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One of the very few bikepacking races on the 2020 calendar is back for its second edition in early 2021; the Atlas Mountain Race. Entries are now open for solo riders and pairs, but will you be taking on the challenge?
Hosted by Nelson Trees, the same man behind the Silk Road Mountain Race, the 1,167 kilometre (725 mile) Atlas Mountain Race route spans from Morocco’s busting capital city in Marrakech to the coastline at Agadir, traversing North Africa’s highest mountain range in the process.
Photo: Nils Laengner
Starting on the 6th of February, the riders will need to follow the set route through three staffed control points to the finish, covering more than 23,000 metres of climbing (75,460 ft). As you’ll see from the video below, the way is anything but smooth, with around 80% of the route off-road.
Check out the race report by Nigel Leech on ADVNTR, our interview with Shona and Rich from Keep Pedalling ahead of the race, and Quinda’s reflections on the race at I-ris.cc.
Photo: Nils Laengner
Check out the full, detailed route for 2021 here on komoot. The route remains largely the same as the first year, although the finish point is a little further north along the coastline in Agadir, to better accommodate finishing racers. Expect broken roads, old colonial pistes and plenty of hike-a-bike.
Want to see more? Check out Into The Rift, the film made of last year’s race.
Last modified: 2nd October 2020
Fingers crossed for a place. I’ve been planning how I can time it so that I ride all the bits I rode in darkness last year in the daytime for round two. Such an amazing experience in every way.