Welcome to the commentary of the ATLAS MOUNTAIN RACE 2023. My name is Thomas Chateau, I have never done mountain-biking in Morocco, nor a race organized by Nelson Trees, but I have worn a few bikepacking caps (TCR, TPR, 2VS, RTPL, APN, etc), I did the commentary for the 2022 edition … and I have a little Berber blood. I will try to make a daily report with - in the earpiece - the remarks of some eminent riders: __Niel Copeland__, __Rob Gardiner__ as well as __Jackie Baker__.

In the introduction to the [commentary of the 2022 edition](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/amr-2022), a few good reasons were recalled for following this race, in particular that the best wines come from the greatest winemakers, and in this case nothing can dispute the talent and legitimacy of __Nelson Trees__ as a mountain race maker. The creator of the Silk Road and the Atlas Mountain has even designed a new race, the __Hellenic Mountain Race__, which will start next May from the famous Meteora where the route of the TCRNo5 of by Mike Hall had taken himself.

# The cyclo-cross season on TV is (soon) over, it's time for dotwatching!

The cyclo-cross season is ending on TV, it's time to forget about __Wout Van Aert__ and get back to dotwatching. Especially since the previous editions of the AMR were exciting. In 2020, __Sofiane Sehili__ had made her copy with total mastery by cracking __Chris Meier__ with his resistance to sleep and keeping __James Hayden__ (2nd) and __Jay Petervary__ (3rd) at bay. In 2022, in a race strongly animated by __Justinas Leveika__ until his fall at ¾ of the route, with after a long battle with __Jochen Bohringer__ (2nd) and __Pierre Vullioud__ (scratch), __Marin de Saint-Exupery__ had signed a magnificent victory, worthy of the magnificent cyclist he embodies (he had come and left from the Marco by boat and bicycle).

# The first "classic" of the year

The AMR passes for a springboard to the SRMR, it's true, but it embodies an aim in itself for many riders who come to seek adventure and wonder. But above all, the event has become the great classic that opens the year of bikepacking, with a particularly strong field, the top riders being divided between the AMR and the [Race Around Rwanda](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/rar-2023) which begins two days later.

The race will mobilize in 2023 around 220/225 registered for a challenge that is both particularly magical and particularly tough, with a large number of rookies, which illustrates a sustained massification of the discipline. The races are multiplying on the agenda and seem to arouse all the more passion and registration. We also see the return of several riders from the 2020 edition (which proves that they end up forgiving Nelson Trees for the sustained sections of hike-a-bike).

Most riders will compete solo (194) but there are 34 riders in pairs. The destination does not seem to inspire the women who will only be fifteen on the starting line.

# An intercontinental competition, but too few Moroccan riders

Riders from the United Kingdom (38), Germany (33), Italy (26), France (24) or Belgium (15) make up the bulk of the troops, but in total 32 countries are represented: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Ecuador, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, India, Italy, South Korea, Lithuania, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands- Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, United States, Venezuela, South Africa.

The main regret is to see only 2 Moroccan riders on the starting line, much less than in 2022. We remember that __Mohammed El Boughdali__ had proudly led the first 100 kilometers and finished in the top 20 last year. 

![4A424068726395260184DB448765D1A8 video dashinit](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/01CDCVPgPojd49XQjD42kE/4a22019b1e0db99349d1420b544a9a6d/4A424068726395260184DB448765D1A8_video_dashinit.mp4)
*Mohammed El Boughdali is in Marrackesh and spent some times with AMR veterans* 

# Less gravel bikes, more true suspended MTB

It's not far from 100 frames participating in the race which are presented on __Bikepacking.com__ in its traditional ["Rigs of ..."](https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2023-atlas-mountain-race-rigs/).

In 2020, competitors had risked themselves with gravel bikes: there are still a few left, but now with very adjusted transmissions (wide cassette and mini-chainring in 1x11), and if possible 650B wheels with wide tires like on __Christian Biehl__'s Fern or __Patrick Zorkovic__'s Mason. 
![christian biehl](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1OxrNjsSQoQUvKONtI6O4W/d82b6aca66b3995e43076a41b90396b6/christian_biehl.jpg)
![Zorkovic-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/61FjIYcRIy3th5zbX00vUg/7b8b6d6d54db566b6735723f4c873275/Zorkovic-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)

