Hi. I’m Mark Gardiner

I spent 15 years as an advertising agency copywriter and creative director. Over that period, I used the money I earned to pursue my passion: motorcycle racing. In 2000, I witnessed the Isle of Man TT races as a spectator. After returning to Canada, I quit my job, sold everything I owned and blew my life savings so I could live on the Isle of Man and study the course. I qualified for the 2002 TT races, and earned finisher’s medals in two classes. Riding Man is the story of that experience. During that period, I was also the subject of the acclaimed documentary film One Man’s Island (produced and directed by Peter Riddihough.)

My essays about motorcycling have appeared in Road Racer X, BIKE, Classic Bike, MotoLegende, Cycle Canada, Cycle World and many other magazines. Before writing Riding Man, I wrote a novel, Year of the Raven. Since then, I’ve also written a feature-length screenplay based on the true story of the British ISDT team’s escape from Nazi Germany in 1939.

I currently live in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, about 200 yards from the reef.