I've been doing the Bike Rally for seven years. This will be my fifth time biking to Montreal (two years were in the Time We Don't Talk About). There's pre-bike rally Mark and there's post-bike rally Mark. Those are two different people. The first one was keeping a lot of pain inside and not sure what to do with it - and the other has let that pain out and is a more mature, accomplished person.
Waxing poetic aside, anyone who knows me knows how much this ride has changed my life - changed the very essence of who I am. I have been a team captain, I've been on the steering committee, I wrote an award-winning play about the Rally, and was given the David Linton Spirit Award on the ride last year. Not to mention I hadn't ridden a bike for fifteen years before my first rally.
It's been an incredible journey, and I will continue on the journey as long as the stars align.