We are therefore quite surprised to see 1 or 2 standard GRX groupsets (48/31x11/34) as for __Allan Shaw__ (Mosaic, with limited silver GRX)) or __Orestis Kapetanopoulos__ (Fidusa) 
![Shaw-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ORNIuc1LJzYkpBVgmsRD9/4ecddbda004cffad8287afdb13f8eeba/Shaw-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)
![Kapetanopoulos-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7dBHyJ5k4MrgapVGSYc8C7/cb389f144bcbcff71493b1ba6708e8c5/Kapetanopoulos-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)

Mountain bikes with double suspension become commonplace like __Robin Gemperlé__'s Scott or __Caroline Prigent__'s Specualized.
![Gemperle-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rIXQT5frO3JmUhaOL6roQ/e3e9cc5dbc1110f62a6b39bd0a8d0086/Gemperle-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)
![caroline](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6jMlDGDCrSu7btSrwSgYU9/5a26eaf69f371a3358457a2797b98c01/caroline.jpg)

But the dominating gear is the mountain bike with front suspension, with a fairly frequent use of the __[Tailfin](https://www.tailfin.cc/?v=11aedd0e4327)__ bag system (sponsor of the race), such as the Pilot of __Jimmy Grade__, the Cervelo of __Chris Hall__ and the Chiru of __Guilhem Athiel__.
![Grade-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/67OfZs8HvmxUXqnAi3EihA/043584368dfa33e95440352ff8d0f0dd/Grade-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)
![Hall-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/yEp6Wy8Vl0bCNjPFFId2q/aecbf8603c473c6c72be81396d0ff9b8/Hall-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)
![athiel](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3BJSKd30NZsP8WmCjuQbpB/4b1c8a81ff25f5782faa6b7f55c90b95/athiel.jpg)

# A route with a new final to Essaouira

The AMR is a race with an imposed route, with a strong stake on the question of refueling. The race manual tells all participants where they can find food and drink.

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=41910763&title=Atlas%20Mountain%20Race%202023&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

The route generally takes the same tracks as in 2020, with a few shortcuts, and the main novelty is the final part up to Essaouira (and not Agadir as in 2022).
![statshunters-map-image(7) bis](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5lGhz1x2gwNozbmlbDsK0e/a388ec8cf63b1a1dc0c109ce6672309f/statshunters-map-image_7__bis.png)

# New winners for 2023

It is already certain that we will have a new winner, as none of the previous winners (__Sofiane Sehili, Jenny Tough, Marin de Saint-Exupéry, Ashley Carelock__) are present. Who to bet on? Favorites stand out:
- __Justinas Leveika__ is benefiting a catch-up session 4 months after the 2022 edition that he seemed able to win until his scratch. Do not hesitate to review his testimony after the last edition, if you want to discover more about the character, who will also be a race organizer in 2023 with the inauguration edition of __[The Bright Midnight](https://www.bright-midnight.com/)__ next July.
- The South African __Kevin Benkenstein__, noticed on races in the southern hemisphere (The Munga, Race to the Rock) delivered in 2022 the most thrilling duel of the year against Abdullah Zeinab during __The Rhino Race__ .
- __Matthia De Marchi__ won without a hitch on Badlands or the Italy Divide. He finished 33rd at the 2020 AMR, but we can imagine him on the podium this year;
- __Steven Le Hyaric__: the professional adventurer, in love with Morocco, returns with a state of probably excellent form (he rode in Mongolia this winter), in full knowledge of the facts because he is the finisher of the AMR 2022 (4th), with perhaps more freshness than last year where he was recovering after his victory at the Race Across France.

![benky](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3FkIsQrVwHlirS0hZ5nyFn/9968e301cdb493f69a3b17060ea15981/benky.jpg)
*Benky's Curve bike for the first time with a front suspension*

But other excellent riders should be at the forefront like __Laurent Boursette__ (ultracycling road specialist with several Bikingman and Race Across France to his credit); __Sebastien Breuer__, winner of Badlands 2022 and German mountain bike racing champion; __Sam Thomas__, veteran of the TCR, 16th in the AMR 2020, well placed at Further Pyrenes; __Robin Gemperle__, in the top 10 of the last TCR after a very strong start; __Pawel Machacek__ in good position on the High Trail 500 or the Arizona Trail; __Allan Shaw__ (positive values advocate with @gaysokaycycling) has completed both an SRMR and Tour Divide in recent months; __Ernie Lechuga__, winner of the SRMR together with his ex-wife Scotti and winner this fall of the Arkansas High Country Race; __Théo Daniel__, winner in pair of the TCR 2022 and solid finisher of the SRMR 2021, 3PBR 2020 and AMR 2020.

