Triumph Motorcycles are incredibly proud to again be supporting the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) for the sixth year running as the main motorcycle sponsor.
On Sunday 29th September 2019, over 125,000 distinguished gentlefolk in over 700 cities across 110 countries worldwide will don their cravats, straighten their ties, press their tweed, and sit astride their favourite classic styled motorcycle with the aim of raising more than $7milllion USD and mass awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and men’s mental health.
Our focus this year is increase the number of fundraisers and money raised for men’s health through showcasing the very personal connection riders have to the DGR in a campaign called “Ride for the people you love”. This will be shared in the lead up to the main 2019 DGR event with the showcasing of several short videos across the globe of people’s personal motivation in taking part in the DGR. We are sharing these authentic stories in the ambition of achieving a higher fundraising participation, specifically in the support of causes for which people have a deep personal affinity. We tell their DGR story; who they are riding for, what they are riding and the reasons it is so important.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa. It was inspired by a photo of Mad Men’s Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. Mark decided a themed ride would be a great way to combat the often-negative stereotype of men on motorcycles, whilst connecting the global motorcycling community.
That first ride in 2012 brought together over 2,500 riders across 64 cities. The success of the event encouraged the founder to consider how it could be used to support a worthy cause, leading to the biggest global ride outs to date last year with more than 115,000 riders in 101 countries raising more than $6 million USD for charitable causes.
As a key sponsor since 2014, Triumph decided that the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride captures everything to be celebrated about motorcycling and has supported the event directly with the help of our global network of over 700 dealers and 100s of thousands of passionate riders, seeing DGR grow to a global phenomenon in the process.
Our shared focus is on gentlemen who have been dealt a tough hand in life. In particular, harnessing the passionate support of our riders to raise funds for research into prostate cancer, mental health and suicide prevention programmes, as part of the DGR’s mission to support men’s health globally. These funds are invested by the Movember Foundation, who are the world’s largest men’s health organisation.
ONE OF A KIND TRIUMPH PRIZE OPPORTUNITIES
Once again Triumph will provide the main prizes for the leading global top 3 fundraisers, with each winning one of Triumph’s iconic modern classics. However, this year we will set a whole new precedent by reserving the first motorcycle of the ‘as yet’ unrevealed next edition of Triumphs Factory Custom (TFC) series, which will be fully revealed after the DGR. This will be a one of a kind TFC motorcycle, bearing serial number 001 making it a unique collector’s item and this will never be repeated for sale.
Triumph Factory Custom motorcycles reflects Triumph’s unparalleled impact on the custom scene, which springs from a unique passion and expertise that lives within Triumph. This is a passion that has been demonstrated many times over with a host of unique motorcycles created within a dedicated factory design workshop and the first TFC models – the Thruxton TFC and the Rocket TF
If you are a Triumph fan, you can join the Triumph DGR riding group, which is a global community of Triumph riders all fundraising for a common cause. This group of riders consistently raises a large proportion of the DGR’s global fundraising goal. This year, the top five fundraisers in this team will win a high-value clothing prize from Triumph.
Aside from supporting the ride through engaging with the global community of Triumph modern classic fans and riders, a series of local and national ambassadors helping DGR to grow even more, we are also donating several motorcycles globally for the DGR to reward fundraising efforts.
HOW DO FANS TAKE PART?
If you want to put on your best tweed and plus fours and take part in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride this year, you can get more information or sign up by visiting the DGR Website. www.gentlemansride.com
Don’t worry if you can’t attend one of the rides, you can still fundraise for the DGR. From Lahore to London and onto Los Angeles, you can also get updates and images of Triumph riders taking part across globe via the official Triumph social media channels.
