“Snow capped peaks and lunar landscapes are criss crossed by broken roads and remote colonial pistes, setting the stage for an epic adventure through the Atlas Mountains. The route is a 1,300km network of lines that weave their way over high passes, scorched plains, and remote oases, along some of the most grueling terrain in Morocco. The Atlas Mountain Race is a fixed route, unsupported, single-stage cycling race that starts in Marrakesh, crosses the Moroccan Atlas before taking riders through the Anti-Atlas and on to Essaouira.”
...So we built Jesse a bicycle and sent him off into the mountains...
In the last year or so Jesse has experimented with races of all different lengths - from 100km all the way through to 800km. It’s the 300-400km ones which seem to suit him best, but he was keen to see how far he could push himself in the early season this year. Having a brother who’s quite experienced at long distance racing was the obvious place to start and the pair of them decided to enter the Atlas Mountain Race, in Morocco, North Africa.
Most riders opt for a mountain bike over a gravel bike for the AMR, and so Jesse’s existing XCO rig needed a serious overhaul for the job - luckily Jesse has a heap of great sponsors on board to build such a bike. We stripped everything off the existing bike and sent the frame off to be painted by Fifty-One in Ireland. Jesse gave them dealers choice and they hit hard with a slick gloss grey with orange logos, including Jesse’s Signature ‘25 Butterfly. Rock Shox supplied an AXS Dropper post and a SiD SL Ultimate Raceday fork, which we got custom logos made up for, to colour match the frame.
Zipp supplied a set of 3Zero Moto Wheels - they have a single skin 30mm rim bed which is designed to remove the harshness of traditional wide carbon wheels, by canting when in use. It allows for supreme grip and to maximise this we’ve matched it up to a pair of Schwalbe Nobby Nic Super Ground Speed Grip TLE tyres - a 2.4” front and a 2.25” rear. We spent a long time talking to the guys at Scwalbe to pick the best tyre for the job, because AMR is especially hard on tyres, so we specced something even stronger than our normal cross-country setup.
SRAM the equipped us with a SRAM XX SL T-Type rear mech, Ultimate pod, Quarq XX SL power meter crank, a 34 ring, and an XS-1299 10-52 Cassette. This new Transmission groupset is a step up from the already blisteringly good XX1 that I’ve been using for the last few years - it feels really crisp on the shifts and a slight tweak on the ratios has altered things for the better. The set up of the Transmission Groupset is totally different to existing groupsets, but once you’ve set a few of them up it’s quite logical - the brilliance of the system is the way that the mech mounts to the frame using the axle, which massively improves the stiffness and strength of the whole system. Not all frames are compatible but of course you can message us to find out if yours is.
To finish the build we fitted a set of Level Ultimate brakes, with 180 front and 160 rear rotors - the shape of these has changed and the hoses now line up really neatly with the line of the Truvativ Atmos Carbon bar, which removes all the unwanted vibrations. Jesse runs a ZIPP SL Speed carbon stem with a Zipp Out-Front mount, which is perfect for his Wahoo computer, and an Exposure Light hung underneath. Finally a Fizik Terra Argo X1 saddle provides the comfort. All Precision Custom Built in Sussex by AEIGHT BIKE CO.
We then took the bike out for a shakedown ride at Bedgebury - not exactly similar to the highest roads in Morocco, but good enough for a nice fast spin to check that everything was working nicely. We tweaked tyre and suspensions pressures to suit Jesse and practiced some technical riding. It’s really important to bed the new brakes in and get used to the new pod, which is a totally different shape to before and needs some fine tuning to get right.
Now it’s time to head into the mountains and put it into use!... it’s going to be an absolutely brilliant race - good luck Jesse!
You can check on Jesse and Liam’s progress here - they are 311A and 311B https://www.themountainraces.cc/amr2025
If you’re interested in building your own bike for off-road or road please get in touch via the contact form or the contact details on the website (www.aeightbikeco.com).
Quote from the Atlas Mountain Race
Words by Glen Whittington
Photos and Film by Joseph Reeder
2025.RIDERS – JESSEYATES
Jesse started cycling in 2013, initially with TT’s and then with some local road races, while being supported by his Dad. In 2015 he got a taste for racing in Britany and this led to two seasons on a French team living abroad while on The Dave Rayner Fund. Then he joined Team Wiggins in 2018, racing across Europe. After a years break he continued road racing before making the switch to competing in off road events and Ultra races in 2022/2023 where the most notable result has been a Badlands Pairs win and a host of top ten places. In 2024 he stepped things up with strong rides at Traka 360 and at Unbound in Kansas, coming as the first British rider - supported on the ground by AEIGHT.
Jesse is sponsored and supported by Fifty One Frames (available at AEIGHT), CAMS, SRAM Groupsets, Zipp Wheels, Schwalbe Tyres UK, Time Pedals, SN Vitae BBs, Exposure Lights, Fizik Tapes and Saddles, Ten Eighty (Oakley) Glasses, OTE Nutrition, Sean Yates Coaching, Restrap Bags and The School House Clinic. You can follow him on Instagram, Strava and YouTube.
2025.RIDERS - GLENWHITTINGTON
#aeightracer – Bike Rider / Framebuilder / Mechanic - Glen started racing in 1998, initially specialising in XCO and Solo 24-Hour Mountain Bike. He became a mechanic in 2002, working in shops and also for professional race teams. During this time he spent more time racing ‘Cross and Road, and then also TT. In 2013 he built his first bespoke frame and then spent several years at Roberts learning the art. Since then he’s designed, tested and now sells his own frames/bikes to the public as part of his ÆIGHT brand - you can find his business Instagram account here. #aeightbikeco #borninracing #madeinsweetsussex
GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO RACE WITH US?
We’re always looking for riders to be part of our ÆIGHT CØLLECTIVE. The #aeightbikeco is about doing things a little differently - Rather than a jersey being the common theme, we kit our riders out with bespoke steel bikes and handbuilt wheels made in our Sussex workshops, the ÆIGHT WHEELWØRKS and the ÆIGHT MANUFACTØRY. We then support each other at events and races regionally, nationally and internationally - whether that’s for mountain bike, ‘cross, gravel, crit, road or TT - it’s what we call, the #aeightbikeco
The best part is that we’re not asking you to leave your team or club - that includes racing in your club/team kit. We’ve got certain brands that we work with, mostly so we can standardise shared equipment, but your own sponsors and clubs are almost always welcome. We have some strict qualifying criteria but don’t be put off by this – if you’re interested in being part of the #aeightbikeco then please get in touch by emailing your racing CV to eightbikeco@gmail.com
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