Distinguished Gentlemans's Ride

On Sunday September 27th 2015, more than 30,000 smartly-dressed riders in over 400 cities world-wide will ride their café racers, vintage bikes, bobbers, scramblers and other marvelous custom motorcycles to raise awareness and help fund the cure for prostate cancer. Locally you are invited to join the DGR ride leaving Red Ball Printing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, making a few stops on the way to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, but there are DGR rides in a city near you.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in 2012 in Sydney Australia, inspired by a photo of Mad Men’s Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. It was decided a themed ride would be a great way to combat the sometimes negative stereotype of men on motorcycles, while connecting niche motorcycle communities. That first ride 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. And the rest, as they say, is elegantly attired history.

The ride from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, not far from the National Motorcycle Museum, will put  emphasis on bringing together a specific niche of motorcyclists; those on vintage, European and  modern classics in the area who are often not very visible. But if you go to the DGR website, you can look for a ride near you.
The event allows new & seasoned riders to feel welcomed by coming together to admire & show each others’ machines, network and just have fun being around like minded riders. Non-riders are encouraged to come and look at such a unique collection of motorcycles that you may not see everyday. The ride also places emphasis on local history of the area such as The Lincoln Highway, The Red Ball Route and The New Bo neighborhood.

Riders can register for free on the official website http://www.gentlemansride.com/ or on the day of the event on-site at the meet up spot, Red Ball Printing, 1390 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. But note that registering online allows riders the chance to win prizes. The Cedar Rapids ride will be have a raffle at the beginning with all proceeds going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation US http://www.pcf.org/ 

This year local involvement and support comes from ride venues: Red Ball Printing, Baxa’s Tavern/Sutliff Bridge and the National Motorcycle Museum. This is an event which is continuing to grow and evolve locally and has great potential to bring real support to prostate cancer research.