From Shadow to Speed: Finding Freedom on my 2013 Ducati Evo 848 The path to the open road wasn't paved with choice; it was forged in fire. My journey on Daphne, my Ducati Evo, began in the darkest shadow a parent can know: the loss of my 21-year-old child. The world fractured, and for a long time, the silence was deafening. I needed more than just movement; I needed focus, a demanding, relentless presence to anchor me. I found it in the visceral thrill of a sportbike. Learning to ride on a machine as sharp and responsive as a Ducati has been a unique form of therapy. Each minute spent on the bike is an act of presence. It demands that every ounce of my attention be on the road, on the precise line through a curve, and on the rhythmic pulse of the engine. In that high-speed focus, the suffocating weight of grief momentarily lifts, replaced by the pure, unadulterated sensation of speed and motion. The road has become my new horizon, a place where I trade a crushing past for a limitless future. It's the freedom of the road—a beautiful, powerful metaphor for moving forward. I'm not just learning to ride; I'm learning to live again, one gear shift and one corner at a time. I'm eager to connect with the sportbike community to share my journey, learn the endless intricacies of riding, and continue to grow, both as a rider and as a person finding peace at 100 mph. What’s the single most important piece of advice you’d give a new sportbike rider, or a great backroad recommendation in your area?