The Distinguished Gentelemens Ride - 18th May 2025

The day had come, Sunday 18th May—the day to don our finest dapper attire and ride motorcycles for men’s health in the global spectacle known as the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride. The weather gods, decided to bless us with near-perfect conditions: dry, cloudy skies, moderate (and warming) temperatures, and just enough wind to mess up our perfectly coiffed hair. A total of 144 riders of the ‘Leesburg Ride’ gathered at the starting line at Motorcycles of Dulles (MoD), looking like a scene from a vintage movie—if that movie was about men with questionable fashion choices and a penchant for facial hair. At 11 am, we set off in batches of 15 to 20 riders, led by our official guides who promised not to lose a single rider. All was well until about eight miles in when my buddy Russell, riding a classic 1977 Triumph Bonneville 750 Silver Jubilee, suddenly pulled over without so much as a “Hey, I’m stopping!” It was like he had just remembered he left the oven on at home. Russ's bike decided it was time for a quick nap. After a brief existential crisis, Russ managed to revive it by simply turning off the lights. Anyone familiar with Lucas electrics on British motorcycles is probably chuckling right now. Back in the day, Lucas electrics were affectionately dubbed the "Prince of Darkness," because who doesn’t love a little drama with their ride? The charging system, ignition, lighting, and selector switches all have the Lucas touch. So, it could have been the lights, the switches, or just simple case of Lucas smouldering electrics - who knows? That little hiccup knocked Russ's confidence, and he decided to head home with the bike on the back of a trailer, which is a bit like saying, “I’ll just Uber home, thanks.” I then joined another group, only to discover we were like a lost pack of puppies at the next traffic light. It was just me and another DGR rider on a T120 Black, leading a pack of six bewildered riders behind us. This was fine until we both admitted we had no idea where we were going and, spoiler alert, neither of us had a GPS or a phone. I had opted to park my phone in favor of my GoPro, which I thought would capture the best bits. I didnt expect to be an offical guide. Undeterred, we confidently pulled away, trying our best to catch up with the rest of the group, but we were so far behind after being held up at the lights that we might as well have been in a different time zone. One of the six riders in our breakaway group stepped up, only to declare that his GPS had locked up a few miles further on. Now we were miles from where we should have been. Finally, the lady rider on a BMW 750GS stepped up with her off-road GPS, which was probably designed to navigate the Amazon rainforest. She guided us across some twisty country back roads, and we finally made it to our destination at Lost Barrel Brewery in beautiful Middleburg, Virginia. We arrived first, having completed more miles than the rest of the group, which was a little victory—though we completely missed the motorcycle parade through the town of Leesburg. At the end of the day, we all arrived safely, with plenty of tales to tell and laughs to share. The shared passion for riding and the collective desire to make a difference created an atmosphere that was part comedy show, part charity event. And with the Leesburg Riders raising a total of $37,322 for men’s health (34th highest fundraising city in the world), it was a day well spent. Here’s to the next adventure in 2026—hopefully with fewer detours and more parades!

Update on DGR 2025 dated 21 May 2025: 125,000 Riders, 1037 Cities, 108 Countries and $7.2M USD Raised.

Thank you MoD for the beer!