The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride raises funds for and awareness about prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programmes globally
The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride raises funds for and awareness about prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programmes globally
Image: Triumph SA

Every year, since I signed up to the website in 2017, I have promised myself that I will participate in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR), only to forget to register for the actual event.

Established in 2012 in Sydney, Australia by entrepreneur and motorcycle enthusiast Mark Hawwa, it’s believed what sparked the idea for DGR was Hawwa seeing a photograph of Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm), from the TV show Mad Men, sitting, suited and booted, on a classic motorcycle.

The DGR — open to classic and vintage motorcycles as well as café racers, choppers, scramblers and even scooters — is not simply about beautiful motorcycles and dapper suits. It raises funds for and awareness about prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programmes globally, through its partnership with the Movember Foundation.

Movember — established in Australia in 2003 — was founded with the purpose of tackling men’s health, “addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.”

At the core of Movember Foundation’s initiatives is the annual Movember “event” which involves growing a moustache in November to raise awareness.

SA organisations involved in the research and forming form part of this global network are:

  • SA Cancer Association
  • Rosebank Medical Oncology Centre
  • University of Cape Town
  • Steve Biko Academic Hospital — Pretoria

DGR is a free ride with all the costs including venue and marshals covered by sponsors. All donations — minimum of $10 — from the riders goes to the charity.

Donations are done through the website when you register and participants can lobby friends and family for donations.

The Joburg event which rode out from Mall of Africa raised about R376,000
The Joburg event which rode out from Mall of Africa raised about R376,000
Image: Triumph SA

On May 18 there were an estimated 1,036 rides globally with at least 108 countries participating. At the time of writing, SA — ranked 18 out of 108 countries — had 10 towns participating: Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Joburg, Klerksdorp, Knysna, Gqeberha, Stellenbosch and Pretoria.

I joined the Joburg ride, where I was one of over 530 registered riders who gathered at the Mall of Africa before the ride out and raised about $21,000 (about R376,000).

Walking between the motorcycles at the starting point was akin to browsing a motorcycle museum, with a wide range of classics, from the vintage to the modern.

Triumphs, Harleys, Indians, Vespas, Yamahas, Suzukis and BMWs, they were all there. A friend who has been riding for several decades took me on a trip down motorcycle memory lane through the motorcycles he has ridden over the years. He is now firmly a Harley-Davidson man.

Image: Triumph SA

My BMW R1200R, while at least a decade old, doesn’t qualify as classic, café racer or vintage, so I negotiated with Triumph SA to ride the Bonneville T120 Black.

It was the perfect motorcycle for the day because, as mentioned in a previous review, it forces me to slow down, be in the moment and enjoy the ride.

When riding through the streets of Joburg — from Mall of Africa through Sunninghill, Sandton and Lonehill all the way to Prison Break Market in Glenferness — as part of a gaggle of over 500 motorcycles and scooters, rushing will get you nowhere.

To be honest, I barely got into third gear on the ride, except on Winnie Mandela Drive.

Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Image: Supplied

The T120 Black came with a graphic/matt graphite twin colour tank and a brown saddle so I hauled out a grey suit, with dark grey waistcoat and my favourite brown brogue boots for the ride.

The rumble from the 2-into-2 exhaust system with twin black silencers added to the symphony of hundreds of motorcycles in a beautiful way, serving as the soundtrack to the ride.

The purpose of the ride is community and solidarity. And, by and large, the reactions of the people whose Sunday morning was disrupted slightly — JMPD and volunteer marshals kept the intersections relatively clear for the whole convoy to ride through — reflected that spirit.

It was a sight to behold and the smiles and waves from the side of the road and from within cars added to the warmth of participating in a good cause.

It was a great morning out that ended with food, music and conversation at the market.

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