While old beliefs suggest that life seems to slow down around the age of fifty, for Doris Lacombe, an adventurer at heart, that age marked the beginning of all her youthful dreams. It was a chance to tick off every item on her wish list. Far from settling into a rocking chair and patiently waiting for death to claim her, she roams the roads astride her motorcycle. At 83, she proves that there's no deadline for achieving your goals, even the most audacious ones.
Embarking on motorcycle road trips at 83 years old
In the collective imagination, women aged 80 and over fill their seemingly endless free time with a deck of cards, a ball of yarn, a remote control, or a whisk. According to this portrayal, which feels more like satire or parody, they are practically part of the furniture in their homes, occupying themselves with highly soporific pastimes. However, this is more of a theory designed to reinforce our fear of aging than a collective reality. While some people of this age do experience declining health that forces them to rest, this is not the norm.
Others possess an Olympian stamina that opens up a world of possibilities. Doris Lacombe, a native of Vichy, is 83 years old and lives the life of a twenty-something. She refuses to let herself wither away and be a mere spectator of the passing of time. Hyperactive by nature, this woman, born when France was experiencing its darkest hours, single-handedly refutes all the mediocre preconceptions about old age. Far from sinking into a rocking chair or amusing herself by gazing out her window, she has a taste for risk and is always on the go.
A true free spirit, she has a contagious energy that she channels into road trips, which remain mere fantasies for many of us. And she doesn't choose the easy route of organized tours: she prefers the unexpected, the surprises of fate, spontaneous discoveries. She dons her leather gear and hops on her Yamaha, her trusty steed, to explore new lands. It's with this mode of transport and this "bad girl" attitude that she has covered nearly 20,000 kilometers across the African continent.
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Make every day a memorable one
A former prima ballerina, forced to retire after an accident, she retrained as a shepherdess, then dedicated herself to helping people with disabilities. In this whirlwind of activity, she even created her own circus school in the Hérault region. This multifaceted woman leads a kaleidoscopic life. She may not have as many lucky breaks as our feline friends, but for her, each stage of life has been a rebirth, a way to reinvent herself and embrace new experiences.
An insatiable traveler, she has seen her fair share of landscapes throughout her life: Popocatépetl, the Grand Canyon, India, and then Africa, where she settled for 25 years. This self-proclaimed nomad, content with just a modest backpack, constantly sets herself new challenges. Stepping outside her comfort zone is practically second nature to Doris. So at 80, an age still associated with decline and a dull future, she puts her hands, not on a Scrabble board, nor on a spool of yarn, but on the handlebars of a motorcycle.
With her headphones firmly in place, her pristine white hair proves that seniors aren't just the voice of wisdom. They can also embody a zest for life and an eternal desire for freedom. Because, after all, dreams don't expire, and the word "fun" doesn't define a single type.
A more glorious example of retirement
Society has, for as long as anyone can remember, portrayed aging as an inevitable fate, a decline, or an irrevocable loss. Upon reaching 50, we are supposedly expected to mourn the loss of our golden youth and patiently wait until our dying day, engaging in mental exercises or hobbies deemed more effective than sleeping pills. However, age is not a curse that condemns us to playing bingo all day or designing bespoke knitwear for our grandchildren.
Doris Lacombe offers a different, less stereotypical and more convincing interpretation of age. Faced with this octogenarian on her motorcycle, who prefers the sound of the engine to that of directives, old age is no longer an inevitable curse but a chapter to be written, a story to be invented.
What if true luxury, past a certain age, wasn't about slowing down, but about choosing your own pace? Doris clearly didn't get the memo telling her to slow down at 80. She keeps twisting the throttle, hitting the road, and collecting memories rather than regrets.
At 83, Doris Lacombe isn't trying to prove she's invincible. She's simply showing that there's always a path out there. A path you can take, even late in life, even after accidents, life changes, and the years piling up. Because ultimately, the passage of time isn't necessarily what distances us from life. Sometimes, it's what finally teaches us how to live it.
