Sunday will see the third annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride take place in Guernsey.
The worldwide event is aimed at those who own classic and vintage-style motorcycles, and want to do some good for charity and community, and look dapper in the process.
The event was first started in Australia by Mark Hawwa in 2012. He got the idea after seeing a photo of Don Draper, a character from the TV show ‘Mad Men’ looking stylish on a classic motorcycle.
Mr Hawwa thought a themed ride would be a fun way for people who love these kinds of bikes to connect and raise money for a good cause. 13 years later, he’s still being proved right with rides taking place in 109 countries, and raising over $57 million USD to date.
Guernsey has been well represented over the years, with two previous rides locally and the third this weekend.
Starting at 10:00 at Vistas on Guernsey’s west coast, the riders will head north, around L’ancresse, before heading south along the east coast, to the Model Yacht Pond on Castle Emplacement.
More than 100 riders are expected to take part in the local event. For those interested, there is still time to sign up.
Simone Donazzan, the organiser of Guernsey’s contribution, said the ride has built from 65 riders three years ago to the triple digits expected in its third year.
He’s also expecting a boost to the funds raised.
In the first year that was just over £1,000, last year was £2,000, and so he hopes to raise £3,000 for charity with this year’s event.
“I started hosting the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) in Guernsey three years ago because it supports two causes that are deeply personal to me: prostate cancer research and men’s mental health,” said Mr Donazzan.
“Prostate cancer touched my own family — my father-in-law was diagnosed with it. Thankfully, due to advances in medicine, he survived. But we’re not there yet. The survival rate is not 100%, and there’s still much that needs improving, from early detection to long-term care.”
The Australian idea that spread into a worldwide event focussing on raising funds for Movember, which looks to tackle two major issues impacting men across the globe; Prostate Cancer and men’s mental health.
“Equally important to me is men’s mental health,” said Mr Donazzan.
“I lost a close friend to suicide a few years ago. His mental health struggles became overwhelming, and sadly, like so many others, he felt there was no way out. In recent years, I’ve come to understand just how widespread and devastating this issue is. Suicide among men is more common than ever, and it’s something we need to talk about — and act on.
“Since I was young, I’ve always been involved in volunteering and fundraising for causes I believe in. And what better way to give back than by combining that with something we love like riding motorcycles?”
You can find out more about Guernsey Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on their fundraising page HERE.
Elsewhere, Guernseyman Lee Corbet is currently leading the charge for fundraisers taking part in the Bournemouth-Poole ride. That is also taking place this weekend.
