Marei Wins Atlas Mountain Race!
Early on Wednesday morning local time in Morocco, Marei Moldenhauer won the 1,300 km Atlas Mountain Race in record time. For 4 days, 14 hours and 20 minutes, Marei rode and pushed her bike over the rough dirt tracks that criss-cross the Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains, climbing more than 30,000 m (100,000 ft) in the process.
Marei led the women’s field from the start, with Mascha Wahlig in hot pursuit. When Mascha had to end her race due to health concerns, Marei did not let up. Riding her full-suspension mountain bike with Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge Endurance tires, Marei moved through the men’s field, going from 16th position to 8th overall by the finish—out of a field of more than 250 of the world’s best endurance racers. Not only did she beat previous women’s times—on an arguably harder course—but this is also the first time a woman has placed in the top-10 overall in the Atlas Mountain Race.
At the finish, Marei was smiling—as she had on the course. Asked about about the race, she said: “I’m with myself and I enjoy that. I’m really really happy and also proud, and then I’m also always a bit sad that it’s over. Because for four days, you’ve spent all your time on the bike and you know exactly what to do the next three hours … and then it’s over.”
Asked about the hardest part of the race, Marei’s answer came as a surprise: “Not the rocky and steep gravel roads, but a short stretch of flat, smooth asphalt—with a strong headwind.”
Marei’s bike was dusty, but seemed none the worse for wear. Her Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge Endurance tires had dealt with with the 1,300 km of rocky trails without problems. The knobs of the rear tire are worn down a bit…
Meaghan Hackinen (also on Fleecer Ridge tires) is about to finish second and 19th overall—she has less than 40 kilometers left in the race as I write this. And Sandro Büttel, whom we featured here last weekend, is riding strongly, now well past Kilometer 1000 in the race.
A huge congratulations to Marei and all the other racers. We’ll get an update when everybody got some rest and is ready to tell their stories.
Further Reading:
Photos: Nils Laengner (reprinted with permission)
