Aschaffenburg
Laughter and companionship during the Barcelona anniversary weekend.
Giro Germanica & Gentleman Giro Helpers
Wolle Wide Frame & Andreas Knirsch
Organized grills and provided escorts through the Black Forest.
Marco Büttner & team — LTH
Hosted a charity grill event that significantly boosted fundraising.
Tim Fazer & Veit Schiemann
Organized sightseeing and meetups in Mainz and Frankfurt to save scheduled stops.
Barbara Keden — VC Gießen & MC Hüttenberg
Welcomed me with great warmth and donations.
Holger Schön & Henning — Düsseldorf
Logistics and a base for the night.
Scharsten Culz & Slow and Silent SC
Joined me for a ride through the Ruhr area.
Heiko Konrad — Braunschweig
Local sightseeing and a place to rest.
Thomas Gantzel & Meinhardt Hilgendorf
Coordinated press appointments and filming with NDR in Northern Germany.
Florian Draxler & Julian Kusch — Berlin
Hosted me in Berlin — Julian also gifted me a new tire.
Jack Rebel & Conny Anacker — Lauf
Traditional Bavarian breakfast before the escort toward Wolnzach.
Paul Aner & Sabrina — Pfaffenhofen
Dinner and a night's rest.
Pepe Peta — Deggendorf
Hosted me and escorted me out of the city the next morning.
Heiko Ruepp & Jörg Koch — Ulm
Organized a two-day event that resulted in a generous donation on the Münsterplatz.
Martin Diebold & family — Ingerkingen
Turned a quiet grill evening into a major fundraising success.
Helmut Sixtyfour & Jürgen Krumpek-Kikinger — Vienna
Led a group of riders through Vienna to ensure I reached Tulln safely.
Hannes Spanny & Jürgen — Tulln
Instrumental in the massive €1,600 donation result in Tulln.
Christian Mörkens, Max Mörkens & Torsten Gladen — Vespa-Nest Düren
Organized the event that achieved the highest daily donation result of the entire Gentleman Giro.
Jon Neils, Babs Dahlke-Neils & Tina Soulie — Lübeck
Technical support and a workshop to fix my ignition. The tour continued because of them.
Michael Zinnen & the Zok Zok Team — Aachen
Organized a spectacular presentation in a converted church near Aachen.
USA Tour Helpers
Kristen Runberg & Floyd Allen Baker — Virginia Beach
Assisted with preparations at the start of the USA coast-to-coast.
The Hubble Family — West Virginia
Hospitality during the transit through West Virginia.
Amber Gordon & husband — Columbus, Ohio
Let me crash on their couch. Classic scooter community hospitality.
Tom Pennington & David "SuperDave" Baamonde — New Orleans
Drinks and hospitality with the New Orleans Scooterists.
Ruben Garcia Jr.
Drove me to the airport when the buses were overbooked. Angel of the day.
Tracy McIntyre — Moto El Paso
Special care during the demanding desert leg of the trip.
Luke Sheppeard — Phoenix
Provided lunch during the emergency motor swap in Arizona.
More Special Gestures
Ines Duwe
Raised €500 through her children's book "Die Knautschis" to support the charity rides.
Fi Del
Donated her birthday proceeds to the fundraiser. One of the most touching gestures of the tours.
Alberto Llana Rodriguez
Gifted me a jacket — a "wonderful gesture" I have not forgotten.
Javier Zabalza
Inspired me with his winter trip to the North Cape. True Vespista.
Steve McHempage — Dublin
Provided historical background on the roots of Vespa assembly in Ireland.
Wyn Jones & Micky Illmer
Support and video documentation of the tours.
John Romano
Alerted me when I appeared in a major newsfeed next to Donald Trump. Priorities.
This list was compiled from Facebook posts, travel diaries and notes across 2014–2026. I know it is incomplete. If you helped, hosted, repaired or donated and your name is not here — write to me. You belong on this page.