Mines & Dunes – pioneer edition

Register here

Mines & Dunes is the successor of the Morocco-BikeAdventure Tangier to Sidi Ifni, originally finishing in Essaouira.

The new Mines & Dunes adventure starts in Tangier, Morocco, but the modern city quickly fades behind you as the route plunges into a world that feels frozen in time. From the first climbs of the Rif Mountains, riders face remote paths far from civilization.

The challenge intensifies in the Middle Atlas and High Atlas Mountains, where 2,600 meter high passes, and isolated mining villages test both endurance and grit. One of the most striking landmarks is the abandoned Ahouli mines, a sprawling industrial relic that hints at Morocco’s rich – and harsh – history.

After the mountains, the trail drops into the Sahara Desert, where riders face scorching sun, endless sand, and dramatic landscapes. Art installations like La Cité d’Orion, The Golden Spiral, and Stairway to Heaven crafted by German artist Hannsjörg Voth, provide brief moments of awe before the final push to the desert camp finish.

Choose your challenge – the piste route (gravel & dirt roads) or the fully paved course. The adventure is designed to take about a week, but as with all our bikepacking events, there’s no time limit.

About this Adventure

  • Start Date: 3th October 2026, 08:00
  • Start Location: Tangier, Morocco
  • Finish Line: Boudnib, Morocco
  • Finisher party: 9th October 2026, 19:00
  • Riders registration & briefing: 2th October 2026, 17:00
  • Type: one stage, self supported
  • Two categories: solo and pair riders
  • No Time Limit: Participants ride at their own pace

2 routes

  • PISTE route:
    2 distances:
    – Full: 1,150km / 20,260vm
    – Short: 969km / 17,364vm
  • ROAD route:
    1 distance:
    – 1,530km / 21,015vm

The routes

Piste/gravel route short

Distance: 969km
Vertical climbing: +17,360m
Vertical descent: -16,460m
Surface: 59% piste/gravel, 41% paved
Distances between resupply: till 100km
Mobile network: mostly coverage

Piste/gravel route long

Distance: 1,150km
Vertical climbing: +20,260m
Vertical descent: -19,360m
Surface: 51% piste/gravel, 49% paved
Distances between resupply: till 160km
Mobile network: mostly coverage

Road route

Distance: 1,530km
Vertical climbing: +21,015
Vertical descent: -20,115m
Surface: 100% paved road
Distances between resupply:
Mobile network: mostly coverage

Minimum requirements and equipment

For the piste route

  • Tent or bivy.
  • Minimum 8l of water, drink when leaving sections of >120km.
  • Warm jacket like a down jacket.
  • Rain gear (jacket and pants).
  • Protection for breathing in a sandstorm.
  • Totally self efficacy.
  • Navigation skills.
  • Satellite tracker with SOS function. Supported trackers are Spot Gen3, SpotGen4, Spot X, Garmin InReach and Zoleo. Spare batteries for the tracker or a power bank to recharge the tracker. A SPOT Gen3 tracker including 2 new sets of Lithium batteries can be rented from Transbike-Adventures.

For the road route

  • Warm jacket like a down jacket.
  • Rain gear (jacket and pants).
  • Protection for breathing in a sandstorm.
  • Totally self efficacy.
  • Own satellite tracker or GSM tracker rechargeable by USB-C from Transbike-Adventures (Euro 30.- rental fee).

Traveling

How to get to the start in Tangier

By plane
  • Tangier airport
By Ferry
  • to Tangier city
  • to Tangier Med (20km to Tangier city)

How to get back home from Boudnip

By bus
  • To Agadir airport (19 Euro)
  • To Marrakech airport ( 19 Euro)
  • To Tangier (change in Marrakech, 40 Euro)
By taxy
  • Taxi to Agadir, Marrakech…

* Bicycles are not allowed on trains in Morocco. Taking the bicylce on the bus is not a problem, you pay about 10 Euro for the bike.

What kind of event is “Mines & Dunes”

“Mines & Dunes” is a self supported bicycle adventure. Riders rely on their own. No support from the organizer on the route. The organizer provides the route files created for cyclists and information about the route. The organizer also provides the tracking system for monitoring the drivers.

The piste/gravel version is trough adventure for riders looking for the extraordinary and challenging their self. On many stretches riders will hardly see any other person.

The rules regarding self-supported bicycle adventures apply > rules

Registration

> Go on with the registration here.