A group of Bahraini motorcycle enthusiasts will be setting out on a cross-country trek early next year to spread the message of unity.
The Super Adventure Riders, a group of eight BMW Adventure owners from various walks of life, will ride from Bahrain to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where they plan to unveil a message of loyalty to His Majesty King Hamad.
On their travels, the group will stop at numerous points to engage in a variety of activities, the most important of which is a visit to the Al Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa, chief organiser of the trip and head of the group, said: “Our whole ethos is centred on the basic principle of ‘One Bahrain’. We started the Super Adventure Riders in 2009 and ever since then we have accepted anybody regardless of background or social class.
“The events of recent years have reinforced this belief even more strongly. It does not matter if you are Sunni, Shia, Christian or Jewish, all are welcome to ride with us. Similarly, wealth and occupation are completely irrelevant. We celebrate that we are all Bahraini and equal in that fact; nothing else matters to us.
“It is under this banner of unity and loyalty that we journey, and we hope to spread this message throughout the kingdom through our actions.”
The trip will begin on January 15 and the eight riders will set out from Bahrain on their BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles, each packing a four-stroke 1,170cc engine capable of 110 bhp.
After riding through Saudi Arabia, the first port of call will be the Jordanian capital of Amman, where the group will stop over for three days. Then, on January 18, the team will travel to the Al Zaatari refugee camp, established to house Syrians fleeing from their country’s civil war, where they have a variety of activities planned.
The first of these is to present 400 caravans of aid to the camp, which will be driven there beforehand and presented by the Super Adventure Riders and Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. These have been deployed by the Royal Charity Organisation and contain an array of relief materials such as tents, shelter, food and clothing.
Shaikh Mohammed said: “What these refugees have suffered is terrible, so it is extremely important to all of us that we do as much as we can to offer support. The Royal Charity Organisation has been incredible with its help and it makes our trip extra special to know that we are bringing some joy to these people.”
The stay at Al Zaatari will culminate with a visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain School, the only school in the camp, which has enrolled 9,000 refugee students. Here, the bikers will present the traditional Bahraini halwa sweet to each student, while Shaikh Nasser will give a donation as well as announce the opening of the new Kingdom of Bahrain fresh-water well on the site and, hopefully, open a second school, pending its construction being completed in time.
After one night’s camping at the ancient site of Petra, regarded as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the crew will visit Aqaba where they will stay for two days near the Red Sea.
Following a ferry trip across to Egypt and the city of Nuweiba, the team will trek down to Dahab on the east coast for a three-day stay where they will participate in an underwater diving adventure. It is here that the group will snap photographs and shoot videos of their ‘unity’ message, with a host of banners and flags serving as the backdrop amongst the aquatic life.
The final stop before the return journey will be at Sharm El-Sheikh, specifically His Majesty’s own ‘King of Bahrain Street’ in the centre of the city. This is where the bikers will send the message to the world and raise both flags and banners with ‘Unity’ and ‘One Bahrain’ written on them. A personal message to the King will also be recorded and sent to emphasise the theme of ‘loyalty’.
Shaikh Mohammed added: “This is the first time something like this has been done in the Middle East. What makes us different from other similar groups is our slogan – ‘Riders With No Borders’.
“Not only does this refer to the physical meaning of crossing borders with our bikes, like this trip, but also the sociological connotations it contains. We have no restrictions and we continue to break borders between social classes, religion, ethnicity and other forms of discrimination.
“Although we partly do this because we love our BMW bikes and it’s always fun to ride them, we are more than that. We ride for charity and everything we do is voluntary. We join every event we can to meet our targets of spreading peace and equality throughout the region, and we hope we can send many more similar messages over the coming years. We want to do things with a bike that no other group has done before.”
This goal seems to be well within the Riders’ sights, as contact has already been made with the Discovery Channel and other leading television companies to transform the trip into a documentary.
Furthermore, the team were the officially-designated motorcycles used for carrying the media, referees and safety officers during the recent Challenge Bahrain Triathlon, and will be heading to an orphanage in India later this month for a week-long visit.
Shaikh Mohammed said: “It’s exciting times for us, both as riders getting to take our bikes on a long journey, but for Bahrain as a whole. As with all major trips like this, there are, of course, creases to iron out with regards to planning and logistics, but we have received tremendous support, especially from the Royal Charity Organisation. We cannot wait to set out next month.”
The stay at Al Zaatari will culminate with a visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain School, the only school in the camp, which has enrolled 9,000 refugee students. Here, the bikers will present the traditional Bahraini halwa sweet to each student, while Shaikh Nasser will give a donation as well as announce the opening of the new Kingdom of Bahrain fresh-water well on the site and, hopefully, open a second school, pending its construction being completed in time.
After one night’s camping at the ancient site of Petra, regarded as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the crew will visit Aqaba where they will stay for two days near the Red Sea.
Following a ferry trip across to Egypt and the city of Nuweiba, the team will trek down to Dahab on the east coast for a three-day stay where they will participate in an underwater diving adventure. It is here that the group will snap photographs and shoot videos of their ‘unity’ message, with a host of banners and flags serving as the backdrop amongst the aquatic life.
The final stop before the return journey will be at Sharm El-Sheikh, specifically His Majesty’s own ‘King of Bahrain Street’ in the centre of the city. This is where the bikers will send the message to the world and raise both flags and banners with ‘Unity’ and ‘One Bahrain’ written on them. A personal message to the King will also be recorded and sent to emphasise the theme of ‘loyalty’.
Shaikh Mohammed added: “This is the first time something like this has been done in the Middle East. What makes us different from other similar groups is our slogan – ‘Riders With No Borders’.
“Not only does this refer to the physical meaning of crossing borders with our bikes, like this trip, but also the sociological connotations it contains. We have no restrictions and we continue to break borders between social classes, religion, ethnicity and other forms of discrimination.
“Although we partly do this because we love our BMW bikes and it’s always fun to ride them, we are more than that. We ride for charity and everything we do is voluntary. We join every event we can to meet our targets of spreading peace and equality throughout the region, and we hope we can send many more similar messages over the coming years. We want to do things with a bike that no other group has done before.”
This goal seems to be well within the Riders’ sights, as contact has already been made with the Discovery Channel and other leading television companies to transform the trip into a documentary.
Furthermore, the team provided the officially-designated motorcycles used for carrying the media, referees and safety officers during the recent Challenge Bahrain Triathlon, and will be heading to an orphanage in India later this month for a week-long visit.
Shaikh Mohammed said: “It’s exciting times for us, both as riders getting to take our bikes on a long journey, but for Bahrain as a whole. As with all major trips like this, there are, of course, creases to iron out with regards to planning and logistics, but we have received tremendous support, especially from the Royal Charity Organisation. We cannot wait to set out next month.”