From Boksburg to Italy for mental health awareness

Two brothers will embark on an 18 000km bike ride from Boksburg to Italy to spread mental health awareness.

Martin van der Vyver and Clinton Delport’s journey will begin at MotoMate on August 5, and anybody with a bike is welcome to be part of the send-off. They want to see thousands of bikes on the day.

People will meet at the location and get themselves breakfast. The brothers will then depart to their first destination, Botswana at 11:00. Some bikers will go with them to Botswana, while others will turn around before the border.

Martin and Clinton will be crossing 20 countries, including Namibia, Angola and DRC on BMW R1250 GS Adventure and BMW R1200 GS Adventure.

Martin explained it will take them 55 days to reach their destination.

“We want to create suicide awareness and fight the battle that people fight every day. We want people to hear the message that depression is real. It’s no joke. Statistics show that about 70% of suicides are by men.

“They need to be strong but sometimes they also need a pillar. This is why I also have a Back a Brother group on WhatsApp and Facebook for people to motivate and help each other,” the businessman explained.

This trip came after one of Martin’s employees (25) took his own life at a guest house in Boksburg North on March 3.

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Martin started planning the trip about three months ago and decided on Italy because it is a beautiful place.

As the time to get two wheels on the road approaches, Martin said they are nervous and excited about this adventure.

“Our biggest challenge will be to find a safe place to sleep at night and find a filling station for fuel. We will mostly be sleeping in a tent,” he added.

The brothers are getting a lot of support from family, friends and community members who wished them well for the trip.

Martin and Clinton will not take on the long road back to South Africa as they will fly and have their bikes shipped.

Clinton explained that he decided to go with his brother to Italy to help and support him.

“I want to go on this adventure with my brother. He lost somebody close to him,” he added.

The brothers thanked MotoMate, Bike Shop Boksburg, Auto Alpina and BMW Motorrad East Rand for sponsoring equipment such as tyres.

Anybody who would like to contribute to assist the brother with their trip can go to www.martinsbikeadventures.co.za.

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