Adventures in Bicycling: Spain & Morocco Edition

By Dustin Sauder

Two high school friends, in their early 50s, embark on yet another adventure, to an unknown country, to unknown challenges, to climb onto rented bikes to see if we both still have a little gas in the tank. Ron & Dustin. 

The overnight flight from Dulles to Madrid was easy, but the sleep wasn’t. We found yogurt for breakfast as we waited for the Metro Trains to start. We were both immediately confused by not being allowed to stand and wait for the next Metro - only to find out we needed to wait until 9:30 for our tickets to work, when the Metro started running. It was a 30-minute Metro ride underground to Atocha Train Station. 

Since our bullet train to Granada wouldn’t depart til 1:30 pm, we walked northwest until we reached Plaza Mayor. We had plenty of time to wander the streets of Madrid and grab some avocado toast before returning to the train station. Our train ride was smooth and quick, around three hours, but the scenery was muted until the end, when the large peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains greeted us. Simon, our guide for the next two weeks, gathered us outside the train station and drove us 30 minutes to our home for week one, LANJURON. 

Bikes were waiting on the back porch of the 2-bedroom apartment on Main Street. 

Matching Dark Grey BMC Teammachine 2s in size 54 & 56. These bikes were ultralight and well-equipped with DI2 Bluetooth Shifters. These bikes were the finest thing I had ever ridden up until this point in my life. 

Being able to simply walk down the street to so many dinner options was such a pleasure. 

Bike Day 1

“These mountains are FOR REAL”

43 miles & 5151 ft of elevation. 

Made coffee & huevos on our little propane apartment-sized stove. Sitting on our back porch, we sipped local coffee while looking south over a beautiful valley. On a clear day, we could see the Mediterranean Sea. 

Simon came by with riding instructions for our first day on two wheels. He gave us the challenge to cover 58 miles and 6700 ft in elevation. However, our day had other plans. 

After a late start (let’s get real, Ron & I rarely start on time on these trips), and after filling up our water bottles in one of the many mineral water springs in the town, we finally headed southeast toward the higher mountains. We managed to thoroughly enjoy our first 1.6 miles before my front tire became squishy, quickly deflating our mood. Ugh. 

What do they say about adventure? It doesn’t really start until something goes wrong. Luckily, Ron and I had a previous experience with a flat tire during our rainy day in Portugal. Sitting in the Spanish sun, along the side of a busy road, we nailed it! Not F1 pit crew efficiency, but I felt great for getting back on the road within 20 minutes. Fortunately, there was a petrol station with a helpful attendant just minutes down the road. With both my 26mm wide tires back to 85psi, we were golden. 

Why did we think we could crush both miles and elevation? Let’s face it, we are both weekend warriors, and do not represent the pro cyclists that arrive in this area from around the world to train in these Sierra Nevada mountains. Wow, these switchbacks! We were able to reach several high altitude Spanish villages: Pampaneira, Capilerilla, Bubion. But we fell short of the day’s challenge, and decided to return again at the end of the week. Regardless, we returned to our cute little town thoroughly satisfied and exhausted. This day provided personal bests for both of us. 

Bike Day 2

“Choose your own adventure”

Ron: 35 miles and 3698 ft of elevation

Dustin: 56 miles and 5518 ft of elevation

Simon led us out of town on his bike by saying, “The first 25km will warm up our legs."  What! We headed northwest from Lanjuron and had coffee in Durcal. Then set off southwest, around a large reservoir, and stopped to peel an orange that had fallen off the many orange trees that lined the road. Around 2 pm, Simon decided to peel off in order to meet his kids after school. Ron also took this opportunity to head east back across the valley, a shorter route, he was told. Somehow Ron followed a bike trail on his phone that took him down, down, down, into a ravine behind the reservoir dam. So I will let you decide if he found an easier way home than I. 

