As seen in The Enduro Magazine: The 66 riders who participated in the 1000 Dunas Raid’s 2022 Edition endured seven grueling days in the desert’s purest form while also enjoying it.

They traveled across Morocco from north to south and from east to west, from Nador to the massive Erg dunes of Merzouga, piloting through areas far from the typical tourist routes and the paths shown on the maps.

A total of 2,500 kilometers were covered for the Elite, Pro, and Adventure categories, and 1,500 kilometers were covered for the Hard Trail, Trail, and Classic categories while using roadblocks of the greatest technical caliber, much to the delight of the riders.

Some of the remarkable areas traversed include the Recam plateau, the endless Bouarfa slopes, or the majestic Merzouga dunes.

Despite the fatigue and difficulties, all the participants have agreed to highlight the human enrichment that the experience of taking part in a rally in which speed has not been the key has meant, and in which support among all has prevailed the riders and the enjoyment of spending long hours on the bike going through a roadbook that has been described by all as “very hard”.

Throughout its journey through the desert, this adventure has tested the physical and psychological capabilities of each and every one of the pilots. Several of the stages have demanded the maximum from them, with almost impossible mileage to complete with the aim of finding the personal limits of each one of them.

The difficulty of the route has taken its toll on part of the caravan, with several abandonments and re-enlistments in the following days, a possibility that gave the riders flexibility to adapt their level of difficulty. The heat, the dust, and the length of the stages have also brought their point of complications to all the riders.

The team of coaches headed by Iván Cervantes has contributed all their knowledge and experience, highly valued by the amateur riders, who have soaked up the guidelines and also the little tricks provided by Iván, without a doubt a differentiating element of this event that combines to perfection competition and training at the highest level.

A great example of this goal achieved has been the impeccable race made by Vanessa Ruck, the first woman to finish the 1000 Dunes on a standard Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro after her motorcycle trip from the United Kingdom. Aled Price and Josu Orozco, also riding their Triumphs, have fought against all the elements and managed to reach the finish line, highlighting the performance and resistance of these bikes in the toughest conditions.

With the triumphal entry of the caravan in Granada, a historic edition of the 1000 Dunas Raid was brought to an end in which the winner in the “Elite” category was Mathieu Liebaert, Pablo Aravaca in the “Pro” category, and Gilberto Facco in the “ Adventure”. Regarding the “Trail” and “Hard Trail” bikes, the winners were Javier González Molina and Iván Cervantes respectively, riding their Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

For the rest of the Enduro Magazine article see here.

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