Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride Goes Solo In 2020

[Hugh Janus]

Triumph will be sponsoring the 10th annual running of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, which will be adopting a solo format this year. (Triumph Motorcycles/)

Dust off your Victorian waistcoat, break out the mustache wax, and pull on ye olde vintage helmet—it’ll soon be time to kick off the worldwide Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. The now-famous fundraiser for men’s health celebrates its landmark 10th running on September 27, though things will look a bit different this year format-wise. What hasn’t changed is the sponsorship—the gang at Triumph have once again announced they’ll be supporting the annual charity event.

Prizes include a quartet of brand-new Triumph motorcycles, one of which is a Thruxton RS. (Triumph Motorcycles/)

This year’s run will, quite literally, be a singular one; the 2020 edition of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride will have riders going at it solo (or with a pillion) instead of clustered in a massive pack of cycles, though it still will be with the goal of bringing together the motorcycle community as well as raising funds for Movember, the men’s health charity. So all riders will still ride on the same day for the same cause, but this time they won’t be traveling en masse—a twist that DGR refers to as “Ride Solo Together”—as a response to the current challenges around the world from the pandemic. It’ll be the first time DGR will be run as a sole-rider event, in which participants will embrace the spirit of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride by riding alone or with a passenger from the same household. The new format allows for compliance with the different social distancing regulations in various countries, while still showcasing classic bikes and contributing to the Movember cause.

There’s no defined route or group riding this year, but all DGR riders will still participate on the same day for the same cause. (Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride/)

Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride founder Mark Hawwa highlights the urgency to ride this year:

“Since our first year in 2012, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride has united riders all over the world, creating a statement from the motorcycle community in support of men’s health. 2020 will not be any different. This year we will still unite and ride dapper. We will still do everything we can to help men stop dying too young, alongside our charity partner, Movember. We invite riders to ride solo, but remain united for the cause.”

Related Content: Acting Like Gentlemen Will Help Us Grow Motorcycling Everywhere

Movember founder JC also had this to say:

“We look to the DGR community to unite with us, as they do every year, in combining their passion for motorcycles, riding dapper, and raising much-needed funds to support men’s mental health, suicide prevention, and ground-breaking cancer research.”

Hawwa founded the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in Sydney, Australia, after deciding a themed ride would be a great way to combat the often-negative stereotype of bros on bikes, while also providing a way of connecting the global motorcycling community and raising funds for an important cause. The event has drawn record numbers of riders since 2012, and in 2019, new fundraising and attendance records were set: $6M USD raised for the cause with more than 116,000 riders participating across 104 countries.

The ride’s main goal is to raise funds in support of health programs to fight cancer and aid mental health. (J.Herbert/Triumph Motorcycles/)

So this year there won’t be any defined route, but so-called “gentlefolks” worldwide are still invited to dress dapper, ride solo, and donate, while observing social distancing guidelines each country (presumably) has in place. The money raised will support research against prostate cancer and mental health; monies from the 2019 event are already being invested in research and health programs, and a new investment will fund initiatives focused on supporting first responders, who have worked tirelessly over the last few months.

Triumph once again is supporting the effort as the main sponsor of the Distinguished

Gentleman’s Ride and also donating four brand-new motorcycles from its Modern Classic range to be gifted to the three highest fundraisers worldwide and to the winner of the Gentlefolk Competition. For the Gentlefolk part, riders have to unlock badges in their rider dashboards—raising a certain amount of money, or donating to someone else—to get entered into a drawing to win a Bonneville T120. The highest fundraisers are eligible for a Thruxton RS, Scrambler 1200, or Speed Twin model.

There are other cool prizes too. Returning for 2020 are Red Bull, Elf Lubricants, Hedon Helmets, SKRAM Moto Eyewear, and Pipeburn, while Belstaff is a new face in 2020, joining the event as the official Motorcycle Outfitter of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. Seems suitably dapper, we guess. The full list of prizes is here.

DGR makes it possible to dress dapper, ride your vintage bike solo, and support a worthy cause all while connecting with other riders around the world. (Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride/)

Naturally, riders will be encouraged to hit up social media channels and the DGR website to showcase their efforts. Once they’ve registered and have completed their ride, they’ll get directions for uploading and sharing photos; a live map where riders can find photos shared across the world will also be available. For more info or to register, check out the DGR website.

Source

[yen_powell]

Oh if only there was a Distinguished Scruffs' Ride...Sigh.

[Sir Fallsalot]

I have heard there's a bit of snobbery goes on on this ride so people like me and you Yen would be pushed to the back out of sight if allowed to join in that is 

[XTreme]

2 minutes ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

I have heard there's a bit of snobbery goes on on this ride so people like me and you Yen would be pushed to the back out of sight if allowed to join in that is 

No problem for me.......I can look tidy if needed.

Until I opened my mouth........then I'd be directed to the back of the queue with you and Yen!

[Tym]

Who's surprised those guys have to go solo...lol