GravelMan Marrakech 2027

So, you want to swap your usual pass for the trails of the Atlas? Good news: the GravelMan Series is setting its bags down in Marrakech in January, and frankly, it looks completely crazy. Having trouble visualizing it? No problem, we’ll help you: the desert 🏜️, perched Berber villages 🏘️, the Toubkal at 4,167 m towering over you, and endless trails. Morocco is quite a dry country 🌵, so chances are you'll have sunshine ☀️ and temperatures ranging from 10°C to 20°C.

The pitch is simple: you start from the town of Ourika heading towards the High Atlas, climb up to the altitude villages (hello quads 🔥), cross landscapes, and dive back towards Marrakech, the ocher city. In between, you'll eat up elevation gain by the spoonful 🥄, rocks (if you choose the gravel option 🪨), and probably wonder why you didn't stay a bit longer on the couch 🛋️ after the holidays 🎉. But that's what makes it great! As they say, "start with the legs, finish with the mind." Spoiler: you'll need the mind 💪. Now, let's get into the main topic. The "GravelMan Marrakech", is not ONE race, it's TEN races. Yes, you read that right, ten. Enough to satisfy everyone, from the big fan of Eddy Merckx and Tadej Pogačar, who want to do 600 km (7,500 mD+) to the Sunday cyclotourist who will settle for 60 km (1,000 mD+). In between? Formats of 350 km (6,000 mD+), 200 km (4,500 mD+), and 120 km (2,000 mD+). And the cherry on the tajine 🍒, each distance is available in Gravel (mixed route/trail) OR Road (100% asphalt) version. Don't have a gravel bike? No problem, come with your road bike! Love eating up stones? There's plenty of that. Morocco in all its splendor! ✨ What’s great about the GravelMan Series is its "back to basics" spirit. No follow car, no mechanic every 30 km. Just you, your bike, and your resourcefulness! Got a flat? 🛞 You fix it. Hungry? You better have packed energy bars 🍫. Lost? Pull out your map 🗺️. Encounter goats? 🐐 Slalom and greet them 👋. This forced autonomy is what makes the adventure magical 🪄. When you finish, you really feel like you've accomplished something significant. You haven't just finished a race; you've experienced a true odyssey.

The hinterlands of Marrakech, it's another world 🌍, you'll have plenty of time to see it while pedaling 🚴. That said, after your little escapade, there are a ton of things to discover. If you fear running out of time to hit the trails this year, the ski resort of Oukaïmeden ⛷️ will open its doors at 3,200 m altitude. Yep, snow is no myth on the African continent ❄️. You can also discover the secrets of the Ourika Valley or the Ouzoud Falls further east, before returning to Marrakech. The souks, the Medina, the Jardin Majorelle, these are places just waiting for you. We haven't even talked about the comfort part... well, the stomach's comfort! Let us tell you, you're going to be spoiled 🍽️. Moroccans don't mess around with that at all. Among the must-tries, you absolutely have to taste the couscous, it's THE national dish, the harira 🍜, the msemen 🥞, the tanjia as well as a good Moroccan kebab! On the sweet side, go for the Sfenj, the cornes de gazelle and the chebakia. You have to recover properly! 😉

Your colleagues at work talk about their resolutions? You, you show them your photos of your adventure. Game over 🎮.