A RIDE WITH PURPOSE

Québec HOG rider completes epic journey to honour his wife

By Gordie Bowles

In the face of personal devastation and heartbreak, Martin Marchand, a HOG^® member and motorcycle enthusiast from Terrebonne, Québec, reached a critical junction in his life and had to decide which way to take things.  

His wife of 27 years and mother of their four children, Geneviève Beausoleil, succumbed to a rapid and destructive form of brain cancer in September of 2023. She was a vibrant woman with so many years ahead of her and this shook the family to the core. It was a life altering moment.

With an unclear future ahead of him, Martin – with the support of family and others – decided to fulfill a promise that he had made to Geneviève and make a pilgrimage across Route 66 to raise awareness and funds for La Maison Adhémar-Dion, the palliative care centre that took such good care of Geneviève towards the end of her life.

Martin’s “Let’s Ride Route 66” project was born, with the goal of riding roughly 13,000 kilometres from Terrebonne to Santa Monica, California via Route 66, with stops at Harley-Davidson dealerships and fire stations (Martin is a professional firefighter) along the way to raise awareness and funds.   

“I decided to do my part in my own way, so that other people, just like us, can benefit from this incredible care centre.”

Martin and Geneviève joined HOG in 2021, and then connected with the Repentigny HOG Chapter in 2022. The passionate Harley-Davidson enthusiasts loved the activities and rides with the Repentigny group and found inspiration from the positive atmosphere and friendly people within the Chapter, and of course on the long road trips.

The ambitious road trip started with an escort by his colleagues from the Repentigny HOG Chapter to the U.S. border in late August. From there, Martin took the long route across the United States, eventually reaching his goal of Santa Monica, California, and continuing with his journey back home to Quebec with a scheduled return of Oct. 5, 2024.

You can follow Martin’s progress on Facebook here.