Atlas Mountain Race

One week, One bike, One Girl and The Atlas Mountain Race

Months have passed already since I made it to the finish in Sidi Rabat after cycling 1145 kilometres (711 miles) through the enchanted desert landscape of Morocco, part of the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race. There, I did it; my first ultra race with endless curves through the remarkable dusty terrain of the Moroccan mountains.

In preparation for the Atlas Mountain Race I was pretty sure that I had no idea what I’d be throwing myself into. I often found myself dreaming through all possible scenarios; preparing for the worst and thinking the days would be so long, yet in reality learnt the contrary, days felt short, the nights long and overall it was over in a fart! While thinking back to the memories I feel like I never find enough words to describe the experiences.

As the days to the start of the race came more close I found myself becoming hesitant. Did I come prepared enough, had I spent enough hours on the bike and would my skills get me through the rough terrain? Meeting other racers got me all wobbly thinking everyone seemed so cool, well prepared, yet so kind and apparently with similar concerns, how odd! It was easy to make new friends and felt quickly at home in this new community of strangers, that all have one thing in common; riding bikes.

To use Carrie’s phrase from ‘Sex and the City’; “I couldn’t help but wonder… could I have done better?” What if I didn’t have my period? What if I allowed myself to rest longer? What would the race look like if... But then again, isn’t that silly?

In all honesty I prefer to look back and feel nothing but grateful. It’s important to be content with any achievement, to be proud of this accomplishment and finishing within the time. Riding among so many strong other riders, encountering beautiful souls and being surrounded by such magnificent scenery is a treat in itself. Having the chance to do this in the first place is something to feel grateful about.

Now, if this Collection gets you so stoked to ride this route, but perhaps at a different pace and enjoy the riding to the fullest, then I do have some additional suggestions to get you the right set-up. For example as we discussed among us riders, would you take a mountain bike next time? Although I might have been stubborn to answer that with a no, because I am so in love with my bike and don’t want to regret that choice, if someone asked me again I’d say, you will be much more comfortable and enjoying the descents even better with a mountain bike! The timing was great as the winter had just passed, sleeping under the stars was great, and had my best night’s rest in the middle of nowhere on the soft sandy ground surrounded by thousands of stars. I’m also really glad I took my down pants. That way when I got so tired and very cold on long descents I could just ride in my sleep system.

It’s day one, close to 9 am and we are all waiting for Nelson Trees to give the sign, I’m among something like 180 participants that all seem to be just as nervous as I am. While they are well aware, what little I knew about ultra races, although with as much prep as possible, there will inevitably be surprises out there, good and bad, ready to be tackled with determination and a bunch of laughter.

Then Nelson's voice wakes the crowd with a countdown, butterflies in my stomach, and off we go racing towards the Atlas Mountains protected by a police escort through the streets of Marrakech.

On our way, we made a stop at the shop in Arba and to get enough to drink as the climb is steep and tough and we needed every drop of liquid.

All the climbing on day one is tough, but I made it before sunset to the summit. Getting to the summit before sunset was rather important as the trail on the hike down was pretty difficult, and would be made more so in the dark. I was glad I made it and sang happily the whole 7 kilometres long while hiking down towards CP1.

The first night I pushed on, until even my bones felt sore. Deep in the night I found a nice looking flat spot about 50km after Auberge Restaurant Telouet and unpacked my sleeping cave and crawled in; I’ll be longing for this comfortable burrito the coming days. I couldn't catch much sleep that night.

At around 4am I was done and packed my sleep system to ride off into darkness again. Riding in the night is ok, but not my favourite part. Although the millions of stars are something to only gasp upon they disappear soon when surrounded by your bundle of light facing the grey yellowish looking road ahead, it can be pretty boring, suffering in silence with the howling dogs in the distance.