I headed south toward the sea, climbing first and then descending for miles and miles. I flew down switchbacks, and through tiny villages. I circumvented another giant reservoir and rode into the nice town of Velez de Benaudalla. The ride was going so well, until I realized the last 10 miles would be mostly uphill. Returning home, I was so spent, I almost fell at our gate to our apartment, my bike falling over with my clip-in shoes struggling to free themselves. 

We ate amazing food at Bodega Gonzalez, our favorite place in town, 1 of 3 nights there. Pork Cheeks. Goat Cheese Salad. Roasted Leg of Lamb. Heaven!

Bike Day 3

“Beach Day”

36 miles, 2250 ft el.

A “rest day” had us heading south on our bikes, through Orgiva, around the east side of the reservoir, through Benaudalia, around Motril, and finally reaching the cute beach village of Salobrena. Breathtaking views as we snaked down the mountains above Motril. We ate seafood paella on the beach! We got our feet wet in the chilly Alboran Sea. Simon & wife Emma picked us up at Decathlon Sporting Goods in Motril. While I love the challenge of elevation and mountains, there’s something so freeing in reaching lower elevations and eventually water. 

Bike Day 4

“Highest village in Mainland Spain”

59.6 miles, 6975 ft el

Left Lanjuron early this time! This was our redemption day from our first ride earlier in the week. Enjoyed two Caffe Americanos in Pampaneira. Such a cute town, but it was filling up fast with Asian bus tourists. BTW: that same bus would pass us two more times on our route, I’d love to know what their tour guide said about us! We climbed, and climbed, and finally reached our destination: TREVELEZ, 4875 ft el. It was so cold, I wish I had extra layers. After a wonderful lunch outside, we descended south down a beautiful ribbon of perfect asphalt. We felt like eagles playing in thermals and updrafts. SOARING toward the sea, my hand cramping on the brake levers. Then, suddenly, our first encounter with an IBEX. A massive wild goat with large curved horns. He stood on a stone wall to our right side, jumped across the road in front of us, bounded up the steep side of the mountain, joining a female standing above us. Wow, moments like these are why you sign up for adventure!

We didn’t know if we could complete the loop, but we were fully committed now. We descended through Torvizcon and found a wide shoulder on a beautiful road heading west back toward our home base. As we finished this road, we felt spent, and the end of the day was coming soon. We had about 7 miles left, uphill, through Orgiva and back to Lanjuron. We struggled, but stuck together. Our guide Simon even texted us, a bit worried. We did it. We were proud. We celebrated with fresh spring water from the first fountain we saw in town. We aren’t sure we will ever top this feat in our lifetime.

“Spa Day”

It was time to recuperate. And the weather outside was frightful with high winds. So we explored the Balneario hotel and spa across the street. Equipped with headcaps and disposable “paper like” white robes, we had an hour to soak. Medicinal pools of water from warm to hot. Curved tile lounge chairs with thermal heat. A steam room had us relaxing while we reminisced about our physical accomplishments from the week. 

“Farewell Spain, Hello Morocco”

Our last day in Spain had us horseback riding on the mountains just above Lanjuron. Emma hooked us up with a guide from Belgium. Horses Bella and Cocoa carried our heavy bodies up to the top of a pass overlooking the town, facing south toward the sea. Our horse skills were tested with quick trots and steep inclines. Our rear ends thanked us for the much larger saddles than the typical road bicycle, however, our legs were stretched a bit wide for a few hours.

Simon drove us to the Malaga Airport, very modern and beautiful. We took Ryan Air to Marrakesh, arriving at 11pm. Our van ride was around 90 minutes to our 1st stop in Africa - Imlil. 

We stepped into the cold Africa night air, as our kind innkeeper greeted us in his traditional fur robe. Wonderful hot food also greeted us inside, our 4th meal of the day!  We laid down to sleep around 2am. 

Bike Day5

“Bikes for rent”

10 miles, 2339 ft el.

