69-Year-Old Moroccan Athlete to Cycle 16,000 km from Casablanca to Beijing

At almost 69 years old, Karim Mosta is not stopping. The Moroccan athlete is soon embarking on a new sports adventure. He plans to leave Casablanca, his hometown, by bicycle at the end of January 2024, on his birthday, to reach Beijing, probably in August. A journey that the almost septuagenarian has been planning for a year. "I’m leaving without assistance, with my bike and a few bags. I’ll be a bit like the sailors who take to the sea alone for the other side of the world, because beyond Georgia, all the way to China, it will be a total adventure," he says in a statement to the French newspaper L’Yvonne républicaine. "I will only be able to count on myself and my bike."

The Moroccan athlete should cover 16,000 km and cross 16 countries. His itinerary? He will first leave Morocco for Europe. Then he will continue his journey by crossing Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, before crossing China from west to east to Beijing. "I’ll try to cover about a hundred kilometers a day," says Karim Mosta. It is not excluded that this distance may vary depending on the temperatures, altitude or wind.

With intense physical and mental preparation, the former double world ultra-marathon champion feels capable of taking on the challenge. "I always need to be in motion, to move, to travel. It’s in my DNA. With willpower, courage and patience, you can go far," he says. His career is proof of this: Mosta has crossed continents, participated in 165 raids in 135 countries. The Moroccan athlete has also circumnavigated the globe five times. He has connected Amsterdam to Dakar after cycling from Casablanca to Mecca.