83-year old Gil Yarrow may be too old to do a lot of things, but riding motorcycles isn’t one of them. The octogenarian is as hardcore as they come when it comes to brandishing his love for all things two-wheeled and he’s going to prove as much when he embarks on a 6,000-mile round trip from his home in Vancouver, Canada to North Carolina just so he can attend the 2015 International Norton Owners Association Rally.

Mind you, Yarrow isn’t planning on flying to the Tar Heel State. He’s going to do it riding his trusty 1971 Norton Commando 750->ke2069. As if that isn’t emasculating enough for us all, Yarrow’s entire itinerary actually covers a period of 21 straight days, 16 of which will be spent on the road travelling from Vancouver to North Carolina and back to Vancouver again.

This man is a titan in every sense of the word and yet, it’s par for the course for the man whose love for motorcycles has taken him to places most of us could ever dream of going to. For starters, he’s been on eight INOA events in his life, traveling to places as far as New York just to be a part of it. Oh, and according to Driving.ca, Yarrow participated in the Ironbutt Rally back in 2005, clocking in 11,000 miles in 11 days aboard his Yamaha FJR, doing all of that at the age of 73.

You’re going to meet some tough riders in the world, but chances are, there aren’t a lot of them that can match wits with Gil Yarrow.

Continue reading to read more about Gil Yarrow’s cross-country trip to join the 2015 INOA Rally.

Why it matters

There aren’t that many words to describe just how much respect I have for Gil Yarrow. Whereas most people his age have other concerns to deal with in their relatively advanced ages, Yarrow is living the life of a tried-and-tested motorcycle enthusiast whose passion for bikes goes back not in years, but in actual generations.

His plan to ride from Vancouver to North Carolina and then back to Vancouver again is too daunting a task for men a quarter of his age and yet here he is, getting ready for what could end up being one of the most memorable adventures he’s ever had in his long history of riding bikes.

Gil Yarrow may be 83 years old, but he’s also living proof of those people who really do treat their ages as mere “numbers.”

Best of luck on your trip, Mr. Yarrow! You’re a super hero!