We woke up in Imlil. Hot breakfast was waiting thanks to Ibrahim, our personal cook. He would travel with us all week. Another local guide named Jamal greeted us. He would provide additional support to Simon, Ron, and me. Next, we headed out on foot to explore the town and talk with the local bike vendors. After passing on the first bikes we found, we settled on matching red SCOTT 27.5 full suspension aluminum mountain bikes. Simon wasn’t able to use his usual bike rental service due to an unresolved cracked Cannondale carbon frame from a previous trip.  The bike shop is charging 800 euros for the repairs, and the previous guest, who is responsible, has gone cold with communication, ghosting Simon and the rental company. 

Finally on bikes, we followed Simon out of town for our first introduction to the mighty Atlas Mountains and the rocky singletrack that would test our skills for the next several days. 

What a great town. Imlil sits in the shadow of the tallest mountain in North Africa, Mt. Toubkal, 13,671 feet. Mules, guides, backpacks, trekkers are everywhere. It felt a bit like a micro version of the Nepal & Mt. Everest scene. 

Bike Day 6

 “Hike & Bike & Mules”

Hike 3.6 miles, 2500 ft el.

Biking 16 miles, 1768 ft el. 

Traded our cycle shoes in for our sneakers. On foot, we climbed 3.6 miles uphill from Imlil to a majestic mountain pass located beneath the summit of Mt. Toubkal.  Our cook had a hot lunch to eat next to a mountain hut dedicated to hosting trekkers. 

Did we push our bikes? Nope. Mules carried them. That’s right, the front tires were removed, they were shoved into saddlebags and loaded onto 2 mules. As we were hiking we could actually see the animals and bikes traveling uphill from across a giant ravine. 

After clipping in we descended into the wilderness, the dirt under our tires represented mule paths that have existed for centuries. We picked our way along the singletrack to Tizi Oussem. We had help finding our way through a maze of narrow streets, old men & a group of children pointing and laughing, as we got confused a few times. This was one of my favorite memories. 

We witnessed many vacant, flattened houses. Rubble everywhere. This is all the result of a terrible 6.8 earthquake in mid-September 2023. The government is now supporting homeowners with 200 euros a month to rebuild.  We passed many homes under construction, rebar sticking above half-built walls. Everyone is waiting on the next month’s cash in order to keep the rebuild process going. 

A long day ended at a primitive guest house in Anfalkon, a small one-car town. As we dined on the roof, we watched young boys playing soccer on the street below and women hanging out laundry on rooftops. The call to prayer was breathtaking to listen to, as it echoed across the valley. The food was again wonderful, our cook prepared lemon chicken in a hot clay tagine. We often had local Pomegranates for dessert, and one of our favorites, sleepy time tea. 

Bike Day 7

“Goat Trails” & “Should we really be doing this”?

23.5 miles, 2753 ft el.

As we climbed steeply out of the town that morning, Simon reminded us, “This will get our legs warmed up.” Passing Imi Oughlad and Tinzert, we stopped at salt mines to have midday tea with a local salt farmer. We ventured across the top of a giant hydroelectric dam to the highest goat trail I’ve ever been on. We were told to stay on the 24” wide trail, with looming cliffs directly overhead, and a 1000’ straight drop below. Simon said, “If you start to go down, just grab a hold of the nearest tree and hang on." Loose rock and trail erosion had us white-knuckling the intense trail that belonged on the front of a mountain bike magazine. 

After a cozy lunch in a forest of tall pine trees, we finally left the steep descents and found a flowing singletrack with crazy tight corners. Soon we passed through the town of Ouch Feline, riding past a working olive press. For a few miles, we used a dry riverbed as our gravel trail, ending up at our destination guest house in Boulsserfane. We have officially descended out of the Atlas Mountains and entered the windswept deserts of North Africa. At random points along the way, sheep just cross in front of you, and if you look hard into the landscape, you occasionally find a shepherd looking back at you. Luckily for us, the wind was behind us during the last few miles, when our legs ached the most. 

