In early October Josh Ibbett rode the Atlas Mountain Race on his MASON InSearchOf (ISO), riding over 1160km and climbing 23,174m before crossing the finish line in 6th position. 

Josh said

I generally think it was one of the best race experiences I’ve had…it’s a beautiful race, and also I was just in my own dream world. 

The unsupported race saw 140+ riders on the start line at Marrakech with 90 crossing the finishing line in Agadir, Morocco. With Josh’s trusty GoPro in tow, he documented his journey and with the help of Ryan le Garrec, they have edited together his journey including voice notes from during the race and photos shot on Josh’s disposable camera (a display of these photos can be found on another MASON blog post here).

Josh shared this about the race:

"On the 1st of October 2022, I finally found myself on the start line of the 2020 Atlas Mountain Race. The much-awaited second edition of the race finally happened after three Covid postponements over the previous 18 months. Ultra racing has seen a huge boost in participation following the various lockdowns of the past few years, especially in Europe, and as a result, the strength in depth and level of competition has gone through the roof.

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The Atlas Mountain Race was one of my most enjoyable bikepacking experiences. The terrain, the people, and the culture were all fascinating. The event was expertly curated by Nelson, the organiser, and it was tough enough to be considered a ‘real’ adventure but forgiving enough to let off just when I thought it was all becoming a bit too much. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and especially enjoyed the wait for my photos to be developed to relive the memories.”


Here is Josh’s MASON InSearchOf (ISO) bike check video shot in Morocco:

Hop over to our friends at Bikepacking.com for more on Josh and his Atlas Mountain Race story and a gallery of photos by Adam Gasson showing Josh’s post-race muddy MASON ISO at the Bespoked UK bike show 2022. 

There have been so many great stories from the AMR we just can’t stop sharing them, you can read our other blog posts here:

AMR - Marrakech to Agadir, Morocco

AMR - Thunderstorms, rivers, and sleep deprivation

Enjoy!