Anticipating the inaugural race in Morocco

Image taken on scouting trip for Atlas Mountain Race by Lian van Leeuwen

Living in London is not exactly cycling paradise – get me out of here!

In January that means: endless grey skies, cold, windy, wet, traffic, plus lots of sniffing and snivelling. On Wednesday I am heading for Morocco which means: sunny, dry, chilly evenings, ideal for stargazing and hopefully great racing conditions. I am going to Marrakesh in Morocco to start the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race on February 15th https://atlasmountainrace.cc/ It’s a nice distance at 1,145 km and there is a reasonable amount of climbing at around 15,000m. Being shorter is not always easier, and it’s likely to be furious in pace, which will be a shock to the system! Morocco promises incredible forgotten roads and breath-taking landscapes.

The timing though, adds another element of difficulty and uncertainty. The earliest in the year that I have ever raced long distance, was last year at the Italy Divide which started late April. I’ve trained as well as I can but I am in my final year of a civil engineering degree at university, so I am very busy with that. I cannot be out riding every day, as I would like. I will be taking my laptop to Morocco and will do some work on my dissertation. But no, it will definitely not be stuffed in my frame bag during the race! Anyway, right now, life is a trade-off. However, I know that by the end of May with exams done, I will be free to ride my bike as much as I like – for as long as I like.

I started training properly a couple of months earlier than normal, in October. Having had to recover from a very tough Silk Road Mountain Race in August in Kyrgyzstan. The brilliant Richard Abraham has written a story about my amazing time in Kyrgyzstan, the race itself, and the rather unexpected encounter with armed robbers on horseback I had during that race. It’s just been posted on Soigneur.

So sadly, I haven’t been smashing the miles in and I’m not in my best physical shape, but I am fit. I got some good training in until Christmas, then remembered I needed to do some university work which took precedence. Sadly, in January I have been struck down with a head cold, twice. I can only hope I am getting my fair share of bad luck out the way early in 2020. Something that is good, is that I have not had to dip into my mental reserves for five months – if the weather has been terrible then I skipped the six hours I had planned. I have written before that racing ultra-endurance is as much, if not more a mental challenge than physical. The virtual mental tank needs to be full when you start a race. And mine is, so I’m feeling good.

The race will be a journey of real contrasts. I know that Morocco is going be incredible. The race finishes on the Atlantic coast near Agadir with big beaches and maybe some good surf. In between, well, there’s the unique Atlas Mountains – an unknown. Travel and racing for me is also about people and cultures, so I’m looking forward to finding out about the Berber culture and their legendary hospitality – perhaps I will find time for a nice cup of tea.

The country is likely to be arid, especially on the southern side, which is facing the Sahara Desert. There is still potential for snow on the high passes, which will be around 2,500 m. The river valleys will be green and even oasis-like in sheltered corners. The rivers could be high as the snow will be melting, though there looks to be few crossings. There will be very long stretches of riding along remote and deserted tracks, with no villages, resupply could be limited and water short. Racing in the shoulder seasons creates the potential for anything happening! The start list packs a punch, and anyone going racing that measures their success on winning promises to be disappointed. I generally keep to myself, however having had half an eye on the other big names, people have been training well, so the race promises to bring fireworks. My guess would to expect the first finisher in around 80 hours.

While I race solo and unsupported, without all the help I get from my partnerships, I’d never make it to the start line.

I am really grateful to Canyon, they have given me a new bike, nothing less than a top of the line Exceed SLX (no excuses for being slow) and equipped with hand-built DT Swiss wheels. There will be people racing on gravel bikes with narrow tyres and others on full suspension mountain bikes. But imagine this; you haven’t really slept for three days, it’s three in the morning and you are descending on a rough track though the narrow beam of headlamp. And so, I have front suspension for this race, with wider tyres (60mm). I am all for comfort and cautiousness, I feel I’ve got a degree of security to make mistakes. This bike choice is a decision that is erring on the side of caution – which could well end up being faster over the distance.

I've been over the whole route using RidewithGPS, looking closely at resupply and terrain. There's actually a real lack of resupply in some places. Some of the listed resupply is quite a way off route, so people need to be cautious. I've added some cue points to my route. these will help me navigate through the terrain and make sure I’ve got the food and drink I’ll need.

Race organiser Nelson has said that there are going to be some hike-a-bike sections, which I look forward to. Nelson's renowned for saying something's ‘not too bad’, then it turns out to be pretty damn bad!

All said, top condition or not. I will be in Morocco living my dream. I am lucky and privileged to have the opportunity to ride and race my bike across some of our planets most beautiful countries. I am there for the experience and to have fun doing what I do best. I measure success not in wins, but in experiences and this promises to deliver.