Our friend Melina, an architect and strong rider from Berlin, is down in Morocco to ride the challenging and remote Atlas Mountain Race. We caught up with Melina before the race kicks off tomorrow on February 9th!

1. What inspired you to do an ultra race like the AMR 2024 in Morocco?
For many years I have been drawn to adventures. Cycling though vast and remote landscapes, camping in the wild, and watching the sun rise and set behind mountain ranges eases my mind. It was only last year when I did my first ultra challenge, the Steppenwolf Wild Track. It was an incredible experience to only focus on the body’s needs and just keep riding and riding. Cycling to my limits and pushing them a little gives me a feeling I cannot get through anything else. With the rough terrain and the time limit, the Atlas Mountain Race challenges me in a way I probably would not challenge myself, and just thinking about it makes the adrenaline pump in my veins.

2. Please tell us about your preparation for AMR 2024
The AMR takes place in February. Preparing for an ultra race in winter can be tough. With shorts days days and a busy life, I am not the strongest I have ever been, but I feel good about myself. I have never been a person with a training plan. I just continued riding my bike as usual, which included some longer distances and night rides. I also talked to a few cyclists who’ve participated in these races, especially female cyclists, and all of them were really encouraging and gave me some good insights. I then envisioned how the race course and landscape would be, what my personal major challenges would be, studied the climate, went through some issues that might arise, and got my bike ready. Since I have experience in bikepacking and traveling, high altitudes, remote areas, and dealing with mechanical issues, I trust myself that it will work out somehow.

3. What is your mindset into the race? Any personals goals?
Arriving in Essaouira at the finish line within the time limit would be a huge achievement for me. But other than that, I want to feel my body and free my mind, meet other adventurous cyclists and, most importantly, have a good time.

4. Anything else you would like to share?
The Atlas Mountain Race is beyond my comfort zone. TO be honest, Iit might be too much, but this is what I am longing for. I might not be an ultra cyclist yet, but I believe that there should be more women at the start lines of these races, so I am just giving it a go. I am excited to see how this one turns out.

Follow Melina‘s dot on the official race website and her adventures on Instagram.

Additional photos by Stefan Haehnel from the 2021 Atlas Mountain Race.

Melina's Atlas Mountain Race 2024