{"id":10765,"date":"2026-02-26T12:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T11:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/?p=10765"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:34:58","slug":"meet-the-french-h-o-g-member-taking-riding-challenges-in-his-stride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/meet-the-french-h-o-g-member-taking-riding-challenges-in-his-stride\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the French H.O.G. member taking riding challenges in his stride"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since joining H.O.G.\u00ae<\/sup> in 2018, Gilles Gonin has embraced group rides, organised epic journeys and undertaken the Iron Butt Association\u2019s toughest challenges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words by David Sexton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilles Gonin\u2019s love for motorcycles began early. By the age of 12, he was already passionate about motorsports and spent his teenage years practising motocross. His first road bike came in 1978 when he earned his driver\u2019s licence, but it wasn\u2019t until years later that Harley-Davidson became the brand that captured his heart, with his first Harley\u00ae<\/sup> being a Night Rod\u00ae<\/sup> Special. Today, he rides a Road King\u00ae<\/sup> Special and a Road Glide\u00ae<\/sup> CVO\u2122<\/sup>, machines that reflect his love for long-distance challenges and the brand\u2019s legacy. \u201cI chose Harley-Davidson for its heritage and because I finally had the means to make a dream come true,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Gilles joined the Harley Owners Group\u00ae<\/sup> in 2018 and immediately embraced the philosophy of group riding and sharing ideas for new adventures. Membership opened doors to unforgettable experiences and friendships, including a solidarity run in Ukraine. He is now an active member of the Bourgogne Chapter and Lyon Chapter, both in France, balancing his involvement by organising, supervising and contributing as an officer and road captain. Among his favourite memories is the European Bike Week\u00ae<\/sup> ride he organised in 2025 at Faak am See in Austria. \u201cI believe I left behind memories and brought immeasurable happiness to the participants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through friends, Gilles discovered the 500 Miles challenges, which he says is \u201cfor those riders crazy enough to take on fatigue, bad weather and language barriers without the help of GPS!\u201d Participants use a paper roadbook filled with cryptic notes and ride 500 miles (805km) non-stop. \u201cNo GPS, just grit, caffeine and the sound of your own exhaust,\u201d laughs Gilles. \u201cAt each checkpoint, riders get their passage stamped and the next section of the route. The reward is a small pin \u2013 your medal of honour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gilles, these challenges are pure adrenaline and mental stimulation. \u201cYou leave your mind at the starting line and disconnect. It\u2019s pure joy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilles has completed the grand slam \u2013 all six European 500 Miles challenges in the same year \u2013 but his proudest achievement came in 2023 when he completed 3,000 miles (4,800km) in less than 54 hours without sleep, earning the SaddleSore 3,000 Gold award and a place in the Iron Butt Association Hall of Fame. His future plans include Route 66, plus more 500 Miles adventures, of course! For Gilles, riding is about discovery and pushing limits. \u201cAs long as it\u2019s a discovery, then it\u2019s happiness,\u201d he says. His advice for anyone considering a riding challenge for the first time? Bring a Guardian Bell and count on support and friendship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since joining H.O.G. in 2018, Gilles Gonin has embraced group rides, organised epic journeys and undertaken the Iron Butt Association\u2019s toughest challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-10765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-riding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10765"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11042,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10765\/revisions\/11042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}