Former professional road racer Molly Weaver made an attempt at the Atlas Mountain Race this week, but had to drop out because of food poisoning and respiratory issues at 907 kilometers (563 miles) in. The race is a more than 1,300km (810 mile) fixed route, unsupported, single-stage bikepacking/cycling race that starts in Marrakesh and crosses the Moroccan Atlas to Essaouira. The clock doesn’t stop and there are no prizes. The route is made up of gravel, single and double track, and old colonial pistes that are in rough shape.
Weaver has been using social media to talk about how dropping out of a race or having things not go your way isn’t a loss, and isn’t a reason to not keep showing up. Weaver wants people to continue to take on challenges even if they don’t know what to expect, and even if they have doubts about whether they can complete the mission.
Leading into the race, Weaver said in an Instagram post, “It’s okay to be scared of opening yourself up to new experiences, most of the time everyone is feeling the same way even if they don’t admit it. It’s normal, it's not a reflection of your ability to achieve something, and it’s worth overcoming for so many reasons. Don’t let fear stop you from doing whatever it is you really want to do!”
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Weaver also posted images recalling her near-death experience in a crash six years ago, and said that she was grateful to still be experiencing adventures on the bike. When she was struck by a car during a training ride in 2017, she broke her neck, five vertebrae, her sternum, a shoulder and four ribs, punctured a lung, tore a kidney, and suffered a concussion.
Following her return to racing, Weaver spoke out about her depression and feeling a need to return to perfection—to not show weakness. As much as she loved racing, there were several things about it that were very difficult for her. Weaver retired in 2018. She’s since advocated for people to remember to have fun on the bike—to not take things so seriously, to slow down and to enjoy adventures. And that’s exactly what she did in the Atlas Mountain Race. In one of her last videos after deciding to quit the race, Weaver said, “Enjoy the build up [to races], enjoy the riding you do away from events, enjoy the events, soak in views, take pictures, chat with people, stay in weird places. Just do cool shit.”
