A Day With Le Tour De France
As a Canadian from Ottawa and an IBMer living in Paris, France, I sometimes get these rare moments to participate in phenomenal events due to IBM's global partnerships and relationships. Earlier this year I had the privilege to follow the Paris Marathon in a VIP car and watch the elite runners finish the race in the VIP section. It was a real privilege. All this thanks to Schneider Electric who is the primary sponsor of the Paris Marathon and a huge IBM partner. Through this event I forged a strong relationship with the overall IBM partner managing director, Tony Despirito. To my surprise a few weeks after the Paris marathon I got an email from Tony inviting me to ride a stage of the Tour and watch the stage sprint in the VIP finish line area. Of course, I had to say yes and I responded within minutes. As Schneider is the main sponsor of the Paris Marathon, an event owned by ASO, the company that puts on Le Tour, Schneider Electric gets the ability to invite a few key partners t