Martin Haskell

Seven years bad luck?

Monday 7th Apr 2025

As the days of April slip steadily by, I’m aware that it’s only a few weeks now until this year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on Sunday 18^th May.

Of course, you will be thinking ‘that’s six weeks away’ and of indeed you’d be right.

But the fact is, I’m a little out of practice.

The ride I’m taking part in this year is starts and finishes at the sea front at Hastings in East Sussex and including riding to the starting point and back will be about 100 miles, which is a big deal if you’re riding a bicycle.

But on a large American touring motorcycle it’s no great shakes. It won’t even use a tank of fuel.

But I’ve barely ridden my bike since having surgery to remove a tumour on my right index finger last autumn, so I need to get back into the swing of things.

Because two weeks before the DGR I’ll be undertaking a slightly longer ride, to Gouveia in Portugal and back, via the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry, which will be a round trip of around 1,100 miles in five days, so understandably I’m getting back into training.

This afternoon I went over to Whitstable Harbour and back, which was about 65 miles in total, it was a bit chilly, and I had a few new things to get used to.

New stretch Kevlar jeans (very comfortable and AAA rated for safety), new gloves (they came free with the jeans) and a helmet intercom system, like the one my son Ben has – he’s coming with me to Portugal on his bike – ostensibly to act as my carer - so we’ll be able to communicate on the road.

Today’s ride was a success, but in reality, it was just a minor outing; the shop that services my bike has moved so I wanted to make sure I’m going to the right place at the end of April when it goes in for its annual service and check over before I head south a week later.

But what I did witness while I was having a coffee at Hat Hats in the South Quay Shed was a poor soul who got on his sports bike to ride away but left his disc lock on, he came to an abrupt halt and promptly fell over, which probably ruined his day and dented his bank balance.

I don’t suppose he was expecting that to happen, and whenever I ride my bike I’m always aware of the risks and pitfalls waiting for a pensioner riding a 350kg bike.

Fortunately, he was OK, and apart from bruised pride and a broken mirror was able to ride away.

Life throws these things at us from time to time, something unexpected creeps up on us, and before you know it, the lives of those in our bubbles of existence can change forever in an instant.

These unexpected curve balls can take many forms; it might be something to do with relationships, or jobs can change or disappear, both having an effect on stability and mental health.

And then of course there’s cancer. We’ve all been affected in some way by cancer, our loved ones and friends’ lives are turned upside down by this horrible disease, the suffering is horrendous, and that’s just the lucky ones who get the treatment in time.

Movember has been the official charity partner of The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride since 2016. Both organisations share a simple goal: to bring people together and change the face of men's health. The following information comes from the DGR website:

Funds raised by The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride help to power Movember’s work across two of the most complex issues facing men around the globe: prostate cancer and mental health.  

Prostate cancer is particularly common in men over 50. If you’re 50 or over, it’s important to talk to your GP about keeping yourself healthy and any ongoing tests you may need as part of your health check-ups. If you have a family history of prostate cancer or sub-Saharan African ancestry, you need to start that conversation earlier at 40 to 45. Guidelines can be different, depending on where you live — so check with your doctor.

If you or someone you know are facing a prostate cancer diagnosis, click here to visit True North. True North is a website developed by Movember to help men find advice on prostate cancer treatments, common changes to sex and intimacy, unexpected bathroom trips, and much more.

Globally, on average, we lose one man to suicide every minute of every day. That’s half a million men every year. The issue of suicide is incredibly complex. But we know this: improving overall mental health and helping men establish better social connections can reduce the risk of suicide.

A conversation can change, maybe even save, a life. Our friends at RUOK? have developed a simple four-step guide to help you navigate a conversation with someone who might be finding things tough.

Ask. Start by asking how they’re feeling. It’s worth mentioning any changes you’ve picked up on – like spending more time at the bar or they’ve gone quiet in the group chat.

