After the coronavirus forced the ninth annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to go virtual in September, the men’s health charity event will permanently move to May from next year.
The virtual event resulted in the number of participants and fundraising for the November Foundation being halved.
Organisers hope the shift to May for the northern hemisphere riding season will better suit riders and increase fund-raising opportunities.
“We know how important it is to physically connect with our community,” the organisers say in a press release.
“The group events of DGR are integral in celebrating together, so we’re taking a turn in 2021 and shaking things up to bring us together, sooner.”
Consequently, the 10th annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2021.
“The new May date will open up the riding season for many of our dapper folks in the Northern Hemisphere, and those in the Southern Hemisphere will still be able to keep relatively dry and enjoy the day,” the organisers say.
“This is a significant change that has been decided on due to overwhelming feedback from our riders and volunteer hosts from around the world, based on the impact that the weather has had on the safety of our events in recent years.”
Last year more than 115,000 motorcycles in 678 cities hit the roads to raise a record $US5.8m.
This year the event raised $US2.74m and attracted about 56,000 motorcyclists from 171 countries.
Still, the DGR has raised more than $US25m for men’s cancer research and mental health issues since it was founded by Mark Hawwa in Sydney in 2012.
Riders can pre-register for the 2021 event now at www.gentlemansride.com.