REPORT – 2019 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
Images: Luca deMostyn, Leca Nova, Cesare Sasso, PSC FOTO, Tim Loosli, bevpix, Sam Bendall, Manuel Photography, My Media, courtesy of Distinguished Gentlemans Ride
On Sunday, 29 September, the eighth annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride saw more than 115,000 riders on classic, vintage and classic-styled motorcycles join together to ride and raise money in support of prostate cancer research and men’s mental health initiatives.
Rides were held in 678 cities and towns worldwide this year, including 35 in Australia. More than 5,200 Aussies dressed dapper and took part, including 819 men and women in Sydney alone. Rides in New York, Berlin, Los Angeles and London, to name a few, attracted big numbers, too.
Bigger numbers included the US$50,000+ raised by some individual DGR participants, with the top three American DGR fundraisers raising more than US$160,000 between them. The top Aussie had raised US$26,856 at time of writing (fundraising closed on 31/10/19).
The biggest number, though, is US$5.7M; the grand fundraising total at time of writing, of which close to US$1M had come from Australia. Including the 2019 amount, the total raised for men’s health initiatives since the DGR’s foundation in 2012 is now more than US$25M.
There were some great prizes for the top fundraisers this year, including new Triumph TFC001, Speed Twin and Bonneville motorcycles, Hedon helmets and ELF lifestyle packs, while the ‘7-Day Sprint’ fast fundraisers in the final weeks leading up to the 29 September ride saw Skram motorcycle eyewear, REV’IT! riding gear and Himalayan Heroes adventure ride packages up for grabs. In ‘The Final Sprint’, those who raised more than US$500 went into the draw to win entry to any DGR ride worldwide in 2020. The package, valued at US$10,000, includes flights, accommodation, a new Triumph motorcycle to use on the ride and US$2,000 spending money.
The Movember Foundation, the DGR’s official charity partner since 2016, benefitted from this year’s fundraising. As committed to men’s mental health initiatives as the DGR themselves, the Movember Foundation is the leading charity dedicated to stopping men from dying too young, so they can live happier and healthier lives.
Go to https://www.gentlemansride.com/ for more on the fundraising totals from this year’s DGR and information on how you can take part in future events.