Listen. Give them your full attention, no distractions. Let them know you’re hearing what they’re saying and you’re not judging.

Encourage action. Help them focus on simple things that might improve how they feel. Are they getting enough sleep? Exercising and eating well? Have they got others in their life that they trust to speak with? If they’ve felt low for more than two weeks, suggest that they chat to their doctor.

Check in. Suggest you catch up soon – in person if you can. This helps to show that you care; plus, you’ll get a feel for whether they’re feeling any better.

Starting conversations with men who are struggling may seem daunting. But getting them to open up can be easier with practice. Movember has built an online conversation simulator called Movember Conversations to help give you the confidence to talk with men who may be struggling. Take it for a spin here.

Please visit the DGR site by clicking my link: gfolk.me/MartinHaskell

If you can afford to sponsor me, great. If not – no worries. But if any of these issues are on the horizon for you or your loved ones, please check out how you can get help.

 

  

Return to Hastings!

Saturday 29th Mar 2025

Blog 2

Return to Hastings…

The 2025 Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride will see me returning to Hastings, after a year away in which we did the Margate Ride.

I’ve been on several different rides, some of which were very well organised, others less so.

The first ride I did in 2014 was in Central London, this was on a borrowed Russian Ural bike, quite agricultural and unrefined, but a great deal of fun. The ride was planned by that most famous of modern biking destinations, The Bike Shed. The ride was well organised, but a little crowded.

The subsequent ride was also in London but was so over-subscribed that the organisers had outgrown the start and finish point at Borough Market (great shame) and started from an empty building plot in Southwark, which I assume is now some sort of desirable residential block.

For this ride I had borrowed a magnificent Indian Chief Vintage, worth well in excess of £20k. The ride snaked through the City, during which time a large articulated truck (with a driver presumably irritated at being held up by dozens of slow-moving bikes) clipped my right-hand mirror on The Embankment, fortunately with a bike weighing almost 400kg it only caused a slight wobble.

The following year’s ride was also completed on a borrowed bike, this time a brand-new Harley-Davidson Roadster, a slightly sportier version of their popular Sportster model. This ride (if I remember correctly) started at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and ended at the Outer Circle of Regents Park on the other side of town.

The London rides had become hugely popular, and despite being very well organised had lost some of the appeal of the earlier years.

By the time the 2017 ride came around, things had moved on, I had my own Harley (which I still love) and I decided that I would take part in the Amsterdam ride, so along with my son Ben, on a BMW RNineT we headed across France and Belgium to the Netherlands, meeting friends Julia and Andy (from the 2014 ride)  at an Air BnB we’d rented on the outskirts of the city.

If the London Rides were well organised, the Amsterdam Ride was absolutely incredible, with Police outriders riding in relay and stopping the traffic – even trams – for us.

After so many well attended and beautifully organised rides, 2018 was something of a letdown, Julia and Andy were on one of their European road trips, and Ben wasn’t available, so I met with a friend John to join the Maidstone ride, organised by Laguna Motorcycles.

It was shambolic, poorly executed, badly planned with everyone being forced to make an illegal right turn in Rochester and terminated in an already very busy West Malling High Street, where there was nowhere to park, so everyone either parked illegally or just went home.

In 2019 I decided to venture a little further afield (but not as far as Amsterdam) and took part in the West Sussex Ride, which seemed like a great plan, lovely seaside locations and well organised. Unfortunately, the ride to the starting point was a lonely two and a half hours away, and the weather was absolutely foul, I was freezing cold and soaking wet before we even started, and the weather didn’t improve either.

By 2020 the date had been changed from September to May, and Covid had arrived. The organisers were keen to still press ahead to raise much needed funds for The Movember Foundation in their efforts to reduce the numbers of men dying too young.

For the next two years I ploughed a lonely furrow, riding alone around the coastal towns of South East Kent, often in windswept and bleak conditions.

