Don't stop!

Afternoon Ride

Holubicka Bajkovacka

Morning Ride

Deer and blind car drivers

I collected all my stuff again as good as I could and I set off again towards Ait Baha. The first part was a very difficult and vague river path, followed by a steep climb. I soon overtook Thomas Boury, but then I already felt my neck is not what it should be.  I had to stop to eat and let my neck rest. The beginning of a day full of struggle. 

I reached the sand part around 6:30 in the morning and first layed down for 30 more minutes.  I deflated my tires a bit (but apparently not be far enough) to try to cycle to through the sand, but it barely worked. Most of the 20km long stretch I had to hike. It was incredibly slow and painful. Your shoes fill up with sand and there is no space anymore for your feet. It is surprising how much sand fits in a shoe.

At the end of the section, my neck had given up completely. I would command it to stay fixed and look in a certain direction, but it would just gradually drop over time. I got rid of the sand in my shoes and dragged myself to Jerf, where I spend longer than I should in a shop eating and drinking whatever I fancied. 

Some kilometers further I decided to give it a last try and I rested for anther hour, naively hoping that that would be enough for my neck to recover. The first kilometers where indeed better again, but soon the same issue appeared. 

I got to Amskroud where I stopped yet another time. My position in the GC was already completely gone, but I still decided to see if at least I could get to the Stelvio without too many issues. It was torture to cycle on the long climb, my head only pointing down. The short off-road descents were particulary  difficult as I could not see where I was going. I could only see 5 meters in front of me.

As it started to get very unsafe and as it was just a struggle, I decided to do something I never want to do and always regret at the end: scratch. Knowing how difficult the 25km down to Agadir (on asphalt!) still were, however tell me this decision was right. I had to hold up my head with one hand or keep my head angled just to be able to see where I was going. It was not easy and it was not fun anymore. 

It was a sad ending of a great race, which went find until kilometer 900. Then the Shermer's neck popped up and it was a lost cause. I am not sure yet if I will come back, as this is a brutal race. But I still have some unfinished business and I would maybe want to prove that a top 10 is more than possible.

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Tim De Witte

Atlas Mountain Race - Day 4: the revenge of the neck

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Don't stop!

Afternoon Ride

Holubicka Bajkovacka

Morning Ride

Deer and blind car drivers

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