D12 - Taroudant, in (almost) the same time

DAY 13 <-> DAY 11

When we were considering the route, the earliest estimates suggested a finish in Taroudant on April 23 or 24. Leaders Jack Butler and Jean-Marc Dubouloz were right on time, arriving at the halfway point on Tuesday April 23rd at 3.30pm.

Better than that, they gave us one of the greatest moments in the history of the Sun Trip when they reached the Tizi Ntest pass with a gap of 1 minute and 55 seconds! After 3500 km, and despite never having been seen since Lyon, they found themselves at the top of the main difficulty!

A moment to relive here

The day before, Jack had had a bad day, letting Jean-Marc get back to almost the same level before the difficult part of the climb. But the Englishman thought he was on advantageous ground. He was hoping to widen the gap and see his rival in trouble. But it was not to be, as the title-holding velomobile passed the track section without a hitch before accelerating up the 5% gradient! In the final kilometers, above 2000 meters altitude, the two were in hot pursuit, like two Tour de France leaders trying to get over the pass first.

A climb to relive with this excerpt from Jack Butler’s video of the day:

After signing a ceasefire agreement, 100km later the two leaders reached Taroudant together and were welcomed by the town’s authorities, Taroudant being the main stage of this Sun Trip 2024. After a 24-hour break, Jack and Jean-Marc will set off again at 3:30 pm on April 24, on the same schedule. Soon they’ll be back on the Atlantic Ocean (and in the wind…), before entering the most desolate part of the route, as they begin their ascent northwards. It’s impossible to say who will be the fastest on this second part of the race, as both have demonstrated their ability to go fast whatever the terrain.

For this special “Taroudant” day, we’ll just give a few updates on the other participants.

We can already say that Kilian & Jonas have moved on to Morocco, still in 3rd place, after promoting the solar bike to bikers waiting with them for the ferry.

And finally, in Portugal, Vincent Gallego, Richard Defay, Herman Segers, Luciano Trumpler and Bertrand Goudenhooft passed through Checkpoint 2 in bright sunshine and with huge smiles on their faces.

Little change in position, the group is making good progress, buoyed by the favorable weather. There are only 3 participants left in Spain: the Czechs Michael and Jiri, and the Belgian Miguel Letor, who is enjoying closing the gap.