On September 24, 2017, thousands of motorcyclists took to the streets of New York City, riding through three boroughs. However, this wasn’t your typical motorcycle ride. All of the men were dressed in three-piece suits.
The journey they took throughout New York City is called the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. It is done to raise money and awareness for men’s mental health and prostate cancer. The ride is performed annually on the same day in 600 cities all around the world.
The idea behind the suit portion of the fundraiser is that those involved have to look as classy as Don Draper’s 1957 Matchless G3LS. Studies show that 66% of men feel more confident when they’re wearing a suit and 62% of men admit that they feel as though they are more successful.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is done in partnership with the Movember Foundation. This charity tackles men’s health without the help of government funding. They tackle health issues such as mental health, prostate cancer, suicide prevention, and testicular cancer. The foundation started back in 2003 when two friends met up at a bar in Australia and came up with the idea. The Movember Foundation says that men experience terrible long-term health care in comparison to women. In fact, men actually die six years earlier than women do.
The New York City ride started at the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan, went through Lincoln Center, headed back toward Queens, and ended back at the Seaport through Brooklyn. The ride is done on the final Sunday of September every single year, and this year’s attendance was capped at 1,000 motorcyclists.
In order to be a part of the ride, participants needed a Bobber, Cafe Racer, Modern Classic, Side Car, Old School Chopper, Brat, or Classic Scooter-style motorcycle. This year in total, there were 90,000 people from 90 countries that took part in the day. All together, more than $4.4 million was raised for the Movember Foundation. That’s more than the $3.6 millionraised in 2016, and more than $140,000 of this year’s money came from the New York City chapter. Vincent Nicolai was N.Y.C.’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in over $18,000 for the day.
It doesn’t cost anything to be a part of the ride. Those involved, however, raise money via sponsorship.
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