Sometimes you see something on social media that is so instantly captivating, that despite knowing almost nothing about it, you are instantly convinced to sell all your worldly goods in order to sign up. When the organisers of Sahara Gravel posted a 12 second video clip on a freshly launched Instagram channel a few weeks ago, it did its job perfectly and we’d mentally packed our bags before we even got to the end of the clip! If you’d like to find out more about this newly launched event, read on.
Morocco is one of those countries where just the name will have you mentally conjuring up images – huge vistas, blue-swathed Berbers sipping mint tea, camel trains travelling majestically across the desert, the haunting chants of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Despite sounding like some cheesy Hollywood production, all of those things are true (some of the team at Gravel Union have been fortunate enough to experience all of them first hand), but you should also add miles and miles of amazing gravel riding into that Moroccan tick-list.
Some Moroccan riding is pretty extreme (Atlas Mountain Race, we’re looking at you) and is more suited to full suspension mountain bikes than gravel bikes, but in the south of Morocco you will find smoother ‘piste’ roads and singletrack created by the passage of human feet which are as close to gravel heaven as you could hope to find.
The organisers of the Sahara Gravel stage race have created a route which totals 445 km and which includes 4500m of climbing. Route details are only hinted at currently, but we do know that the event starts in Ouarzazate (often called the Gateway to the Sahara) and ends in Erg Lihoudi, close to the Algerian Border.
The event organisers, who also run Octopus Gravel in Switzerland and Utopia Gravel in Spain are doing everything they can to look after participants properly – transfers from/to Marrakech on arrival/departure, accommodation in a mix of 3*/4* hotels and nomad camps, full board, daily luggage transfers, live tracker, medical support etc are all included in the entry fee.
So, what’s the catch? The organisers want to keep the event small, particularly for the inaugural edition and we suspect it will sell out as soon as entries open on June 18th.
If you are interested in taking part and want to find out more, head over to their website now.