That first morning felt long, my sore body, stomach cramps, and fear of barking dogs got me in a tense grip of the handlebars, holding on to the bike. Little did I know about the growing relationship with my bike at that particular point. After a couple of hours the sky slowly started to lighten up. The sunrise makes up for everything and prob

I couldn't catch much sleep overnight so I decided to start the second day early and ride into the darkness. The road was bumpy and sandy, and I was clinging to my handlebars more than I should, yet the bike was now my best friend and all the comfort I had.

The second day was not my strongest as I got my period, which explained my sore body and stomach cramps. It was only day two and the rhythm and landscape seemed already so familiar.

I was relieved to find tarmac just before Ghassate, at the same time the sky started to lighten up and I was riding towards Toundoute for breakfast. The scenery today was wonderful, gravel roads and singletracks up and down dry riverbeds. These river beds were home to local people living in the caves, quite remarkable to stumble upon such a sight.

Cafe Esaada was the next stop, a great location to hide from the sun and have a warm meal before going into some curvy gravel roads. My go-to food is often savoury, so whenever I got to a restaurant I would order an extra omelette and bread to have as a savoury meal later on the trail.

This day I pushed my bike to the top and slept behind a rock formation, the only flat spot I could find. Another night with vivid dreams that made me feel I was still awake.

The stars were still out when I set off on day three. I ran out of water and felt thirsty while riding the next section. I recommend that you bring enough water and wait for sunrise to descend through the canyon. It's supposed to be beautiful but the only things I saw were the rocks on the road and the bundle of light coming from my K-lite!

I arrived in Afra at sunrise while the shops were still closed and dogs were barking, and the whole setting made me a little hesitant. Luckily I found a water tap next to the mosque and on my way back to the route a shop had opened, so I could stock up on yoghurt drinks and other sugary food.

The section after Afra had a lot of sandy roads and river crossings, quite beautiful. At lunch I hiked through an oasis to find a small waterfall at Tizgui and the local guy called Omar insisted on drinking tea and making you food while sitting on his magic carpet. Omar is a universe in himself, probably stoned and worth staying around for, you might as well want to dip in the pool.

After Tizgui, I hiked up the stairs and rode a long tarmac climb to Ait Saoun. After that there’s a plateau of gravel, something I enjoyed a lot riding into the sunset, which continued all the way to Tazenakht, a big town with shops, hotels and restaurants.

I arrived at 10 pm while most shops were closed, but there was still a restaurant grilling food. While my dinner was prepared, I arranged a spot in the hotel to have a shower and wash my bib shorts and a food stall opened up so I could stock up on fruit.

After Tazenakht the next stop is Cafe Ateman. I felt uncomfortable at the hotel, slept maybe for just an hour and took off again, with a little fear for dogs, but with enough energy riding the tarmac in the dark until dehydration symptoms presented themselves, forcing me to take another rest next to the road.

At sunrise I scraped myself - including a swollen face -together after eating a delicious orange. I thought 'today I will take it a little easy and pace myself allowing to rest and make sure I drink enough'.

After Cafe Ateman I went off-road through a beautiful soft hilly landscape. Local towns with farms continue on until you hit an oasis with lush green trees and kids waving at you full with excitement. I got to Ait Marouf and find a local small shop as there were not many resupply points after this shop.

There was a long tarmac climb that then leads you on a gravel road towards Taroudant. I got myself a coffee, omelette and a shower to continue on with a night ride towards oasis Aguinane. I had a rest for some hours on the plateau in the soft sand next to the road, before descending to the oasis.

In Aguinane you will find a comfortable Auberge, with a hot shower, clean beds, omelettes and friendly staff. Be aware they might charge a 'tourist price', they hardly speak a word English, yet take good care of you.

The memories of days 3, 4 and 5 are a blur, I’m not sure when or what happened exactly. The sun rose, set, days passed by, filled with dust, rocks and sand. Omelettes were eaten, dogs were chased or did they chase me? Memories of endless horizons, skies with a smiling galaxy and canyons full of lush greens, where the grass is crisp and firm, complementing the burnt and rusty colored surroundings.

