Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Karachi

‘The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’ created awareness about the increasing rate of prostate cancer among men

KARACHI: Dressed in classic formal suits, about 200 bikers in Karachi got united on Sunday for a cause raised by ‘The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride’ (DGR).

Gentlemen in Pakistan became part of the globally recognised ride on Sunday - same date across 91 countries in the world - to create awareness about the increasing rate of prostate cancer among men.

"Last year we had about 100 bikers as participants, but this time the response was overwhelming... the number of bikers crossed 200," organiser of the ride in Karachi and leader of Throttle Shrottle bikers group Faisal Malik told The Express Tribune. "The bikers group was united under the banner of DGR."

PHOTO: ADEEL HAMEED

Idea

Sharing details of the global ride, Malik, a banker by profession and bike enthusiast, explained the DGR was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa. "The cause it to create awareness about the increasing rate of prostate cancer and rising suicide cases among men," he said.

Malik said the donations are generated for research on prostrate cancer every year, and in 2013 -  the year it was organised for the first time globally - the event raised over $277,000 with over 11,000 participants in 145 cities around the world.



Response

Under the initiative, more than 30,000 people in over 400 cities rode bikes for the cause this year. The DGRs official website shared the Leaderboards depending on the number of funds generated by each country, where Pakistan, with just 344 riders, stands at ‘20th’ among 91 countries generating $11,989. On the contrary, India, with 2,120 riders, stands at number 28 generating $8,591.

PHOTO: ADEEL HAMEED

Uniformity of dress and route

Malik told The Express Tribune that as the name suggests, all the participants were dressed in their best possible formal attire.

He said the ride's route was led my him with speed limit of 50km/h. "We started from Clifton Park Towers at 7am and drove all across the district South from old city area to DHA Phase VIII... ending the ride at Dolmen Mall, Clifton," he said. "This time it was different since we also had women participants as pillion riders."



The motorcycle types, he added, included vintage Cafe' Racer, Bobber, Classic, Tracker, Scrambler, Old School Chopper, Modern Classic and Sidecar, among others.

"It is always exciting participating in such events, but the excitement increases when its for a greater cause," Waliullah Sheikh, who was riding a 1981 vintage CB400 Café racer told The Express Tribune. 

Famous biker Moin Khan also arrived from Lahore to participate in the event.