Joburg to Maputo

Tim, Chris, Ryan, and I (Greg) headed to Maputo to hang out and ride with their emerging BMX scene. Maputo was host to the 10th Annual All Africa Games and thanks to Riot friend Isard Marshall (Maputo), they had a mini ramp built and placed right in front of the stadium.

There was nothing official planned for the BMX side of things but they had a mini ramp and some other small rails and ledges. Isard invited us to come join them for the weekend and see what the scene was like in Maputo. It didn’t take much convincing to get the mission on track.

We left early Saturday morning and trekked across country until we met up with Isard around midday just outside of Maputo. Quick greetings and off we went to the stadium… except this time I was out the car and on the back of Isard’s bike. The ride was interesting to say the least, and was the highlight of my trip.

The scene at the stadium was kicking off! All the riders and skaters from Maputo were around and they were pumped to have some visitors. The day ended off with a parking lot session… hopping over people, bikes, beers… anything we could. The vibe was chilled and everyone was having a good time.

That night we all shared some smooth Black Label Whiskey before heading out to see what the Maputo night life had to offer… a lot of walking and even more shit talking in between glugs of 2M beer.

Sunday morning in the Marshall house was all about replenishing what we had destroyed in our bodies the day and night before. A delicious breakfast sent us out into the Mozambican heat to check out some of the street spots around. Straight out the house we were already riding a slippery in out ledge. The day was relaxed and the spots were good. Tim spied a pretty scary ledge hop to roof ride line at the Church… he got it done first try like a boss.

The street in Maputo is promising with a lot of run down and abandoned buildings and very modest security. The people are friendly and intrigued when they see us around. It’s such a different world  yet so close to home. For a a short and scenic 6 hour drive from Joburg it’s a wonder why more people don’t visit Maputo. The BMX scene is alive in Mozambique and I’m super stoked to have gone up there to have a look.

A massive shout out to all the local riders who made our trip a RIOT! A special thanks to Isard and the rest of the Marshall family for being so hospitable towards a bunch of dirty bmx riders from Joburg.