Why "The Marrakesh Conception" ?
I have been cycling a lot all my life. When I got my first bike as a little kid, it opened the world to me. At least that's how it felt to me, because I could go anywhere I wanted in and around my village, quickly and spontaniously. Additionally you are in direct contact with your environment all the time and you see so many things along the way. Just rolling along, being able to take even small paths, not to worry about parking and feeling the wind.
After my trip by car through the US west in 2017 I felt that for me personally it is much better to discover the world by bike. Seeing the US west was a lifelong dream, but something had to come next. I have not seen much of Europe yet, so I decided to see all the interesting places on one big bicycle tour.
I knew the places I wanted to see, and the natural end of the route had to be Spain. So I decided that I could go a little further onto Marrakesh because it would be amazing to reach a place in Africa with a completely different culture just by bike.
While thinking about this for some weeks and months I became increasingly fascinated and obsessed with it. Many people told me that it was crazy to quit my job and that I wouldn't make it with my old bicycle. The more resistance I felt, the more I wanted to do it. Marrakesh became a symbol of freedom and acting against the rules of society. It became "The Marrakesh Conception".
The route:
This is the route that I have in mind, but I will remain spontanious, because this is what cycling to me is all about.
The bike:
I decided to use my old bike that I'm using for the last 15 years. It is 30 years old and was originally my dad's bike. I'm comfortable with it and I don't want to change anything. Also I just don't trust the new stuff. The bike has been around for that long and is still in good condition.
The equipment:
I'm using two bags on the back of my bike. I don't want to use frontrollers and I'm trying to bring only the most necessary things.
Left side: Bag, tent, sleeping bag, electronics like powerbank, charger, cables
Middle left: Towel, rain clothes, bag, money and cards
Middle right: Street clothes, sweaters, razor
Right side: Bag, camping mat, cooking equipment, sun protect, tools, food
Thanks to Achim Both and his Fahrrad Shop team for all the support during the last few weeks, getting my bike ready.
Also thanks to Dr. Klose in Wegberg for getting my knee ready in time.