Ultracycling

I've ridden a bit off road in the high atlas and it was great.

When did you go over there? What bike were you on?

Should be a good one. I'm not looking forward to the bike packing though - it was so nice to take a complete bike on the train to NL but I'm flying to this one.

Looking at the bike box and comparing that to the bike I predict a lot of swearing and gnashing of teeth. Hopefully see you in Llanca for a shandy on Friday. You booked accommodation there yet?

When are you heading over? I'm flying Thu arvo I think then getting a train from Barca and I've got a hotel somewhere in Llanca.

Friday morning and also training it down from Barca. I need to book a hotel

Looks like it's gonna be a warm one, 43 in Girona on Fri.

The solution to this is to buy a bike box and find a very kind person who will fly with it from the start to the finish.

It was a mountain biking holiday I went on over New Year about 10 years ago. I was on a hired Trek hardtail.
We started and finished from Agadir on the coast. We were in the Anti-Atlas around Tafroute and Tiznit, and the High Atlas around Imouzer.
Was quite a good mix of reasonably easy trails, some more technical climbs, a bit of riverbed, some sand, etc. The hard core mountain bikers reckoned it was on the easy side, but was fine for me. There seem to be loads of what they call piste - basically untarmacked rocky roads which are a bit rough for a normal car but easily passable in a 4x4 and pleasant enough to ride on without sus fork.

Ha - luckily that service is provided by the organisers.

My immediate concern is the alchemy that gets a fully built bike into a box that looks to small for the job though i am assured is perfectly feasible.

What box do you have?

I should be ace at packing bikes but I get 'the dread' every time I have to do it.

Can not recall the name now - borrowed it from a guy at work who rides a bike two sizes bigger than mine so it should be fine. It looks quite similar to the Bike Box Allan but its a different brand.

Just remember to pack all the tools you need in it too. Oh and take the pedals off before you take the wheels off.

Are you bringing a track pump or is that a step to far?

Nope. Although that might be handy.

And don't forget to pack the pedals!

A friend puts one in his case when we fly.

I am very dis-organised so I can deffo see me taking the pedals of and putting them on the disappearing shelf and forget to pack them.

Francis Cade rode 364.4km before scratching .. made 4 videos though. #ad cc/ @dubtap 😂

what a nob

He came off and turned his ankle on day one. Not sure entering something with a view to document it and getting injured instantly makes you a knob.

all these influencers do is enter an ultra race and "crash"

He's documenting it for personal gain though so.. and all he does he turn the camera on himself / his mates. its boring self indulgence.

https://twitter.com/JamesMarkHayden/status/1134895723395371009

(Shakes head)

Skinny wasnt an influencer first

(I think I just coined that; Influencer First®)

his videos are possibly the most pretentious narcissistic drivel I have ever had the bad luck to cast my eyes over.
people like him do wonders to make cycling less accessible to anyone who's not a white bro
and his mate who is supposedly an esteemed bicycle builder didn't even bring shoes to a race