The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) started in 2012, when Mark Hawwa set up what is now one of the most important motorcycle events in the world. Inspired by a photo of Don Draper from the TV series Mad Men astride a classic motorcycle in his best suit, Hawwa had the idea of a themed ride that would help to combat the negative stereotypes surrounding bikers. The first ride in 2012 saw 2500 riders in 64 cities get together in a good cause. Last year it was 40,000 bikers in more than 400 cities who raised over two million dollars for charity. This year, over 50,000 bikers across 550 cities came together and the target is five million dollars.
As is customary, all the action happened yesterday, on the last Sunday in September, with the dapper gentlemen bestriding their Café Racers, Bobbers, Classics, Trackers, Scramblers, Old School Choppers, Modern Classics, Sidecars, Classic Scooters and Brat-styled motorbikes (the latter is a cross between a café racer and a bobber with a Japanese influence, but you can find a sample photo for each bike on the DGR website) on stylish rides from New Caledonia in the East to Chile in the West and from South Africa to the arctic north of Finland.
The event’s website remains open for donations up until 9th October 2016. And there is a great motivating factor for riders to raise the most money, since the DGR is offering some fantastic prizes for the top fundraisers. The overall highest fundraiser will win a brand-new Triumph Thruxton R, a limited-edition Zenith Pilot “Ton Up” watch and a one-of-a-kind Kingpin helmet from Hedon. The second-placed fundraiser will win a brand-new Triumph Street Twin and the Zenith Pilot “Ton Up” watch.
In keeping with the stylish theme of the ride, the limited-edition Zenith Pilot “Ton Up” DGR watch has a vintage look thanks to its aged steel case and distressed leather strap with DGR imprint. A vintage-style dial with old-school Arabic numerals completes the look and the watch is powered by the self-winding Zenith El Primero 4069 movement. Its name recalls the exploits of motorcyclists who aimed to reach one hundred miles per hour (a “ton” in British slang) and, by extension, the bikes that were capable of reaching such speeds, hundreds of which were out in support of the charity efforts of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride yesterday.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride has teamed up with the annual charity event for all men of style – Movember – to raise money for charities around the world that are dedicated to prostate cancer and mental health issues.
