A new feature

Each day, Mikael will be sending a message from the road, in addition to the riding reports. Here is the first one:

"We get a lot of questions about this ride and its mission. But, frankly, the mission is simple: to show the possibility of anything - reaching goals and breaking personal barriers - if we are free. I think it surprises people to realize how many freedoms are removed when we allow addictions to take control of our choices. Once given control, we are forced to do whatever it takes to feed our addiction. We no longer care about the consequences. We understand the toll our behaviors take on our lives and the people we love, but feeding the addiction becomes more powerful, especially when we have no skills to combat the daily temptations.

This ride has helped me realize that each day needs a focus. Often on the road I need a reason to keep getting on the bike - but beyond that, each day needs a motivation and goal. When the days are difficult, I think of all the people in my life - especially those people on whom I had a negative impact. I hope those people can see that I am now working hard to show them that change is possible - and that I really can do anything if I keep myself away from and free of the addictions that led me into so much darkness."