The otherworldly beauty of Morocco meets the pain of a multi-day endurance ride. Cyclist talks to four competitors about their experiences at the Atlas Mountain Race
Words Emma Cole Photography Gavin Kaps
Atlas Mountain Race
Desert canyons, snow-capped mountains and lonely gravel roads. They are all part of the annual Atlas Mountain Race, a fixed-route, self-supported, single-stage bicycle race that covers 1,300km from Marrakech to Essaouira, taking in 21,140m of climbing along the way. Competitors can expect a lot of single-track and old, broken colonial roads, with big distances between towns. There is very little tarmac. Temperatures can range from the high 20s in the day to sub-zero at night. There are steep gravel descents, river crossings and sections of hike-a-bike. There’s also the ‘Moroccan Stelvio’, a 1,000m climb over 12km with a large number of switchbacks.
To ease the hardship, riders can also expect beauty in abundance, with trails overlooking deep valleys, dusty peaks, spectacular sunsets, plus friendly people and the occasional camel.
The Atlas Mountain Race was first held in 2020, and the 2023 edition took place in February, with 117 racers finishing out of 197 starters. The winner was Robin Gemperle of Switzerland in three days and 20 hours. Cyclist talked to four competitors to get their stories of the race.
Gail Heather Brown
33, from Bristol, UK, 59th
‘On the first night I was stomping up some muddy path in the darkness wondering what on earth I was doing, and then the sunrise came and I saw those big mountains and beautiful colours, and just how vast it was. It felt so epic to be there. Every day there was a magical sunrise, and because of the time of year the darkness was quite long, so when the light came it was a special moment.
‘The colonial road is a completely improbable switchback road that is very, very winding. It’s the kind of road where you think you’re nearly done and then you go around the corner and see that it just goes on and on. There are sections where the road has been washed away but for the most part it’s very rideable. I ended up there as the sun was setting, and I felt rewarded for all the pedalling.
‘I slept three hours on average a night, which for me was on the shorter end. I used a bivvy bag and slept out and there were some nights that I was definitely a bit cold. I found sleeping in the desert was surprisingly OK; I was worried about scorpions, snakes, people and dogs, but actually my experience was that it was very
