Going The Extra Mile - Endurance Adventure

What is the Severn to Sahara Expedition?

This page will be continually updated in the lead up to the start of the ride in early September so watch this space for details.

For the moment, I have added a brief outline of the trip route and aims - more to follow, including maps training updates and hopefully details of sponsorship which I am currently discussing.

The criteria for my ride are:

  1. A long distance – at least 2000 miles. I want the trip to be a challenge as well as taking me to varied places.
  2. Mountains! What fun is just riding on the flat?! Also some of the best scenery is seen on mountain passes; we confirmed this whilst visiting some stunningly picturesque areas in the Alps last year!
  3. Extreme climate. I think that this is a big factor in a proper adventure! I need a focus to drive me on these rides and the excitement of travelling through a desert will provide this.
  4. To start at my front door! I think that bike rides to far-away places are always more fun when you know you have cycled there from your own house! This also has the added advantage that flights are only required in one direction - there is a credit crunch on after all!

I put the plan for the Severn to Sahara Expedition together to meet these criteria. I've put a brief outline of the route, split into weeks, below.

Week 1: To the Pyrenees

Bristol (my house, near the River Severn – a major UK river) to Poole (UK) 1 day. Take the overnight ferry from Poole to Cherbourg (France) and start riding early the next day. From Cherbourg, I will head towards Rennes, then down the West coast of France to Bordeaux before cutting inland to Lourdes in order to tackle the Pyrenees head on. I will climb over three passes in the Pyrenees, the most famous being the Col d’Aubisque, which the Tour de France has passed over on two occasions.

Week 2: Across Spain

Once the Pyrenees have been crossed, I will head West to Zaragoza, heading through the Spanish country-side and central uplands. Stunning scenery is anticipated through the regions South of Cordoba.I will cross the strait of Gibraltar, passing between the ancient Pillars of Hercules and entering a new continent, by ferry. I will arrive in Tangier on the North coast of Morocco.

Week 3: Morocco - The Sahara Desert, the High Atlas Mountains and into Marrakesh!

The intention with cycling to Morocco is to see a different culture and cycle in an environment completely different to Europe. With this in mind, and also the aims of the trip listed above, the route to Marrakesh is not direct! I will travel East and South towards Fez. I will then travel South from Fez, over the 1350m Col du Kandar, and East, to the High Atlas mountains. I will cross the High Atlas mountains over the 2178m Col du Zad, passing through isolated mountain villages. From the High Atlas mountains, I will descent into the Sahara desert, cycling for two days South through scattered Oasis villages where the heat will be intense and the conditions harsh; carrying water will be a major concern here. After two days of traveling South in the desert, I will be further South than Marrakesh. At this point, I will re-cross the Atlas mountains over a series of climbs, culminating in the monster 2600m Tizi-n-Tainant, and descend into the ancient city of Marrakesh.

The trip will be through extremely varied terrain and conditions – it will be exciting and very challenging. I can’t wait!

See how the training is coming along here.

An Alpine climb during a Geneva to Venice tour in June 2008

Climbing the Col de la Forclaz on the Geneva to Venice trip, June 2008.