The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: A Decade of Dapper

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Standard Post with Gallery
A Decade of Dapper memories, images and stats — Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

Causes aside, for me the DGR hits a chord because it brings people together, locally, and globally. In a world full of uncertainty, the event makes the Earth seem a little closer together, if only for a day.

Rahoul Ghose, NYC Motorcyclist

DGR’s requisite autobiography – The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: A Decade of Dapper – shipped out this month, a hardbound, 240-page archive of images, stories and stats hailing 10 years of accomplishments and memories raising funds for prostate cancer research, and more recently, men’s mental health resources.

A visual feast combining classic motorcycles with a Mad Men’s Don Draper fashion aesthetic, and the brainchild of Aussie moto enthusiast and entrepreneur Mark Hawwa, the DGR is setting up globally for Round 12 next Spring ... taking over 750+ cities, May 21, 2023, having raised well over $37.5 million to date worldwide.

I honestly don’t know how the book’s editors managed to cull 10 years of global stories and images down for this DGR diary. It is an accomplishment worth investing in. We were honored to be included amongst the pages and equally proud of our colleagues and friends who were recognized in text and photo selections.

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Scenes from the 2018 DGR in NYC at the start in Seaport District — Rahoul Ghose

I honestly don’t know how the book’s editors managed to cull 10 years of global stories and images down for this DGR diary. It is an accomplishment worth investing in.

Rahoul Ghose, NYC Motorcyclist

There is a great section on NYC DGR organizers Mike Higgins and Allister Klingensmith, A Suit Smelling Like Exhaust, a wonderful two-page spread on standout fundraiser Vincent Nicolai, a fundraiser/volunteer column on Kirsten Midura, and numerous images from NYC photographers and those who shot during the Big Apple ride over the years, including: Ethan Covey, Fie Franciska, Hugh Miller, Chris Mitchell, Mark Squitieri, and yours truly.

NYC, which has topped the world in fundraising on two separate occasions – 2019 and 2022 – is well represented.

Many thanks to Mark Hawwa, Ramsey Sayed and Mikey Stojcevski from DGR HQ in Australia, for the event, this book, and your friendship over the years.

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Marketing image from the 2014 DGR in Los Angeles at Deus ex Machina — Andre Pinces

NYC, which has topped the world in fundraising on two separate occasions – 2019 and 2022 – was well represented.

Rahoul Ghose, NYC Motorcyclist

Below is the full text of the section we were honored with, which in the book was edited down to concentrate on the cultural diversity of the city’s participants. Thanks to my friend and fellow Canadian, Andre Pinces, for providing a rare DGR image of myself from the 2014 DGR in Los Angeles.

"Ten years of DGR – as a participant, organizer, photographer, and writer – have gone by in a flash. It’s an event that strikes at my core, pairing moto interests and dapper fashion with a worthy cause: fundraising and education for two major men’s health issues, prostate cancer, and suicide prevention.

I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the event on both coasts, first in Los Angeles and then New York City.

In those early years, in LA, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride became jarringly personal when two close moto friends separately succumbed to cancer and suicide. I still think of both before the annual ride each year.

The past 8 years in New York City have given me an opportunity to capture, in images, elements I so love about the city … its cultural diversity and gender inclusivity, its openness to rising up for a common goal, and NYC’s enthusiasm and heart in embracing this global phenomenon. Eight hundred plus riders, under the guidance of NYPD Highway Patrol, circumnavigate the ‘Big Apple’, one of the busiest cities in the world, prompting spontaneous smiles from both participants and those witness to the group’s passage through areas in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

My photojournalistic background rose from a love of capturing moments, people’s expressions, emotions, and interactions with one another, free from the restrictions of a forced pose. NYC’s gatherings are full of those moments.

Pre-2020, during full ride events, I had the luxury of shooting the start and wrap events in NYC’s scenic Seaport District while still participating in the ride on my labor of love, a modified Triumph Thruxton.

Over the past two COVID-restricted years I also had the honor of putting some of my sports photography skills to use in shooting the city’s innovative Rollin’ Photo Opp at two iconic locations, the Queensboro / 59th Street Bridge and Grand Central Terminal. Beautiful bikes, riders dressed to the nines and scenic backgrounds … what more could a photographer ask for?

DGR has also afforded me the opportunity, through NYCMotorcyclist.com, to work with some extremely talented photographers over the years and do justice to the breadth of a DGR ride day, with multiple galleries from diverse creative perspectives. I count many of those generous individuals as close friends now.

Causes aside, for me the DGR hits a chord because it brings people together, locally, and globally. In a world full of uncertainty, the event makes the Earth seem a little closer together, if only for a day."

You can purchase The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: A Decade of Dapper for $80 online at shop.gentlemansride.com. The hardcover version is a limited edition run.

Six Years of DGR NYC Galleries | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

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