Pinkbike's Share the Ride Brings Bikes to Kids in Morocco

Gaspi and his crew travelled from Europe to Africa in order to bring some joy to the children in Morocco. It takes less than four hours to get to the capital city Marrakesh, but as soon as you get off the plane, you step into another world.

Morocco is changing fast, but it's still a place with completely different culture to the culture we most mountain bikers are accustomed to. People are extremely kind and generous, inviting you for sweet tea literally any time you turn up in their neighborhood. However, many of them live in rather modest conditions.




Gaspi got in touch with his old friend Pierre-Alain Renfer, a former military cyclist of the Swiss army, who lives now in Marrakesh where he runs a successful agency that offers guided cycling tours across the whole country.




Gaspi had already benefited from Pierre-Alain's knowledge of the Atlas Mountains where they spent many days together mountain biking. While scouting through the land, Pierre-Alain had discovered a modest elementary school in Lalla Takerkoust with classes of approximately 200 children ranging from 6 to 14 years of age.





The handover event was attended by Ahmad Laaouane, the chairman of the Moroccan cycling association based in Marrakesh. Instantly after passing the bikes to the kids, the tiny cyclists started riding around the dusty schoolyard. Even though Gaspi couldn't deliver many bikes on account of the EU restrictions, all people involved express hope that the Share the Ride gift will spark the children's interest in cycling. Maybe, one day we will learn about an Olympic winner coming from Morocco, who will remember some generous uncles that brought bicycles to the elementary school in Lalla Takerkoust...


text: Adam Marsal
photo: Milos Stafek
video: Marty Smolik

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Racing and Events Share The Ride