“Ancient Marrakesh”

Rain and wind all around, and snow in the forecast for the town we are going to next, had us squatting at our guest house, unsure of what to do. We made the hard decision to end the biking part of our trip and head to the city.  We took a 2:30 pm van to Marrakesh and stayed for 2 nights at Riad Adore in the heart of the old town. 

So many narrow alleys, a maze of pedestrians and commerce. We explored the many local shops (souks) in the persistent rain. Enjoyed local cuisine at local legend Le Jardine, both seafood and lamb dishes. We found a typical large city square with many fresh juice and gelato stands.  Ron connected with one of the local snake charmers, for a quick pic with a few nasty-looking King Cobras. 

Around 10 pm, on our walk home from dinner, we were harassed by a local teenager. Apparently, local hustlers say to walking tourists, “Gate is closed that way” in order to add confusion to the already disorienting spiderweb of streets. Then the hussler gives directions and demands a tip. Our friendly teen turned nasty when we told him we didn’t have any money on us. We received a few very heated threats regarding how much he wanted to punch our faces in. He then whistled for friends to help him, which started to spike my own adrenaline. However, no one came to assist him, and he finally walked away huffing and puffing, to probably find another victim to harass. 

Note to self - Next time: 1) keep phone in pocket 2) just look like you know where you are going 3) know the local scams 4) don’t stop for smooth talkers that want to help you 5) don’t follow young men you don’t know down dark alleys. Duh!

“Tagine Cooking Class”

At 10 am, we reported to a nearby cooking class. We found it on Instagram: Khmisa - Marrakech Worships. After joining the group, we followed the instructor into the nearby market to pick up spices and fresh produce for the class. On the menu were four starters and chicken tagine, cooked in a traditional clay pot called a tagine. 

One of our classmates was from Australia and two were from Hungary. I may want to go to Budapest now to cycle and hit the thermal spas. For $35 each, we had a great learning experience and made our own lunch. We not only took away great memories and fun conversation, but digital copies of all the recipes. 

“Return to Madrid & NFL Football”

Time to head north to Europe. We almost had a mishap getting dropped off at the airport, with one of us leaving a phone on the seat. So thankful for an honest & helpful cab driver. Ryan Air took us to Madrid, where a shuttle driver picked us up to transport us to the oldest part of the city, blocks north of Plaza Mayor.  So many people everywhere! Many Americans were in town for the next day’s NFL game in Madrid: Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins. 

“HOME Sweet HOME”

No problems or delays, smooth sailing all the way home. It’s good to close the books on another adventure, and it’s good to see our loved ones again.

recap 

“Show me the Money”

“Did Simon really just say that”

Costs from our trip, per person:

$300, carbon BMC road bikes in Spain, valued at around $5000. 

$1300, 6-night stay and food in Morocco, with guides and cook

$250, 6-night accommodations in Spain, with local guide and shuttle support.

$150, full suspension Aluminum Scott bikes, 27.5”, valued at around $2000

$815, United Airlines, direct RT flight from Dulles to Mardrid. 

$75, Ryan Air, 1-way tickets, Spain to Marrakesh, and then Marrakesh to Spain

$40, Bullet Train from Madrid to Granada

Our favorite Simon Quotes:

“Out here, in the vast landscape of Morocco, you will be surprised, someone is always watching you”. (shepherds and mule riders around every corner)

“This is a pretty chewy climb”  (oh boy!)

“A little exposure on one side” (this means 1000’ drop - so don’t mess up)

“If you go over the side, just grab a tree” (uh, the trees are spaced out every 300’ - so how am I supposed to get that lucky?)

“Now the trail is sunken down, more like a ditch, it’s a really solid pedal challenge, you will like it” (so - maybe I’ll just start walking my bike now)

Guide Services, Simon (from the UK, living in Spain):

https://globalbikeadventures.com/

Email: info@globalbikeadventures.com

What’s App: +34 655 98 58 87