March 14, 2012
East to Cirque de Jaffa and a night in Midelt
mission failure
The homeowner tells me it's pretty flat to the Cirque de Jaffa, and not all piste as I'd expected. Even so, it's going to be a 90 km day with probably no places to get a bite to eat until the town of Midelt - right at the end. He hands me a couple of the flat fried breads that are leftovers from breakfast and I stuff them into a cotton cycling cap and pop them in my bar-bag before setting off.
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For 6 km it's quite a breeze; a mixture of rutted piste and battered, gritted road, not perfect but easier than what had gone before. It leads to a gorge, which begins around 11 km into the ride, the walls looming up on each side, with strata running almost vertical in places - clearly something geologically traumatic had happened in these parts many millennia ago.
I'm following a small river down-steam, the volume of which must be swelled considerably during the rainy season as long pieces of the meandering route have been washed away - sections that mean I have to keep my eyes peeled to ensure I don't take a fall where the edge of the route has collapsed into the water, leaving a sudden drop-off of a few metres.
Bushes with a muted orange blossom dot the countryside as I climb a little at the 17 km mark. The incline lasts a few kilometres, culminating at a junction where a sign points right to the Cirque. I hadn't expected a sign - this one says it's another 26 km. With it being only 10 o'clock, it seems my progress is decent. Just as well really, as Midelt is still 72 km away.
Road works have made a mess of the route a bit further on. Along a gradual downhill my speed hits 45 km an hour and at 11 o'clock, I get to a bridge, where, with hindsight, I make a hash of it.
I ride straight after crossing over, when (I think) turning right was the correct way. After weaving through a small village, and asking a woman if I am heading to Midelt - she said yes - (Many people answer in the affirmative) - I climb for 10 km on a reasonable tarmac surface. If only I'd checked my compass, it'd have told my direction was no longer east, but more northerly.
It's only when I get to the top that a vast plain is what lays ahead, the road clearly swooping down to it. It's certainly no cirque, but I'm going back. Then I notice my back tyre has gone flat. Just what I need; what a bummer. I pump it up and keep riding towards the vast plain.
My luck changes at a junction where a piste route leads towards the mountains, where, according to a small hand-done sign, there's an auberge.
However, a battered car is trundling down it and the driver, aged around 20, stops and says there's no such thing. He seems very sure and says it's 25km to Midelt, adding that he can take me there. What a blessing, as riding has become a chore.
He drops me off outside the Atlas Hotel, where I get a 60dh room - nothing fancy, but it'll suffice. The best bit is the bus station is only a block away and the owner reckons there's an 8:30 departure to Nador in the morning. I'll likely be on it because north of here promises to be bland cycling.
Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 302 km (188 miles)
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