Among women, the former rowing athlete __Luisa Werner__ seems to have the best references (8th at 3PBR and 21st at Badlands in 2022), but they are other riders with great experience as __Daniela Kichner__, __Allison Felley__ or __Caroline Prigent__.

![luisa](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4fJnlVznp3q57DFyLwGsnD/1a7fc3723feb8db11162dc7ba19ba83e/luisa.jpeg)
![Werner-2023-amr-rigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4OQohtK0xAQZtYqnbq48rv/4b86c7819342c665df9c7877a73cdf33/Werner-2023-amr-rigs.jpg)
*[Luisa](https://www.instagram.com/luisasophiewer/) during the Three Peaks Bike Race 2022 and her Rose MTB for the AMR.*

![328846069 3341822502730020 7708681347529014425 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5F1gTWcbQtm0S31NYEtW5f/5ba5d958f367f5363b1c72d0156f07c1/328846069_3341822502730020_7708681347529014425_n.jpg)
*[Daniela Kirchner](https://www.instagram.com/miss.biking.viking/) ready to go !*

Within the peloton, we will keep an eye in particular on __[Wendy Ellis](https://dotwatcher.cc/contributor/wendy-ellis)__, contributor of dotwatcher.cc, but also  __Torsten Frank__, veteran of the TCR and the 3PBR, out-of-date finisher of the AMR 2020 and wise dotwatcher who had published many well-referenced posts during the AMR 2022. 

![328931883 165118025870292 4976809348132436971 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3aVDlZktYsm8tNSFxhpgKe/ba76d61859d70c7132a58d51d5855d11/328931883_165118025870292_4976809348132436971_n.jpg)
*Wendy's bike in Marrakesh*

# The "quattro stagioni" of AMR – Winter is coming

The main subject on the starting line is the weather: it will be cold on this race, with freezing temperatures and snow on the summits above 1800m (and Telouet Pass is at 2600m !). After an autumnal 2022 edition, the 2023 edition will be clearly winter. Several riders have photographed themselves yesterday in a sports stores to reinforce their gearkit and some have spoken of an additional bag. They will have to hold on despite these conditions. 

![A5449D965826B936FCB737896620EEBB video dashinit](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/ZZ9EVU0sRtolnkGULIdqw/1da904112420f152f5ec5ff7c531c79b/A5449D965826B936FCB737896620EEBB_video_dashinit.mp4)

As for the win, we can imagine that __Steven Le Hyaric__ will not be destabilized after his travels in the cold Mongolia, and __Justinas Leveika__ (Lithuanian resident in Norway) should feel at home, perhaps a little too much at home for him who was looking for a warm, sunny escape to Morocco.

![328844452 2147864065601270 8985353773933818086 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4iiRTFg9yF25L3AFxzMOeS/81abc9dfccea0216e873f6e5c21caa3d/328844452_2147864065601270_8985353773933818086_n.jpg)
*Pre-start jokes between [Justinas](https://www.instagram.com/justin.and.bikes/) and [Steven](https://www.instagram.com/stevenlehyaric/), planning for a new pair combination !*

PRELUDE TO THE ATLAS MOUNTAIN RACE 2023

The AMR put all the riders in a bath of extreme sensations from the first hours of racing. It started very quickly, and __Niel Copeland__ observed that leader __Justinas Leveika__ had crossed the Telouet pass only 15 minutes behind his 2022 time when there was snow and it was -8°. celsius! He traveled 400km across the Atlas in 24 hours!

As expected, the gaps are still slim in the lead and we imagine that the riders find themselves on the resupply points: __Robin Gemperle__ (2nd) confirms the formidable start he had made last summer on the TCR and follows Justinas 5/7 kilometers behind him.

__Oliver Beresford__ (winner of the Basajaun 2022) interferes in third place, neck and neck with __Sebastian Breuer__.

These four boys left so quickly that the powerful __Mattia De Marchi__ (5th) is about thirty kilometers behind. At CP1 with the Col de Telouet, __Steven Le Hyaric__ (9th) also testified to the impossible speed to follow uphill of the first men. The french could have some problem with the sealant of his rear tyre.

In the women's ranking, __Molly Weaver__ took the lead with almost 300 kilometers covered during the first 24 hours, 25 kilometers ahead of __Luisa Werner__.

The next night will allow us to see how the bodies support all these efforts and what sleep strategies the favorites will have.

The grandiose landscapes of Morocco, the gourmet meals and the joy of meeting the locals shine on the Instagram accounts of many riders.