When the 2022 ride was announced, I decided to once again join the West Sussex ride, as I felt that the previous occasion with its torrential rain and high winds I hadn’t experienced it at its best, and the glorious weather I enjoyed on my early morning ride across Kent and Sussex more than compensated for the previous occasion.

The West Sussex ride is up there with the better organised outings, with early morning coffee, bacon rolls etc., along with plenty of parking space, stops along the coastal route to Chichester and a welcoming committee with catering and even a live band at the other end.

Having sampled the delights of West Sussex (notwithstanding the five hour return journey to join my fellow participants) for 2023 I was pleased to see that a new ride had popped up in Hastings (well, more St Leonards really) organised by the local Triumph dealer.

This one promised and indeed delivered a very enjoyable ride among friends, as I was joined by Carla and Blez, and their friends Stephen and Andy, on a collection of iconic and rare bikes. Along with my own relatively rare Harley our team were riding a 1970s Norton Commando 850, an extremely rare Quasar, a vintage 1954 Moto Guzzi Falcone and a 1970s Moto Guzzi V1000 automatic. (see the accompanying photo).

The following year I had every intention of joining the Hastings ride again, and even emailed the organisers offering a few tips and suggestions as to how the ride could have been improved. The starting point had been on the cambered back streets of St Leonards, not ideal for some bikes due to the exaggerated lean angles.

There were no refreshments or hot drinks available either, which along with a fairly vague end point at Madiera Drive in Brighton, (where there was already an event in full swing) and no suitably organised regrouping points along the way, all of which would have made a good ride even better.

But it wasn’t to be, in 2024 the Hastings ride didn’t happen.

 Instead, Stephen and I regrouped and joined the Margate ride, for which we once again had great weather. The meeting point was on the harbour arm, which boasts a number of coffee and food establishments. Except that at 9 am on a Sunday morning none of them were open.

The ride was part of a larger event organised by Malle London, which was staging a big beach racing event and had sort of tacked the DGR on as an additional feature. The ride was enjoyable, calling in at Broadstairs beach as a halfway point, returning to join the hundreds of other bikes parked along Margate sea front, the riders of which seemed to know very little about the DGR.

So I was fully prepared to once again join the Margate ride for 2025, and even ride to the harbour arm in advance to inform the café owners of the DGR. Except that it isn’t happening.

Malle London have chosen another weekend to stage their event and have even organised their own 100 mile bike ride, which presumably won’t raise a dime towards the Movember Foundation.

But all is not lost; the Hastings DGR has returned, and this time starts and finishes at The Stade, a large flat parking area on the sea front near the Old Town, and boasts food outlets, toilets and lots of room. Will we get the old team of Carla, Blez, Stephen, Andy and myself together again?

Well, that remains to be seen, Stephen and I have already signed up, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

This year is all the more significant to me, as friends have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and thankfully have received treatment from which they are on the mend.

Cancer seems to be a fact of modern life. I don’t know whether it’s due to social media that we know more people who have been diagnosed (and importantly more people who have successfully received treatment) and are recovering and/or completely clear, or whether it’s simply due to modern lifestyles; but we all have loved ones whose lives have been or are currently being devastated by this horrible disease.

The Movember Foundation focus on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

Movember exists to help men live happier, healthier, longer lives – this is what drives every single one of our 1,250 men’s health projects.

In everything they do, they strive to be transparent and accountable. They report thoroughly on each project so that our fundraisers and their supporters can see how their support is changing the lives of men around the world.

So if you can, I would really appreciate your help. I fully realise that times are hard for many, and that you may not be able to afford to sponsor me - but even spreading the word and making others aware of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and the Movember Foundation is a positive step. As Tesco say, every little helps.   

 

    

  

             

I'm Riding for Men's Health in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

Tuesday 25th Mar 2025 On Sunday the 18th of May 2025, I'm riding in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men's mental health on behalf of Movember. Men die on average 6 years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. The number of men that are suffering is growing, and we need to do something about that. So, before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I'm asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.