Sander

My name is Sander Wamelink, born on the 15th of May 1976. At the age of 11 my parents took me and my brother on a holiday to visit our family in Africa (Botswana). This holiday had quite an impact on me. Not only because of the adventure of camping in the wild, or the incredible beautiful landscapes, but although people were poor, most of them seemed to be pretty happy.
Back home at school, I wrote an essay that in the future I was going to travel the world in a 4x4. Not knowing the means of transportation would change a bit.

I started motorcycle driving lessons in the second year of study. It was something I always wanted to do, I had some spare money left and the driving school was right next door. It all added up.
I got my motorcycle driving license the day before Christmas 1999. On Boxing Day it was laying underneath the Christmas tree. A present my mother wasn’t very happy with.

The first motorcycle I bought was a Yamaha XVS650 Dragstar / V-Star. I always loved the sound of V-twin engines and I liked the way this bike looked. I used the motorbike on a day to day basis for commuter traffic. And I joined the Dutch Dragstar Club , which was founded just after I bought my bike. We really had some memorable weekend trips in those early days. But I also found out the bike was lacking power and comfort, especially when riding two up with camping gear.
So after one season, I decided to upgrade to the heavier XVS1100, which I crashed after three months. Although the accident ruined the lateral ligament in my left knee, I never had a doubt in my mind about quitting. So with the help the help of a DDC member (Paul) I did rebuilt the bike.
In the years that followed, I always had the desire to go on holiday trips with the motorbike. But it always felt as if the bike wasn’t really suitable for it, so it never really took off. Till somewhere in 2008, when I first saw Long Way Down on television. If Ewan McGregor can do such a trip, why can’t I? Since then, almost everything I do is in context of my own round the world trip.
I decided I had to buy another bike. I tried the BMW R1150GS Adventure and was pretty much sold. So I bought mine in April of 2009 and imported it from Germany.

September 2010, after my girlfriend and I broke up after three years of struggle, I had my first real motorcycle holiday. I went to the UK, Scotland and Wales on my own and really had a good time.

As soon as I got back home, I was already planning the trip for the following year. This time I wanted to go to Nordkapp (Norway) and so I did, together with Marianne. Unfortunately not everything on this trip did go as planned. On the Lofoten I ended up in a ditch next to the road. I broke my front teeth and had some road rash in my face. But worst of all we were stuck for a couple of days, as my motorcycle wasn’t rideable anymore. Marianne was so good to me, that I realized I should be doing my round the world trip together with her. I’m really looking forward to the day we are leaving together, for the journey of our lives…