![328571127 130872316550262 4158032290119632406 n-1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4MmUl1GTVFzEHS3xcrt1TQ/40436bc421bb8f4de690dcb6f227aff5/328571127_130872316550262_4158032290119632406_n-1.jpg)

![328556845 125589410209760 4474023033268951118 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Mq36e6LeNrlVT5tXm0raU/b5ad215df56d30c49899f2aa72765303/328556845_125589410209760_4474023033268951118_n.jpg)

![328405129 560487746042266 9187151550201631112 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/a5b3XmmC9jRZzMsrsDGcU/435800916e11b732f5115f4bdc03755a/328405129_560487746042266_9187151550201631112_n.jpg)

[Steven Le Hyaric](https://www.instagram.com/stevenlehyaric/) explained in a jaded tone: *“Guys, I got hit but I didn't sink, I don't know yet. I tore the tire about 4 or 5 centimeters, I put on patches, I put on an inner tube, I had to, no choice, I lost an hour. I will try to buy other inner tubes on the road, but there is no road"*

![Sans titre](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2zAB7jeCW6oVD51E7Fs5R0/a74411e7ff9e44ca9fd8fd1b538998f6/Sans_titre.png)


DAY ONE : 400 KILOMETERS IN 24 HOURS !

After his defeat yesterday at the cyclo-cross world championships, __Wout Van Aert__ said: “*__Matthieu Can des Pool__ was the strongest, but that does not mean that I could not have won*”. At ¾ of the AMR, we do not yet know who is the strongest and who could win.

The big sensation of the last 24 hours comes from __Mattia de Marchi__. While the chasing group behind Justinas Leveika gradually withered, the Italian made up for the 30 km delay he had conceded, so that he took the lead after CP2 and became the new favorite.

__Justinas Leveika__ is nevertheless playing a magnificent game, with simimar passing times at CP, compared to 2022. He was even in the lead at kilometer 734 where he scratched last year. But around kilometer 820, after being overtaken for the first time by Robin Gemperlé, whom he joined, he saw Mattia De Marchi coming back on him, taking the lead for the first time. While he had led for the 800km of the first 72 hours, the Lithuanian suffered the effects of the lack of sleep and the sustained progress of the Italian who managed in a few hours to widen a gap of more than 30 kilometers.

__Robin Gemperlé__ is the only one to keep pace, about ten kilometers from Justinas and he told CP3 to the organization team that he was eager to finish and that he did not care about the classification.

For comparison, the gaps at CP3 were similar to 2022 with 1h45 between Mattia and Justinas, as between __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__ and __Jochen Bochinger__.

Behind, __Sebastian Breuer__ consolidated his 4th place. __Kevin Benkenstein__ moved up in the standings to take 5th position, but almost 200 km from the leader. The South African confirms his endurance, but he may lack technical skills in riding compared to MTB specialists.

__Yoan Dercourt__ and __Federico Bassis__ follow with stable and regular progress. 

__Steven Le Hyaric__ is 8th and will not know if he could have won this edition: a mechanical curse struck him with a tear in the rear tire which led him to become a specialist in fitting 26-inch inner tubes on the 27.5 rims and a heavy consumer of super glue. Steven is a great communicator who takes the microphone several tens of minutes a day to publish many Instagram stories, and he also had technical problems with an insufficient volume level of microphone sound to understand his race explanations.

Finally, we salute the current ninth place of __Théo Daniel__ who had declared before the race that it would be difficult for him to make a top 10 in view of the riders present. But the Frenchman is tenacious and very experienced in the long distance.


"Who is stronger and who could have won?"

Incredible scenario. At km 1052, 284 km from the finish, __Mattia De Marchi__'s dot came to a standstill around 17:00. The race direction announced his scratch, stating that he was OK and that he was taken to the hospital in Biougra for check. We hope that everything is OK for the one who had strongly impressed today.

![mmm2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2JXiMQLNwKHdYYWxtB914z/0575b5f9f17402069f0b0f9f847a43f8/mmm2.png)

The AMR finds its former leader J__ustinas Leveika__ (who suffered the same fate in 2022), who overtook Mattia's last position and who is followed by Robin Gemperlé with less than 5 kilometers of difference. The suspense is total!

Breaking news : Mattia scratched !