Receiving cheerful messages from friends and unknown fans, I broke my sunglasses when I accidentally stepped on them, but then found a replacement on the trail. I found a yoghurt drink in the middle of the night on the track while descending to CP2 in the dark; so good!

My bike felt so awake, happy and ready to go any moment of the day. My relationship with my bicycle grew into new dimensions. I was so grateful for this beast that accompanied me through each struggle without complaining. I felt emotionally connected, in love I’d say... The sensations are sometimes so overwhelming that I want to cry. My legs did what they had to do and kept repeating to make circles.

I slept like a baby for 8 hours on the soft sand after getting food at the town, and started the day at sunrise while heading towards the colonial road. This beautiful hand-made road has a stunning view, but it was a challenge as the road is rough and steep. If you're heading this way, make sure you take your time as you need to climb the parts where the road is broken on foot, and it is likely to take you longer than expected.

After this section there's a bigger town, with restaurants and shops, then continue through a canyon and climb dusty roads. This day I tried to reach the auberge in Aït Mansour. The road there is well maintained, though big trucks blast up and down the hill even at night time.

At Aït Mansour the auberge is in an oasis at this point in the race. The owner was overwhelmed with the high demand of calories we asked and ran out of every bit of stock he had! Despite the lack of fuel I crashed on the couch to rest my body and recharge my batteries. Another 15 kilometres ahead there's a small town with shops that sell fresh bread.

On this section, I'd climbed out of the oasis riding beautiful trails and to get on a long tarmac stretch. This section is definitely challenging as there are no resupply points until Tagmout and it can get very hot and a bit boring too.

Bring company, good music, enough to drink and make a stop in the rare case that you find some shade! The hills after the small village are a welcome change of scenery.

My plan today was a mix of allowing many picnic stops and pushing on to the finish. Although ahead were plenty of climbs, which isn't exactly my strongest skill, the scenery was stunning, with several different landscapes including fields filled with cacti.

It was the last night ride. The sun set and the valley looked all hazy and magical. In the dark I found another rider to ride with. Again, these moments bring indescribable joy, as if everything gets easier when having such a fun distraction and while riding through mystical darkness you have a beautiful moment that will become a nostalgic memory within the near future.

The shops were closed and getting food and water seemed difficult, so we stopped to negotiate our options. While I suggested riding through the night to finish, the local mosque opened their doors for us and insisted that we rest, bringing out bread and sardines. At that point in the race my voice has disappeared completely, so resting here in this safe shelter seemed a smart idea, even though it conflicted with the earlier plan of pushing closer to the finish line.

My body was very tired and dehydrated at this point, so much so that I couldn't even sleep, accompanied with the snoring of my new friend. I just laid down, drinking as much as I could, comforting my sweat outbreaks and shivering alternately with many toilet visits, all while waiting for sunrise, as this continues to solve all my problems.

With love, care, and lots of bananas from the mosque (they were beyond generous and we stocked up) I was heading towards the ocean. The landscape changed from the red-coloured sand for dark and white rock formations, trees with climbing goats and fields with cactus fruits.

I climbed the mountains of Souss-Massa-Drâa close to Aouguenz and then descended to the ocean. The smell, the road, the climate it changes again. It was a good day, enjoying the ride and I even happily hiked the long two hour sandy stretch to the finish.

The scent of ocean pulls you through the last section. If you're going to try this route, you might as well take the tarmac road at the end, as this sandy section is unnecessarily soul crushing, yet quiet fun.

Arriving in Sidi Rabat is great, resting your body close to the ocean is a great idea while staying at the Auberge, long beach walks before slowly adapting to the civilised world.

I arrived just in time for the party! Thinking back to the warm welcome of all the girls awaiting me, sets tears of joy in my eyes, so many hugs and strangers cheering as I finish. What a strange thing we all did.

I would like a special mention to the female riders, Andrea, Jackie and Jenny awaiting me with hugs and pastries. And then, I felt proud of every soul riding this race and I feel fortunate to find this warm empathic community that all figured it be a good idea to ride ultra races and blast through the desert landscapes.