Atlas Mountain Race: Day Four (night time)

The track changes to tarmac, the going is smooth and level and my huge dinner digests. Nice. This lasts only moments as I take a sharp right (or maybe it was left?) and the road rears up. The gradient is relentless.

There still a long way to go and I am already pedalling slowly in my 30 x 51. What goes up, comes down and the descent is rapid. Sadly the next climb is tarmac too. Honestly, these are the worst parts of the race, relentless boredom sets in. Riding off road engages me mentally, whereas tarmac can leave me numb. At the top of the second, and penultimate big climb, I need a rest to push back the wave of tiredness. I pull over for a lie down. I stuff some food in my oversized gob and set my timer for 20 minutes. I float in and out of a hypnotic state and before I know it, the timer goes. I throw my leg back over the bike and pedal off. The power nap has done its job, I feel truly refreshed, as if I’ve slept 9 hours. I won’t need to stop again.

I get some signal and check my tracker. This is not so much to see where Sofiane is, but to check on my chasers. Frustratingly, Jay is on an absolute mission, pushing hard and closing quickly, maybe now only one hour behind. I decide I have to inject some unsustainable pace myself. I will attack both the next descent and final climb to keep the gap at bay.

Luckily for me, the descent is long, rough and tough. I am running a mountain bike with front suspension and Jay is on his gravel bike. I know I can put time into him going downhill. Ignoring the fact that it’s the dark of night and I’ve been riding for nearly 4 days straight; I go flat out. I hit the climb and grind that out at my top pace. (I know that it’s far from any real top pace!). After a few hours I check the tracker again, the effort seems to have done the trick; the gap is back out. Jay seems to have paid the price for his effort and maybe even blown; he’s dropped back.

The night drags on. As dawn nears, I enter the final phase of the race. Obviously, the finish will not be a blast down some tarmac, instead we meander along farming lanes and sandy trails. I’m close to the ocean now and the morning brings dense mist, I can barely see 5 metres in front of me. In my weird state I feel as if I am riding into the apocalypse. I pass fellow cyclists, farmers on single speeds, trundling to the fields for another days work. The experiences I have had over the past four days have been by choice. At this moment I am really aware of the privilege I have, being able to do this.

I caress my bike the final 20 kilometres through what is at times deep sand. My stubbornness wills me on and I refuse to walk. I remember chasing Sofiane after a snowstorm through the mountains on the final day of the 2019 Italy Divide. Then, I could see where he had walked in the snow. Now, I can see where he has walked in the sand.

I watch the clock ticking by. I know I cannot catch him now but I can finish in under four days, a small target to aim for and a victory to be had. The clock ticks on as I pedal through the sand, blind in the mist. Finally, and only meters before the finish, I’m off the sand and can speed through the town to the finish. The clock ticks over 9:09 am as I bring my bike to a halt.

I’m two hours twenty minutes behind Sofiane. But more annoyingly, nine minutes over four days!

In the end, I did my best and I settle contently for second place. Jay arrived in the early afternoon, with Klaus Thiel not far back. Adrien Liechti rounded out the top five. Only hours separating us. It’s been a fast race with strong racers. Racing in Morocco was amazing. My prizes are the people I met and the memories made, these will burn bright in my mind forever.

Day 4 - Night time stats

Distance: 156 km

Elevation: 2,400 m

Riding time: 22h 44m

Stopped time: 25m

Sleep: 20m

Atlas Mountain Race only had a dozen women enter. From Jenny Tough, once again just quietly getting it done and finishing first, to others finishing on their first time out. I know women can crush it and I would love to see more enter so if you’re reading this, just know you can do it.

Special mention to my new friend Mohammed El Boughdali and his pair Youness Badiri, from Morocco. They found out about the race just days before and jumped at it. Sadly, Youness had to scratch but Mohammed finished before the party, looking as fresh as he did at the start. With a year to prepare, I expect to see him racing at the front in 2021. An exciting prospect.

Thanks to the volunteers for giving up their time, to all the checkpoints that hosted us (a swarm of bikepackers is perhaps worse than locusts!) and everyone involved with organising the race, it was fantastic.