The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – Paris Style Edition (2 of 2)

Photography by Laurent Nivalle

Can there possibly be anything more fashionable than Parisian Chic? Well, yes, there absolutely can be, especially when you combine it with motorcycles. Welcome to the 2014 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride–Paris edition. A photograph of Mad Men’s Don Draper straddling a vintage Matchless motorcycle inspired this international motorcycle event in 2012 with a very good cause at the heart of it–raise money to help find a cure for prostate cancer. This year, participation swelled to almost eighteen-thousand riders in 258 cities around the globe, all riding on the same day for the same cause.

There weren’t many rules, however, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was “founded on classic manners, classic motorcycles and classic trends”, said Mark Hawwa, the event’s Australian founder. Which means that everyone did have to dress up and wear a suit. The bikes also had to be suitably vintage–café racers, touring, cruisers, sports bikes, and even scooters are all welcome. No matter the type of conveyance, the dress code brought otherwise different people together.

And that was the goal of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride–to promote a community of riders taking to the streets for an admirable cause. Good job, Paris! Your city is famed throughout the world for its beauty and style…and last weekend, its generosity as well. 265 of you participated, and raised thousands for cancer research. And you did it with Parisian style.

Want to know how their brothers across the English Channel did it? Check out the story, here.