When Mark Hawwa decided to have a themed ride after an unfortunate incident in 2012 in Australia, he never would have thought that ride will go viral globally. 56,000 participants across 505 cities in 90 countries to be exact. Now, if you think of a motorcycle riding club, angry looking men in leather riding jackets, long beards, tattoos and shiny motorbikes is the image we generally get. This is what Mark wanted to change; thus the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) was born - to change the perception of public by making the riders look dapper and to raise funds along the way. Triumph!
On Sunday, September 24, 2017, over 70,000 men and women all over the world dressed up in their finest attire and rode modern classic and vintage styled motorcycles through the streets of over 600 cities, across 95 countries, to help raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research and suicide prevention. DGR in India has seen great success with more than 2000 riders across the country taking part.
This year’s DGR is set to be the biggest one yet and we joined the Chennai ride to experience and understand the gentlemen better. How DGR differs immediately from other rides is with its multi-brand collaboration. Despite being co-sponsored by Triumph Motorcycles, DGR allows any individual riders or riding groups of any brand to participate in the ride. So, we were able to see brands like Triumph, Royal Enfield, KTM, UM and much more with their riders in sharp suits.
To celebrate this year’s historic ride, Triumph has built a special one-off version of the modern classic Bonneville T100 called ‘The Dapper Bonnie DGR100’. Designed in partnership with Harris Tweed, this exclusive custom feature a unique bronze tank and Triumph Harris Tweed saddle, a version of which is up for grabs to win by the top 10 ‘Team Triumph’ fundraisers on the DGR website.
Talking about the ride, Mr. Gautham Avinash, whose family are big Royal Enfield loyalists with over 18 REs, said “This is my second year with the DGR Chennai and it’s great to see so many riders of different clubs getting together for a good cause.” Talking about the theme, Gautham told that this ride differs in the theme where you get to dress up yourself and ride, unlike other rides where you just gear up and go.
After the flag-off from the Triumph Motorcycles showroom in Egmore, the riders took off in separate batches in order to cause no hassles in traffic and reached the destination in a resort at Old Mahabalipuram Road. Among the REs and Triumphs, we saw a bobber-styled custom bike standing proudly in the middle. Built by Manish and Krishna from Chennai-based KR Customs, the Iruzumi is built on a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 and has components specially imported from Europe.
Speaking on the occasion, Vimal Sumbly, Managing Director, Triumph Motorcycles India Pvt. Ltd commented “We, the members and dealers of Triumph Motorcycles India family, are very happy to have collaborated with the DGR for the fourth consecutive year in India. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a brilliant initiative which has not just successfully raised awareness and funds for prostate cancer but has also strengthened the bond amongst fellow motorcyclists from the Triumph tribe and beyond. The entire process of following a dress code and riding in harmony with fellow bikers is quite an enthralling experience to bring attention to men’s health issues.”
Distinguished Gentleman's Ride raises funds for prostate cancer and men’s mental health through the Movember Foundation and is funded globally by Triumph Motorcycles and Zenith Watches. Apart from the bikes and bikers, the evening was filled with various activities including music, stand-up and much more. Overall, it was indeed a distinguished ride.
Triumph enthusiast and acclaimed actor of Sarkar 3, Kai Po Che and Sultan fame, Amit Sadh said, “I was overwhelmed and delighted to be a part of the awareness ride as a DGR ambassador. The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is a unique international motorcycling event, organized simultaneously in several countries. The event introduces the participants to the reasons and cures of prostate cancer by making the public interact with experts. The unique theme of formal dressing of riders draws attention of the public, which helps to spread awareness on this disease by direct interaction with them.”
Now, the funding of men's mental health programs is a focus, in addition to prostate cancer research through our new official charity partner The Movember Foundation and the support of our title sponsors Triumph Motorcycles and Zenith Watches.
Prostate cancer is a cancer which develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. The disease is said to be slow growing, however, sometimes it grows relatively fast. The cancer cells may spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes.
