“You can’t put it in simple words. You tend to become a little bit more poetic when you speak about the friendship, the camaraderie, and brotherly love – that nothing can come between us.” These are the opening words spoken by Biking Bandit, Titi Mashele in Klipdrift’s latest Friends with Purpose doccie series. The newest Friends with Purpose installment tells the story of a powerful friendship between three friends that has grown from a shared love of cycling into a movement, as the Biking Bandits take the joy of bike riding to the streets of Soweto.
“Friendships are the real gold in life, they help us to grow and change. When we make deeper connections, we lead fuller, happier lives and encourage others to do the same,” says Klipdrift marketing manager Fred Leclezio. “With our Friends with Purpose initiative, we’re able to support and share stories of incredible friendships and show just how powerful these can be.”
The first ‘Friends with Purpose’ film told the stories of brothers and best friends who have built a tourism business cleaning up Khayelitsha’s wetlands as the Khayelitsha Canoe Club. The second followed the story of two ex-Springbok Women’s rugby players who met on the pitch and are now empowering a new generation of sportswomen at the Kwaru Rugby Club. “Through Friends with Purpose we’ve been able to share these incredible stories with South Africa and managed to raise R100 000 for each club, including a donation of some additional equipment,” says Leclezio.
The latest doccie short follows the story of Biking Bandits: a trio of friends with a love of pimped-out fixie bikes, who started the Homies Night Rides around Soweto last year. Drawn together by a love of cycling – and born from the loneliness of Covid – friends Titi Mashele, Tsatsi Rantsatsi and Tebogo Galagala started a cycling group to reconnect with their community. These aren’t men in spandex beating personal bests, these are friends – men and women – from Joburg and Soweto expressing their Kasi style, passion for life, and love of their community, by gathering once a week to cycle together. Their purpose is to allow everyone to experience the freedom and exhilaration of cruising with their crew. “Their deep friendship and passion for cycling are so evident in this uplifting film,” says Leclezio, “We want as many people to experience that as possible.”
To help spread the Biking Bandits joy, Klipdrift and the Biking Bandits are hosting a Homies Friendship Ride in Soweto on International Friendship Day, Saturday 30 July 2022. Friends from Joburg and Soweto are encouraged to gather, grab a bike and join the Bandits to share in friendship gold.
Anyone wanting to take part on the day can find more details on Klipdrift’s social pages. If you can’t make it you can still be a friend by liking and sharing posts around the Homies Friendship Ride to help spread the word, and you’ll stand to win a fixie bike customised by the Biking Bandits. For every 10 likes on social, Klipdrift will make a donation to help grow the Biking Bandits’ business, which now includes bike rentals, Jozi cycling tours, and a bike repair shop.
Be inspired by the Biking Bandits and watch their inspirational story on Klipdrift’s YouTube channel. Join in the Friendship Day action by following #HomiesFriendshipRide #GoldbetweenFriends on @KlipdriftBrandy social pages.
#HomiesFriendshipRide
#GoldBetweenFriends
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