THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN’S RIDE

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global charity that has grown to boast participation of over 150,000 riders in 700 cities, all donning their Sunday best on the same day each September to “Ride Dapper” and raise funds and awareness for men’s health concerns. As of the recent 2020 ride, they have raised over $27MM worldwide.

I decided to investigate the DGR after seeing photos popping up on Instagram several years back. Grabbing my tweed jacket and helmet, and stuffing a shop rag into my breast pocket at the last minute, I found myself on one of the most interesting charity rides I’d experienced. Making fast friends amidst the “gentry,” I volunteered to help the following year. After a series of events, I was suddenly thrust into the lead role as host and organizer of the NYC ride.

I embraced the challenge, managed to gather a good core group around me, and can proudly say we’ve grown the DGR NYC to be one of the premier rides worldwide. Now in my 6th year as co-host and organizer, with good friend Allister Klingensmith, I welcome the challenge of planning an event that sees 1000+ dapper riders parade through the streets of our great city with full NYPD mounted police escort. The NYC ride led all US cities last year, raising nearly $200K, along with plenty of eyebrows and heart rates.

Read “Feeling The Need For Tweed.”

At the root of all the dapper dress, shining steeds, and fantastic facial hair is a great cause. The DGR was created to raise awareness and funds to fight prostate cancer, and has evolved to broaden its efforts to include key men’s health concerns, including mental illness and suicide prevention. Partnering with the Movember Foundation has given them an even larger audience and global stage from which to continue all the dapper do-gooding. Tally Ho!