Tips on how to complete the Atlas Mountain Race
I have titled this how to complete, rather than racing as most of us are just trying to finish the route and are racing ourselves. I will break this article down into sections and cover each topic individually. I raced the Atlas Mountain Race in February 2020 and placed second. The route has changed a little since the first edition. I do not write this purely from my perspective as a racer to race, but with consideration to being a mid-pack rider wishing to finish. The below are recommendations on individual topics made from experience that I acquired. They are not necessarily what I would do, but things I recommend you consider.
OVERVIEW
The Atlas Mountain Race is a 1,200 kilometer and 20,000 meters ascent event in the low Atlas mountains in Morocco, held in February. The terrain is off-road with minimal hike a bike and little really rough terrain, and almost no true mountain bike terrain - Ride with GPS says 43% paved and 57% unpaved. The culture and cuisine are quite different to Europe and the weather is likely to be warm and mostly dry, though storms are possible.
HEAT
February in Morocco is relatively cool, but with day time temperatures at 30 Celsius, it is still hot for northern Europeans and a large temperature swing from mid-winter here. If you want to make life easier you need to complete some heat acclimatisation in the weeks before. I have tried several but now settle on ‘hot bathing’ for the easiest and scientifically proved. Saunas are wonderful but I do not currently have access. You can also ride an indoor trainer in a hot room, but this is unpleasant – and I hate riding indoors, though if I were serious about doing the best I could to prepare I would undoubtedly put my hatred of the indoor trainer to one side. Just remember to watch your salt and hydration intake if doing heated indoor workouts. This article on Cycling Tips goes into some details.
One important factor I recall is that there is little shade on the route, with many stretches being open and barren, thus be prepared for long periods in the sun. Good sun protection (SPF50 UVA+UVB) is needed, however physically covering skin is better than using cream, if possible. Remember some cream for your lips too, if they become chapped, eating and life in general will be quite hard. Personally, I often use a Zinc cream for my face and lips and apply liberally. I also used a thin merino buff in Morocco last time, to protect my skin from sun and dust.
Image credit: @saltlake_lian
WATER
Water can be hard to come across in Morocco. Marking the resupply points and keeping them to hand for reference is something I find useful. Do not expect to find much – or any - water outside of these resupplies and if you do, consider it a bonus – a filter will be required for any non-bottled water. This lack of water means a large water carrying capacity will be needed. By calculating the distances between resupplies and working out your required consumption (will vary dramatically depending on night or day) you can calculate your overall capacity, you can try and use riders times from previous years to extrapolate yours. Trying to ride without water will at best slow you down, and at worst kill you – it’s not one to take lightly. I had a capacity of 5L and used it fully at time. I find having a water bag (like a bladder or soft bottle) that collapses when not full is useful, it takes up less space and can always be put in a feed pouch or instant backpack. A Katadyn befree water filter is like this, and why I like using it.
Electrolytes are something I find worthwhile, especially as the food I am consuming can lack salt. I don’t sweat a huge amount and I am not someone that sweats much salt. You need to consider yourself and your personal needs, if you are someone that sweats salt (Simple test: is your black cycling kit always white and crusty after hot rides!?) then consider adding salt.
TERRAIN
Most of the riding is off-road, though there are some tarmac sections and climbs. Thus, when selecting a bike and equipment you should be choosing for off-road riding. Note: the off-road riding is not that of the idyllic American Gravel scene but real off-road and sometimes ungraded tracks. It’s also not a short little event, so fatigue will build up over the days you spend out there. You need a bike that will be comfortable and suitable for such terrain. The ‘Old Colonial Road’ seems to have gained an aura of magic, I had the pleasure to ride it in the dawn light and I can tell you it was amazing. Yes, it was rough with chunky rocks but I did not find it torrid. There were a few washed out sections that required crossing. I know some have said they were difficult, but I simply lowered my bike and climbed down, then hoisted it on my back and climbed back up. Your propensity for a little adventure will dictate your experience, but if you go into these things with dread, no doubt you will have a tough time. If you go in with excitement for adventure, you will find fun!
Most of the route is above 1,000m altitude with a few touches of 2,000m and one touch of a 2,500m summit. These altitudes are not likely enough to cause any sickness or issues and becoming acclimatised is not required. You will find that when above 2,000m you feel a bit slower and breathing might be a little harder if coming from sea level, however you should not be at higher elevations for long. I came from sea level in 2020. Sure, if I had the option to live at 2,000m or above in the months before then I would take it, but I would not be going out and buying a home altitude chamber either!
Image credit: @nils_laengner
NIGHT TIME
The race is in February, in the mountains, so you will need to spend significant time riding off-road in the dark, even if you sleep a lot at night. Thus, when selecting lighting you need to consider both the duration and the intensity you will need. Running lights for more hours does lend towards using a dynamo, so you do not need to worry about charging your lights, however some dynamo hubs and lights are not particularly good when going slow and do not have a wide beam pattern for off-road (note: I use a SON 28 and K-Lite mtb). I did use an Exposure Revo dynamo light for AMR 2020 but prefer the K-lite beam pattern now. Very importantly a headtorch is highly recommended. A head torch has multiple uses: navigation when on foot, fixing bike, tough descents to see ahead and around turns, backup lighting if primary dies, lighting when going slow. As a battery light I use an Exposure Diablo, this light can be mounted easily both on the bars and on the helmet mount, it just clicks between them one handed, so I will keep it on the bars – to keep my helmet light – and put it on my helmet the instant it is needed. These recommendations are even more true if you are someone that rides slower or is less experienced downhill, you are going to need more light!
