I met Marco in the fall of 2011 when I was a visiting grad student at Rutgers. I believe the first time we really talked was at one of the parties that happened over at his place, the legendary MSG house. We discovered that we were both into mountain biking; I ended up showing him helmet cam videos from my trip to the Czech Republic and he told me a bit of some of the local riding in Jersey and suggested we could go ride some time. I did not have a bike with me, but he could help me out. I was surely interested but thought this was just friendly chit chat at a party of which nothing ever comes of. The party moved on and more beers were had. When I decided I have had enough, I said goodbye to Marco and thanked him for the great hospitality. He said he really wanted to go ride tomorrow, he will try to work something out and that I should come. I, fairly intoxicated at this point, said sure, believing it unlikely to happen. 

The details are a bit blurry, but the next morning, I am sitting in the back of a car, Marco and Tobias in front, three bikes strapped to the trunk of it. My hangover overshadowed any excitement I could have felt. Little indicated that I was about to go on a very good and memorable ride. We went to some wooded area fairly close to New Brunswick. I had rained over night and the trails were still muddy, which made things physically a lot harder. And my condition would not help either. For the most part, the ride was pure suffering for me, especially uphill. Marco and Tobias, who both seemed entirely unaffected by the previous nigh, set the pace and I tried to keep up with them somehow. For the most part unsuccessfully, but things got better towards the end for me. There was a steep chute to a creek crossing, which none of us were able to clear, but Marco and I gave it our best shot, cheering for each other. This was a memorable ride for me, not just because it was perhaps the most painful 45 minutes ever for me on a mountain bike. But because it was great reminder that one does not need expensive bikes or fancy gear. Just good friends who are willing to just give it a go and then you are pretty much guaranteed to have a good time out in the woods. And because it was so good to get out of the armchair. Marco was certainly a philosopher that knew that life had more to offer than philosophy, and who lived his life accordingly, whether it was going on bike rides or playing piano (another thing we had in common and I am grateful that he shared his piano with me).

I met Marco again in NYC in 2014 when I was on my way to the west coast. We went on another bike ride, joined by Tobias again, but this time through Prospect Park. I remember this ride well because it was just what I needed after a too long plane journey. Being a visitor, I did not get to spend much time with Marco and I cannot claim to know him well. But Marco never treated me as the transient that I was and I was glad to have the chance to have met him. And sometimes, small encounters do matter and do make a difference. I will remember Marco as a genuinely kind person who shared bikes, his piano or even his whole house/apartment with me, never asking or expecting anything in return. I will not be able to return these acts of generosity to you, but I will try to keep your spirit alive.