Mark Duddy

My Suit

My three-piece suit and tie for The Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride 2024 was from Empire Outlet Co., and bought especially for the event to encourage donations.

Fundraising ends at 23:59 tomorrow, so there is still time to support this great cause. Thank you!

Wow, what can I say!

Firstly, a massive THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me - it means a lot to me, as anyone reading my posts will have realised. Men are dying, often needlessly, and we need to stop that from happening.

This year I joined the iconic London ride. Leaving home at 7.00am, there was time for a few photos at my garage, before setting off for Drumsheds (near Tottenham) in North London. At that time of the morning, riding for an hour and a half wearing a tweed suit, it was bloody cold! A black coffee and a sausage roll fixed that of course!

We set off at 10.30am - over 450 mostly vintage and classically styled motorcycles, riders and pillions, dressed dapper, and in good spirits.

It's just 15 miles through the City of London to Battersea Park, but our capital was heaving! The focus required to negotiate the traffic - cars, buses, taxis, cyclists - traffic lights have no meaning to them it seems, and of course so many bikes... it was intense!! It was by now getting very warm, but my Triumph never missed a beat - honestly, I know I am biased by my bike is awesome!

Anyway, the Great British public did us proud! Countless people waving, asking us what it's all about, tooting, air-revving (is that a thing?), filming on their Samsung smartphones (other, inferior phones are available...lol) - I think it's safe to say that awareness was well and truly raised!!

The organisers and marshals did a great job throughout, and the only hitch (which was quite a big one, to be fair) was that the Parks Police had not been informed and denied us entry to Battersea Park. With that, the formation was somewhat lost in a bit of an anti-climax, but it didn't put a dampener on the event by any means.

An accident on the A3 meant I got back home at 3.00pm - a full 8 hours after leaving the house, and over 5 hours in the saddle. I could not wait to get a cold beer on board, and take some time to reflect and settle down. I didn't have the capacity to write this post yesterday!!

Collectively, the London DGR raised over £100k for Movember. Globally, there were 110,000 riders, in 958 cities, from 105 countries and raised over $7M US. I am hugely proud to be part of this movement.

Once again, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who shared my link, sponsored me, and offered words of encouragement before and since. Fundraising ends at 23:59 on Sunday, 2nd June so it's not too late to contribute if you can spare a few pounds! I dare say the good folk at Samsung Electronics UK will £-for-£ match donations through my sponsorship page again this year, so please dig a little deeper if you can as well.

Tally ho!

2 DAYS TO DGR!

Well, it's almost upon us... just 2 days until we ride side-by-side, worldwide!

The London ride details have been confirmed - over 400 like-minded gentlefolk will ride vintage and classically styled motorcycles from Drumsheds in North London to Battersea Park.

The purpose is to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues - specifically, prostate cancer and suicide prevention.

Collectively, we have raised £84,000 so far!

I am filled with a mixture pride, excitement, nerves, and above all, gratitude for all the support I have recieved again this year.

Thank you, and please do share and sponsor me if you haven't already!

The Bike...

Triumph Bonneville Street Twin 900 (2020)

Triumph headlight grille, colour-matched flyscreen and fitting kit, sump guard, engine protector kit, tank knee pads, prototype bench seat, and OEM dresser bars.

Tec Rebel 2-1 exhaust with full de-cat and modified Hi-Flow baffle, fuel booster plug, and progressive fork springs with top pre-load adjusters.

Fox Performance gas shock absorbers.

Pirelli MT60RS dual purpose tyres.

Ducati Spacers throttle spacer kit, DNA high performance filter, and NGK Laser Iridium spark plugs.

Motone Customs’ Union Flag radiator guard, shorty black anodised aluminium front mudguard/fender, mirror delete kit, billet aluminium custom fuel cap, billet indicators (with under-seat brackets at the rear), and black anodised aluminium rear mudguard/fender with Eldorado tail-light.

Baak intake covers and side panels (with leather side-bag), and graphics by Maya Stickers.

Tec CNC bar-end mirrors with low profile bar end caps, paddock stand axle adaptor bobbins kit, and OEM CNC alloy adjustable shorty front brake and clutch levers.

Pro Bolt aluminium reservoir cap, and Union Flag alloy valve caps.

Down & Out custom motorcycles Café Racer chain guard, and Thornton Hundred engine covers.

We Ride In 10 Days!

On Sunday, 19th May 2024 we ride for men's health.  We all have men in our lives - fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, and uncles.  Too many die too young, and for largely preventable reasons.  Please sponsor me if you can - every £5 makes a big difference!

One Month To Go!

On Sunday, 19th May 2024, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is coming to a city near you!  This year the DGR is calling on riders from across the globe to join forces for a monumental push towards hosting 1,000 rides simultaneously, in line with it's SIDE BY SIDE, WORLDWIDE campaign.

Let's make sure we look after the men in all of our lives.  Please sponsor me if you can.

Prostate Cancer

Globally, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men.  Over 10 million men around the world are living with or beyond a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Please help me to raise as much awareness and funds for prostate cancer and men's mental health as possible.

Thank you.

Men’s Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

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.

Please support Movember by sponsoring me if you can.

The London Ride

For the past three years I have joined the Brooklands ride, ably supported by the fantastic team at Triumph West London.  Last year in particular, was a triumph (if you pardon the pun).

This year, we will be joining the much bigger London ride.  I am not going to lie; the scale of the thing makes me a little bit nervous.

That said, the international flavour is all the richer for being in our great capital city.  Come Sunday, 19th May 2024 the spectacle will be quite something I'm sure!

Please help me to raise as much awareness and funds for prostate cancer and men's mental health as possible.

Thank you for your support.

Samsung Electronics UK

Did you know...

The good folk at Samsung Electronics UK have kindly donated £1,033 to my fundraising efforts since 2023.  That's over and above the 'Total Raised' figure on my page!

Please sponsor me if you can - don't be shy, just £5 per Facebook friend would put nearly £2,000 in the pot!

And finally, a massive THANK YOU to everybody that has sponsored me so far - it really means a lot.

Side By Side, Worldwide

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride unites classic and vintage styled motorcycle riders from all over the world to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia, by Mark Hawwa.  It was inspired by a photo of TV Show Mad Men’s Don Draper astride a classic motorcycle and wearing his finest suit.  Mark decided a themed ride would be a great way of connecting niche motorcycle enthusiasts and communities while raising funds to support the men in our lives.

Please sponsor me if you can - thank you!

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