Within the Center Atlas, nationwide mountain biking is reborn from its ashes and desires of the world elite

by times news cr

2024-06-29 18:23:42

Practising this sport on this area recognized for its troublesome terrain is probably the most enticing expertise for these in search of difficult hikes which might be appropriate for each amateurs and professionals.

The primary premises of this sport in its new format date again to 1995 within the Center Atlas, via participation within the fifth version of the Raid Atlas, organized on the time by the Royal Moroccan Federation of Ski and Mountain Sports activities, earlier than the programming, the identical yr, one other closed circuit race linking Oukaimeden and Toubkal.

Since then, Moroccan mountain biking has tried, as finest it could actually, to measure as much as the world elite, although this sport was practiced since 1966, earlier than changing into an Olympic sport in its personal proper.

In 1997, the Royal Moroccan Ski and Mountain Sports activities Federation organized the primary race completely devoted to mountain biking within the Moudmane area (Ifrane) with a downhill race and an Olympic cross-country (XCO), adopted the identical yr by the circuit of the Center Atlas lakes, a race organized in levels over 6 days ranging from the town Ifrane through Lake Dayt Aoua, Dayt Hachlaf, Michlifen, Lake Afenourir and return to Ifrane, with the participation of round thirty fanatics from Casablanca, Meknes, Azrou and Marrakech.

Throughout the identical yr, the Royal Moroccan Ski and Mountain Sports activities Federation, in shut collaboration with the Royal Moroccan Biking Federation (FRMC) organized a primary mountain bike race within the Bouskoura forest in Casablanca, which gave the time a brand new lease of life for mountain biking in Morocco with the mixing of this self-discipline throughout the Royal Moroccan Biking Federation (FRMC).

In 1998, a number of golf equipment had been created and added to the Azrou Membership, which was the one one to observe this sport, together with the Oujda mountain bike membership, which inaugurated competitions in northern Morocco via the group of the Oujda mountain bike grand prix, adopted by a race in Tetouan, organized by the Juanito Benavente highschool. The latter had seen a big inflow of mountain bikers from totally different areas of the Kingdom.

Within the course of, a number of mountain bike golf equipment and associations had been created, notably through the interval from 2001 to 2003 which noticed the delivery of the golf equipment of Mrirt, Khenifra, Fez, Béni Mellal, Sefrou and Nador in addition to mountain bike sections at College Racing. of Casablanca and the Yacht Membership of Agadir.

To be able to higher legally regulate this self-discipline and permit its practitioners to accumulate licenses and sports activities insurance coverage, all of the golf equipment labored collectively to create the Moroccan mountain bike affiliation in 2003 by assigning it the first mission of facilitating the work of the FRMC, particularly via the creation and administration of a mountain bike part.

This new construction allowed participation in a primary worldwide competitors in 2003, held in Turkey, a globally acknowledged occasion, forming an integral a part of the Cross-country mountain bike world championship calendar, adopted by participation in a second worldwide competitors in 2005. , in Spain, on the Volcat in a three-day stage race.

In 2006, the Azrou VTT membership took half within the Raid de la Transatlas, a mountain bike stage race, then within the Titan Désert, nicknamed the Dakar of biking due to the character of the competitors and its issue. A take a look at of orientation, resistance and endurance in mountain biking, contested within the type of a problem.

In 2007, the town of Beni Mellal hosted two competitions, the results of collaboration between the Raja Beni Mellal mountain bike membership and the Rhône Alpe division in France. This operation gave an actual increase to the event of this self-discipline within the Beni Mellal area.

On this regard, the coach of the nationwide mountain bike groups, Abderrahim Riadi, mentioned that the primary steps of mountain biking in Morocco date again to the early Nineties via the creation of the Azrou VTT membership, which organized outings between Azrou and Ifrane, a area that has appropriate routes for practising this self-discipline that mixes journey and pleasure.

In a press release to MAP, he assured that the few golf equipment created after 1995 had been affiliated with the Royal Moroccan Federation of Snowboarding and Mountain Sports activities, since a lot of the races had been held in mountainous areas.

The primary races organized in Morocco had been held by international organizers, coming particularly from Spain, France and Belgium, along with the nationwide affiliation, created with the intention to coordinate the motion of the golf equipment with the goal of selling the observe of this sport, together with the Al Atlas raid (1997) and the first Oujda grand prix, which turned an annual occasion, earlier than different races had been organized in a number of cities, notably Azrou, Ifrane, Tétouan, and even Casablanca ( Bouskoura), with downhill races, time trials and Olympic cross-country (XCO) on the menu, he mentioned.

Due to the efforts made by golf equipment and associations aimed toward selling nationwide mountain biking, regardless of an absence of sources, Morocco managed to arrange probably the most prestigious mountain bike competitors, specifically the Titan Desert, probably the most well-known on the planet, organized by the Spanish affiliation “Gaes Titan by Garmin”, in collaboration with the FRMC and a world car producer, he mentioned.

In keeping with him, the FRMC, in its quest to contribute to the affect of this sport and broaden the bottom of practitioners, created a devoted fee, which contributed to the great outcomes signed by the nationwide staff throughout its worldwide participations, together with the bronze medal obtained by Adel Jelloul on the African mountain bike championships in Mauritius (2017), the gold medals of Youssef Bdadou and Maroua Alami within the junior cross-country in Muscat, then the Arab championships held through the yr final in Tunisia (2 gold, 2 silver and a couple of bronze).

Nevertheless, the coach of the nationwide mountain bike staff acknowledged the existence of a number of pitfalls hindering the promotion of this sport, particularly the dearth of monetary means and infrastructure, the absence of a coaching heart within the varied classes (downhill, Olympic cross-country and orientation), along with the coaching of coaches, referees and leaders.

After emphasizing the significance of coaching and persevering with schooling for coaches and referees, he indicated that the nationwide technical course (DTN), with the goal of overcoming this deficit, notably when it comes to refereeing, organized a coaching session on the Casablanca velodrome, below the supervision of a global knowledgeable and the participation of 8 referees, along with a coaching session by videoconference in 2020, reserved for coaches following the cessation of all actions as a result of Covid-19.

On this regard, he emphasised the significance that the DTN provides to ladies’s mountain biking, with a view to forming a aggressive nationwide ladies’s choice, noting that the bronze medal gained on the Arab Video games (Rabat-2019) by a Moroccan athlete is an encouraging outcome with a view to persevering with the work already performed.

The nationwide mountain bike fee aspires to take part in worldwide competitions with the intention to enhance the rating of the nationwide staff, notably on the planet championships organized by the Worldwide Biking Union, with the intention to participate within the Olympic Video games, he mentioned. concluded.

2024-06-29 18:23:42

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