DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMEN RIDERS HELP SAVE BLOKES FROM CANCER
Each year, countless men die from prostate cancer, a disease easily fought with early detection. All it takes is a simple test that, put in mechanical terms, is just a quick search of the boot.
Photo by Jason Haselden, Alpha Imagery.
Many charities raise funds to combat the disease but few are as geared towards petrolheads as the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.
Founded in Sydney by Aussie classic bike enthusiast Mark Hawwa in 2012, the ride has morphed into a global movement that this year claims to have 36,000 registered riders in 257 cities, raising US$2.2 million ($3.4 million) for charities in their local areas. Prostate Cancer NZ receives funds from the New Zealand rides.
The event also inspires participants to get themselves checked. “They have been found to have prostate cancer in the early stages and email to thank us,” Hawwa says. “We’ve also had emails from their kids. It’s a pretty emotional time when you get those emails and shows the importance of maintaining your body as you would a classic bike.”
Photo by Jason Haselden, Alpha Imagery.
The Auckland ride left One Tree Hill and headed to Kohimarama before ending in a good old-fashioned shindig at Motat.
Triumph NZ, the local sponsor, asked Driven to take a new 2015 Thruxton cafe racer to the event. I had a problem: what the heck to wear? Wearing appropriate riding gear is a prerequisite to testing bikes, but the need to dress “dapper” — in the spirit of the event — meant part of that went out the window.
I found the top half of a suit to meet the formal requirement of the dress code, with helmet, riding gloves, kevlar-lined riding jeans and armoured leather boots rounding out the ensemble.
This was the classiest I’d dressed since graduating from university in 2012, but I was outclassed by the rest of the Auckland participants.
Photo by Mathieu Day
Everything from boiler suits to tuxedos were on display, with immaculately groomed moustaches and beards to match.
The first ride and the event’s overall style was inspired by a photo of actor Jon Hamm in character as Mad Men’s Don Draper, decked out in a tailor-made suit sitting astride a 1957 Matchless G3LS.
Hawwa recalls, “I thought, we could do that and in the first year the ride took part in 65 cities globally.”
Today the 36,000 riders are marshalled in 410 rides across 79 countries so — like most charity events — the fundraiser won’t happen without a team of dedicated volunteers.
Auckland ride organiser, Mike Andrews (L), Blue September ambassador, Shane Cortese, and Triumph New Zealand General Manager, Leigh Beckhaus. Photo by Mathieu Day
Classic bike enthusiast Mike Andrews took the twist-grips of the Auckland ride this year after two years as a fundraising rider.
“I couldn’t actually tell you how much time went into it,” he says. “It was a good couple of hundred hours over a few months.”
The Grease Monkeys custom bike building club and Prostate Cancer Foundation volunteers ensured the ride ran smoothly, with the Monkeys keeping the convoy on track and the volunteers selling raffle tickets and collecting donations on the day.
Photo by Jason Haselden, Alpha Imagery. Head to the Alpha Imagery website for more photos from the event
Having grown from an initial 100 participants to well over 160 this year, there is a strong current of charitable feeling in the local motorcycle scene. Andrews sums it up: “It’s great to be involved in a major charity helping to save blokes from cancer.”
