THE NYC DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN’S RIDE

A DARK DAY FOR NEW YORK CITY | Story Chris Logsdon | Photographer Jason Goodrich

2014 NYC Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride | Photo by Jason Goodrich @thejasongoodrich

A quiet Sunday morning on Greenwich Street in New York’s West Village is rudely awakened by the roaring sounds of the two-wheeled kind. It’s another sunny September day in 2013 as a large group of enthusiasts, dressed to the nines, don their motorcycles and set out to raise awareness for men’s prostate cancer. This is the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.

I remember being in Los Angeles infuriated that I was missing out on yet another NYC motorcycle event. Over a ridiculously overpriced meal at Beverly Hills’ L’Ermitage Hotel (where the ad agency usually put me up), my eyes focused on the flat screen television above the breakfast bar as news broke that a man was dragged from his car and savagely beaten by a group of motorcyclists. The incident would leave a nasty residue on the city and at the same time the spotlight would be stolen from a similar sized group of do-gooders.

2014 NYC Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride | Photo by Jason Goodrich @thejasongoodrich

Fast-forward a year later, almost to the day. I’ve managed to keep my feet on east coast soil but once again, no wheels. I’d just about accepted the job of being a spectator when I received a text from my good friend and fellow rider, Sean Gilligan of Cotter Pin Gear. It read, “I can’t imagine you out there without a bike. Use mine.” A true gentleman indeed.

There would be 20 of us riding out from Brooklyn’s Union Garage and over the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and down into Manhattan’s Wall Street area. Last year’s DGR number supposedly topped out around 65 riders, so you can imagine our reaction when we rolled up on Greenwich Street to about 100 parked motorcycles with their dapper owners standing close by. All in all, over 130 Distinguished Gentlemen Riders, men and women, would come together to join the thousands across the globe raising close to 1.5 million dollars, surpassing the goal of 1 million.

2014 NYC Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride | Photo by Jason Goodrich @thejasongoodrich

The day’s route would take us up 10th Avenue where at every red light we were greeted by curbside camera flashes from smart phones and even the occasional larger than life iPad. Cutting through the greenery of Central Park we wrapped ourselves around Columbus Circle and down Manhattan’s 7th Avenue. We took this one slowly, there was no rush, no need to skirt city traffic. The point of the DGR is to be seen and more importantly, to be seen together.

Several times during our ride we would catch the eye of New York’s finest. Considering last year’s brutal incident, I pondered their thoughts as we rolled by, their eyes tracking with every rotation of our wheels. This would be that moment in the movie when everything is shot in slow motion – cut to an extreme close up of a watchful police officer in his patrol car, his eyebrow raised as he sips his coffee. Fade to black.

2014 NYC Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride | Photo by Jason Goodrich @thejasongoodrich

By the end of the ride I can happily report that the only issue we had came from a defiant old BMW that refused to start. The entire day was full of smiles and photo opps, forging friendships from once complete strangers.

With the ride completed, we settled in to the Biergarten directly below The Standard hotel. With arms wrapped around each other and with suits dusted from the day’s events, we raised our pints. We shared in raising a lot more then just noise for a great cause today. Until next year.