Image credit: @lloydjwright
SLEEPING
I decided to sleep outside every night in 2020, I am quite happy with this now and with the shorter duration I did not want to waste time if only sleeping 1h30 a night. I took an inflatable sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. While the days are warm, the nights are cold and it was often 0 Celsius at night, so take suitable clothing and sleeping equipment. I did not bother to take a bivi bag or tent as the forecast the day before the race was for perfect weather – I took a bivi to Morocco but did not pack.
FOOD / RESUPPLY
The experience of food for the first riders and mid to later pack riders is widely different. Small shops will be sold out, and the ‘premium’ choices will be gone. If you are anyone but a front racer, then you need to be carrying some food – especially if you have dietary requirements. You should be able to rely on a good meal at the checkpoints, I had a fantastic tagine at the second checkpoint in 2020. I also had several great Shakshuka with huge quantities of bread.
That said, I would be prepared to carry between 12 and 24 hours worth of food at any one point, depending on how restrictive your dietary needs are. It is worth starting the event with 24 hours worth of food in the region of 10,000 calories minimum, then you can resupply during the day and still be carrying several thousand calories. If you are buying cereal bars, these are around 420 kcal/100g, so 2.4kg of food, not a huge amount considering you will be carrying up several litres of water.
CULTURE
I will not dive deep into culture here, as honestly, I had little issues except for minor hassling in the tourist traps. However, Morocco is a very different place to western Europe and I would advise you read about the culture and the race manual as guidance. Some women in 2020 had issues, and many women have had a fantastic time in Morocco also.
BIKE
Yes, you would be best riding a mountain bike. In 2020, I was one of very few people that ran a hardtail mountain bike, with 100mm suspension and 2.25 Mezcals. I was very comfortable and thus fast. I had no saddle sores or issues and flew down descents. I also recovered very quickly as a result and was back on the bike within a week. That said, if you only have a ‘gravel bike’ then clearly use that. However, wider tyres will reduce your chances of punctures and increase grip, tyre inserts will help reduce pinch flats and rock damage. Suspension will increase comfort in hands, reduce upper body fatigue, reduce saddle soreness, and make you faster on descents. Flat bars give many hand positions to move about and increase control on descents, again increasing speed. Also generally mountain bikes allow for easier gears (but more gravel bikes now offer mtb gearsets). Being aero is not really that relevant when you lose an hour because you are having to stretch your back out or massage your sore hands. Aim to be comfortable and you will finish.
If you are riding a gravel bike with narrower tyres, you need to think more about how you ride, to dance the bike more around obstacles and watch for them. This is not that hard to do, but it does make you slower, and when you are fatigued and your mental processing is slower, it becomes a lot harder. Remind yourself of the mantra of the ‘tortoise and the hare’ sometimes to go quicker, you need to go slower. I often remind myself of this on descents, where it is easy to fly down and just as easy to tear a tyre.
SPARES
Unless you are running a 9 speed 26” mountain bike, it is unlikely you will find the spares you need out in the Atlas Mountains, so with that in mind carry things you might need. Preventative measures are always better than trying to fix or bodge something in the field, so get a professional mechanic to look over your bike a few weeks before the event and replace anything needed. Note that I said a few weeks, so that you have some time to put a few rides on the freshly tuned bike to make sure it is running ok. There are three mechanics in the world that I trust working on my bike (Fairlight, Parallel Handbuilt and Ed Scoble), so make sure the one you choose knows what a bikepacking event is and how to set a bike up for it – it is not a road race!
When packing for the event, go around your bike and make sure you have a tool for every nut and bolt on your bike packed in your toolkit. It is a good time to also tighten them with a Torque wrench and threadlock any bolts needed (not ones that need to be undone to pack it – pack threadlock too)
If you can afford to (you have entered the event, you are travelling there – these are expensive things) make sure you are using new tyres not worn out ones, make sure you have a new chain and either a new cassette or one that not worn out enough that the new chain skips. Lastly, make sure your inner tubes fit the tyres and that you can unscrew your tubeless valve – bring pliers.
If you are going to need to rebuild your bike after travelling to Morocco then make sure you have the tools – as said above – and perhaps even take a torque wrench so you can be sure it is all tight.
Derailleur hangers; I always have 2 spares. It is easy to have a small fall in the dark after a few long days riding. I did just that in 2020 and needed a spare.
The bike and equipment I used in 2020 can be found here. Compare the bikes that riders used in 2020 and 2022!
I know a lot of you have ridden this event more recently than I have, so if you think I have overlooked something or have a suggestion please comment and let me know!