From Polokwane to Angola: Sapa Yopa bikers take the long road

POLOKWANE – Former Sapa Yopa Motorcycle Club (MCC) president Sarel Nong, and Antonio Pico Santana Martins took to the road, travelling 3 298km from Polokwane to Angola, to attend the two biggest rallies Amigos da Picado and Nomadas in Angola.

Nong said he had the best trip ever riding on the soil of Africa from Polokwane to Angola.

“We left Polokwane early Sunday morning to Botswana where we spent the night before leaving for Namibia the following day and arrived in Angola on the Thursday. The main aim was to support the two biggest clubs in the SADC region, Amigos da Picado and Nomadas. These guys always support Sapa Yopa MCC rallies. They come in large numbers every year to support Sapa Yopa,” said Nong.

He said they came across a lot of challenges on the road.

“Roads in Angola are bad with massive potholes. We were warmly welcomed by the different presidents of the club’s and were treated well. We were also awarded with the Longest Rider Award. We had a mass ride in Angola and the citizens are extremely friendly and the food is delicious. On top of that we had a lot of fun. The rallies were refreshing,” he said.

Martins said the trip went according to plan and that everyone had a blast.

“We often travel long distances together and we need to work well as a unit. At the end of the day we are all bikers who live the biking life,” said Martins.

He explained the ride was also aimed to remind members of the various clubs about their targets and purpose.

“We want to build relationships, share and learn with and from each other. The main aim is to establish clear short-term goals and methods for celebrating achievements and milestones of the club and individual members. We are living our dreams of cultural diversity with a membership that includes black people, Indians, coloureds and white people,” he said.