While you were sleeping - He...he also slept?!

Now we don't want to jump to conclusions or anything but it looks like Sofiane actually stopped in one place for an hour last night. Could it be a tracker glitch? Did he actually close his eyes?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8sz486IOcg/

How can he leave us hanging with a caption like that?!

In any case, he still has a strong lead of 60km, though this may be about to increase as James Hayden takes a bitter-sweet break. Looks like he had a mechanical this morning but he's all fixed up now, so he'll be in hot pursuit of his rival after a can of coke.

Last night's Race HQ update provided a bit more info about the other riders on the leaderboard including Laurens, Joeri and Klaus.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8r5YLJotRF/

3rd place battle

Klaus Thiel and Jay Petervary are currently neck and neck as I write. Based on the progress graphs, they both got some rest but it appears to have recharged Klaus more than Jay as he put the hammer down to catch Jay and snatch 3rd place...for now!

The road to CP3

Sofiane is (relatively speaking) a stone's throw from CP3. I expect he'll be there within a couple of hours at the rate he's going. He'll drop down into a valley and begin the ascent up to CP3 where we'll hopefully find out a bit more about last night and his plans for the final 200km.

Markus sets up camp

The sole singlespeed rider, Markus Stitz, has been in touch with a few photos of his exploits in Morocco and he's having a brilliant time by the look of it. The beauty he's managing to capture on his journey through the Atlas Mountains is incredible. Feast your eyes on these...

Chas Christianson joins Nico at the beach

We heard a couple of days ago that the rockstar pairing of Nico Deportago-Cabrera and Chas Christianson came to an end when Nico's fork snapped. Chas forged on without his comrade like the noble ultra-racer he is but unfortunately he pulled the plug this morning in good spirits and is making his way to the finish now.

When you enter a race as a pair, you're mentally in it together. You've entered a mindset that means you'll be able to rely on someone else for emotional boosts, help with mechanicals and running into the shop for coffees. When that suddenly falls apart, it's mentally tough to keep going alone. This dream you both had about riding through a gruelling challenge together is shattered. Luckily, Chas doesn't dwell for too long and he's reassured us that his world is still rocking.

"Heyo! Gonna call it, twisted knee is not getting any better, can pedal out of the saddle, and climbing is painful... BUT the stoke is still high! So stoked to be out here!! Had a great 4 days of the race, now time to find the beach!! (But first a taxi, an adventure all in itself)"

Tuesday morning reading

If you're a German speaker, you may enjoy this article from pairs riders Tobias Köpplinger and Martin Moschek. They've listed every piece of kit they've taken including its weight. This one's for the gear nerds and weight weenies amongst us. For non-German speakers, Google Translate is your friend.