Stop the press. RideApart is raising money for charity. Well, for legal reasons, I'm technically doing a charity fundraiser for the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride (DGR), but I have the full support of the RideApart team and Triumph.
The event is something I wanted to be a part of for years, as I don't think there's a much better cause for activity than to help folks struggling with mental health and/or cancer. I live with and have lived through some debilitating mental health problems, and cancer too, for that matter.
Since this is a cause that's so close to my heart (read "testicle"), I'm throwing a leg over to raise a little more awareness and money.
I'll ride for around 700 miles (1,130 km) from Mazatlan, Sinaloa to Mexico City on a Triumph Bonneville T120—a trip that, according to Google should take 21 hours and 18 minutes. And I know what you're thinking, "A T120 isn't a long-distance machine." You're right, and that's the point.
I'm going to have aches and pains in all the places you can imagine and be mentally fried by the time I reach Mexico City—That's what this is about. I love riding motorcycles, more than breathing, most of the time. I've dedicated my life to riding. But anything you do for too long or anything you hold for too long can hurt you.
My aches will be progressive, and I can stop to stretch briefly for some reprieve, but the weight of some mental health problems can sneak up on you. Sometimes you don't even realize you're holding it until you're at a breaking point, and a cancer diagnosis can come from even further afield and hit you twice as hard.
I'll post live updates throughout the trip, but you can start donating right now, just follow this link—everything makes a difference.
I'll happily put myself through prolonged mild discomfort if it helps hammer home the message that, as soon as you feel the weight of your mind unbalanced or a lump or freckle somewhere it wasn't before, you won't wait, and you'll reach out to take the next best steps.
