Barberstown Castle, DGR Kildare — 18 May 2025

For Caleb Brown, today wasn’t about showing up. It was about showing up again.

“This is my sixth one,” he says. “I’ve done Dublin. I’ve done Kildare. But today? Today was different. The turnout. The atmosphere. The energy. I’ve never seen it like this.”

Caleb has become a familiar face at the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride — a global event raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health and prostate cancer research. But this year, it’s personal in a new way. He wasn’t just attending. He was carrying someone with him.

Loss, Memory, and Movement

“I’ve lost a number of men in my life to suicide,” Caleb says, his voice steady but heavy. “Uncles, friends, colleagues.” And two years ago, I did this ride because someone close passed away from prostate cancer. And that was it. I felt I’d done my bit. I rode. I raised money. I thought that was my part in it.”

Until this year.

“I got a message from home. Someone very close to my heart has advanced prostate cancer, and he is battling it.” So I said: right. One more time. I’m doing it again. For him.”

You don’t need more than that. He doesn’t say it for sympathy. He says it because it’s real.

The Feel of the Day

Ask Caleb what stood out, and he doesn’t pick the outfits or the bikes — though they were out in force. It’s the feeling.

“It’s a combination of everything,” he says. “The crowd. The sun. The people. The bikes, yeah — old school ones, trikes, new ones — all different. But it’s the people that hit you. The guys here, like Austin says, you have this perception of bikers — and then you meet them and they’re just the nicest, most genuine people you’ll ever come across. All here for the same reason.”

That reason isn’t just fundraising. It’s not just the cause. It’s connection.

“We all have a story to tell. You sit down, you open up, and suddenly you realise — you’re not alone. We’re all in the same boat.”

Why It Matters

Caleb’s not naive. He knows these conversations are hard. That some people never start them. That some never get the chance.

And that’s why he rode today.

“If this — if today — helps even one person feel less alone, if it gives someone a reason to talk, or check in, or go see a doctor — then it’s worth it.”

He pauses.

“One life. That’s enough. One life saved is worth it.”