Gentleman's Ride 2016: Feral & Folk joins Charity Ride Through Miami
It's 7:30am on a cloudy Sunday morning and it seems extraordinarily difficult to get out of bed. Snuggled in a soft comforter, we peek out in anticipation for cloudy weather through the window. Grey and ominous, the clouds promise one thing for certain: rain. This rain could be a welcome and comforting omen if our intentions were to watch a movie, drink some tea, and sleep 'til noon.
But we have big plans that not only involve us riding an '06 Harley scrambler with a big group of other riders we've never met, but also looking dapper while we're at it.
It took a bit of convincing, but within an hour we're out the door, adorned in some suave attire and prepared to join our fellow gentlemen at Junior & Hatter in Wynwood.
As we approached Wynwood, a neighborhood a little bit north of Downtown Miami and home to many fashionable art galleries and restaurants, the sky overheard looked threatening. An apocalyptic-looking dark grey cloud threatened to ruin both our hair and our day.
Despite this, we were eager to arrive, see all the vintage and custom bikes lining the block, and check out the fancy menswear that everyone had willfully donned for the occasion.
The occasion of which we speak is known as the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. It is an international charity event founded in 2012 by Australia-native Mark Hawwa. The ride is free, but this year everyone was encouraged to donate to raise awareness and find a cure for prostate cancer, along with funding suicide prevention programs. Riders and onlookers break out their best ties, suspenders, facial hair, (if they have any), and great attitudes in order to create a dapper crowd that combats the historically rough reputation that comes with the biker culture.
The Miami ride, hosted by Old Soul Young Blood, was set to start in Wynwood and stop over by Fairchild Gardens in Coral Gables, a beautiful historic neighborhood offering views on spectacular older mansions and old growth framing the roadway. The area is called Cocoplum circle, and offered a view into a beautiful blue canal with miraculously no sign of rain and the sun beating down overhead. From there, the ride was scheduled to head down to Black Point Marina in Homestead before returning to Miami.
Once in Coral Gables, we were able to re-explore the crowd of bikes and document as many unique and stylish motorcycles as we could before realizing that extreme heat and hunger don't pair very well. Alas, we untied our ties and unbuttoned our buttons to head to the nearby restaurant, Peacock Cafe. Our journey ended about halfway through the ride, but not without experiencing a band of excited brothers and sisters coming together from all walks of life to support a noble cause.
Vanessa Duncan
An Art History student at FIU in Miami, painter, costume connoisseur, and vintage clothing collector, Vanessa manages social media, photography, and the online store for Feral & Folk alongside Anthony Garcia.
