A motorbike-loving company director will be suiting up in his finest attire and getting on his bike for charity this weekend.
On Sunday September 24th 2017, Richard Day creative director of Leeds-based ecommerce agency Onstate, will be joining tens of thousands of distinguished gentlefolk in hundreds of cities worldwide as part of the global Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.
Participants will don cravats, tweak their moustaches, press their tweed and sit astride their classic and vintage styled motorcycles to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and men’s mental health.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is an international event that unites bikers from all over the UK and Europe to the Americas and Australia.
Riding his beloved Triumph Scrambler, Richard, who took part in the ride for the first time last year, will be taking part in the Derbyshire ride. Last year, Richard raised over £500 and is aiming to improve on that target with this latest ride.
Colleagues, clients and business contacts at Onstate, a leading ecommerce agency with a range of retail and lifestyle brands including Alexa Chung, Brown Thomas and Crockett & Jones have been supporting Richard through sponsorship donations.
Commented Richard: “I’m a keen motorcyclist so to be able to raise money for such a worthwhile cause whilst doing something I love is a real bonus. There’s a real sense of camaraderie amongst the biking community and for everyone to come together in such a dapper and positive way creates a big impact as well as helping to raise awareness and much needed funds. I’m hoping I can count on the support of family, friends, clients and business contacts to reach my target.”
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 niche motorcycle communities together.
The 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.
Last year over 56,000 participants in 505 cities in 90 countries raised over $3.6M for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programmes in partnership with the Movember Foundation.