News from Mattia

![327280170 6303227693021085 6084747538836946876 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/46QpL8FpDxOoJQt1dFeBwk/c6edba95a64f45e90858f55fe7483d16/327280170_6303227693021085_6084747538836946876_n.jpg)

![326795706 862740464841469 6223198091917724241 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6wTPRrTlWK5fUJRPxz6SkG/a3fa4647231d26026473a604d5aa2a59/326795706_862740464841469_6223198091917724241_n.jpg)

![4535D390-399B-4C3D-8281-202D1A61F020](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5JMTIpeHvpnIagmRJyYgRU/b77bb601160672e3dc1db9c5a43e5476/4535D390-399B-4C3D-8281-202D1A61F020.jpeg)

Robin Gemperle and Justin Leveika seemed to ride very close to each other yesterday evening after the scratch of Mattia de Marchi (due to breathing difficulties). But at km 1090 at around 23:00, Robin "attacked" and took the lead, with a certain distance in front of Justin for the first time.

In the night, he went over the last one-thousander with more than 30 km in advance. 

![AA11B353-0B9E-4DDC-877C-A9016201AD28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3WxEigT8nZOVRQkxlcAjeX/1cf94832f870519f569e86df50315c2e/AA11B353-0B9E-4DDC-877C-A9016201AD28.jpeg)

The game is never ended before the finish-line (all the more with big stones every 15 centimeters as Steven joked), but the former junior MTB prodigy and fixed-gear racer from Zurich seems to fly towards victory, with less than 120 km (with geadwinds !) till Essouira. Trackers say that Robin has more slept since the begin and could be fresher.

![F3F53352-DFAA-47C7-8A0F-2EE2B15FF147](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7oxb7Ha1Y11OU2tsj1rwne/b9f20dd1da298c086d4cdee06766b58f/F3F53352-DFAA-47C7-8A0F-2EE2B15FF147.jpeg)


Last stretch : Robin vs Justin

![snalie](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6U1p61wIeGuy2tBkPnLDvw/e9b54c6aca666d1f86f50c4859662e91/snalie.png)

The terrifying __Snailie__ (which indicates on the map the minimum time limit to be on time) has just passed CP2 in Asseragh and condemned many riders to the scratch (already 48 scratches, almost as much as at the end of the race in 2022).

__[Caroline Prigent](https://www.instagram.com/outside_caroline/)__ says in particular that she was arrested yesterday by an icy headwind and that she woke up realizing that she would no longer catch up.

Snailie at CP2

__Robin Gemperlé__ finishes the race more and more in advance. At 50 km from the finish, he is 60 km ahead, more than three hours behind __Justinas Leveika__.

__Sebastian Breuer__ should take 3rd place.

The classification is then more disputed: 4th place seems promised to __Kevin Benkenstein__, even if __Steven le Hyaric, Federico bassis and Yoan Dercourt__ are not so far away.

At km 915, the first woman, __Luisa Werner__, is not so far from the top 10!

Promised podium 

After __Sofiane Sehili__ (2020) and __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__ (2022), __[Robin Gemperle](https://www.instagram.com/robingemperle/)__ (Switzerland) is the third winner of the Atlas Mountain Race.

The former [junior MTB prodigy](https://mtbdata.com/riders/robin-gemperle/) and [fixed-gear racer](https://22bicycles.com/blogs/news/robin-gemperle-2018-red-hook-crit) confirms his strength for long-distance bike races after his 8th position during the last [Transcontinental Race](https://pedaled.com/fr_fr/la-transcontinental-race-de-robin-gemperle/).

Always in contact with __Justinas Leveika__ when the Lithanian was leading the race, he seemed to be very fresh for the last 300 kilometers. When __Mattia de Marchi__ had to scratch, he joined Justinas and then flied alone till the finish-line. 

Justinas is still at 50 km from the Essaouira, at a position where Robin passed around 4 hours and half ago.


Robin Gemperle, winner of AMR 2023

We have the podium :

__Robin Gemperle__  3D20H15MN
__Justinas Leveika__  4D00H55MN
__Sebastian Breuer__  4D07H20MN

We may have a sprint for the 4th place as __Steven Le Hyaric, Kevin Benkenstein and Yoan Dercourt__ got together in the night, and seemed to be still together with less 35km to ride. With yellow jerseys around him, Steven feeled like at Tour de France. Finally they finished together ex-aequo.


Podium / sprint for the 4th place ?

Thomas Chateau

Tracking and commentary for the 2023 Atlas Mountain Race, a gravel and off-road bikepacking race across the Moroccan Atlas.

Atlas Mountain Race Tracking

The 2023 Atlas Mountain Race is back at the start of the year, so very soon after the last edition. With plenty of climbing this race takes riders into the Anti-Atlas and High Atlas before dropping down to the wild Atlantic coast.

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