The Experience:
This is a unique journey surrounded by total luxury—the truth is, all our Moroccan cycling experiences are somewhat slightly different. The local roads and trails in this area are often changing, which means you’ll be riding on roads less ridden (or never ridden). In fact, the roads located around the Erg Chebbi dunes change daily due to a number of uncontrollable factors, which is why our description of this day is "be prepared for anything". Overall, it’s a tailored experience with lots of flexibility that can be catered to your needs and desires. Each night, total luxury awaits you at your hotel. The real beauty of this trip, however, is that there is a non-cyclist itinerary, which means you no longer have to ask permission to go on a cycling tour. Have I mentioned how flexible it is? You can take a day off and spend it with your partner exploring different parts of Morocco away from the bike.
Who is it for?
For someone looking for something a little bit different, using the bike as the vehicle or means to experience the very best of Morocco, overlayed with total luxury, authenticity, support and experience. While the experience is based around the bike being the common element for experiencing the very best of Moroccan culture, it’s not just about the bike. In fact, what we do off the bike is just as exciting, and we even have an itinerary for non-riders that you should ask us about.
The Cyclist: if you’re someone a little adventurous, not too precious but still loves to come back to comfort by the pool and enjoy a little bit of luxury and a few drinks and some fine food, then this is for you. While we have made this cycling sound like a cruise through the park, it’s not. Cycling experience is essential.
The Non-Cyclist: Guests experience the very best parts of Morocco off the bike and immerse themselves in daily Moroccan life with exclusive and tailored experiences.
(Cyclists enjoying Moroccan tea with a nomad family in their home).
Highlights:
Lunches with local Berber families
Hot air ballooning
Immersing yourself with our local guides and Moroccan culture
Different landscapes
Postcard photo opportunities in every direction
Sunset camel rides
The uncontrollable highlights that we can’t plan for you but just pop up i.e. nomad families, village life
The Riding
If you’re a cyclist, don’t let the lack of distance fool you into thinking it’s going to be a breeze. What’s becoming increasingly evident as we cycle from village-to-village is the authenticity of this experience. How many other people call into random Berber houses for lunch, join nomad families for Moroccan tea, and brush up with the locals? This "adventure" will have you witnessing awe-inspiring terrain, including views of Morocco’s highest mountain peaks, miles of desolated desert spaces, and isolated dunes. The riding is done on a mix of tarmac and gravel, with more gravel on some days than others and more tarmac on others. While the majority of gravel sections are invariably PG-rated, there are certain sections that are a bit more technical, which is where we like to take our time. For those who are not so confident - don’t worry, there are support vehicles with us for 100% of the journey, and you can just skip this part. The uncontrollable elements can be hot, sandy, windy, or all of the above-it’s part of the adventure. You’ll experience steep climbs, switchbacks likened to Alpe d’Huez, incredible sweeping descents, and miles and miles of panoramic desert views. You’ll also get some strange looks from locals, wondering why on earth a group wearing skin-tight lycra is cycling through their town. We give this a difficulty rating of 3.5/5
The 'Other' Experiences
Whether you’re a rider or a non-rider, you’ll experience Moroccan cooking classes and mad fauna demonstrations, hot air ballooning, traditional Moroccan hammam massages, and join local Berber families for daily activities and lunches. Hopefully, we can visit a nomad family or two, but due to their ever moving nature, no-one can guarantee this. Together, we’ll be immersed in local Moroccan culture and create stories your grandchildren will be proud of.
The Accommodation
All in the name of luxury. From boutique Riads and Kasbahs to luxury 5-star hotels and desert camps. Every night we experience the very best Moroccan accommodation.
The Food
We’re in Morocco, so we eat Moroccan (unless you choose something different, of course). For cyclists, we will stop at local family homes in the middle of the desert, where they will welcome us with traditional tea and go out of their way to make us welcome, while fuelling us with traditional Moroccan foods, including tagine, couscous and delicious salads. Honestly, you can’t get any more authentic than this! We enjoy dinners together, generally at the hotels while on tour, with the exception of Marrakech, where we provide you with an incredible Welcome Dinner.
The Bikes
Our bikes are top-of-the-range Cannondale Topstone and GT Gravel bikes, which include state-of-the-art shock absorber technology and Di2 gear shifting.
The Support:
We support you with one of our own western ride captains along with a team of English-speaking local guides and support crew. This includes a former professional MTB and Moroccan enduro cycling champion, who is also your mechanic and can change a tyre faster than you can blink. You’ll also have 4x4 support vehicles and minivans following you at all times. For non-riders, you will be escorted around the countryside by your own knowledgeable English-speaking guide, who just so happens to be a professional photographer—so you can easily update your latest display pic on social media from one of the world’s most photogenic places.
What do Non-Riders Do?
Each afternoon/evening, we catch up with the riders, which makes this the perfect trip if you’re not into riding but your other half is, so Throughout the day, we will immerse ourselves in local experiences, which include visiting Souks, participating in cooking classes, doing local village tours, calling into local tea houses, and much more. We offer great flexibility with riders and non-riders to ensure we are providing them with all the experiences that they want to do... and that may also include sleeping in from time-to-time
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