Two very well-known profiles in the ultracycling world, Victor Bosoni and Cynthia Carson, conquered the 2026 edition of the Atlas Mountain Race, a non-stop and unsupported off-road race through the Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountains of Morocco, which has quickly established itself, thanks to Nelson Trees' organizational effort, as one of the most fascinating and demanding events in the sector.

This year's race proposed, in addition to a slightly longer mileage (1432 km), several novelties (the start from Beni-Mellal, 300 completely new kilometers at the beginning and the absence of the iconic Telouet Pass), but none of these affected the winning march of the young Frenchman and the thirty-three-year-old American, who, as first man and first woman at the Essaouira finish line, completed their effort in 4 days, 1 hour and 46 minutes and 5 days, 5 hours and 2 minutes respectively.

This result confirms that both 'Wattwagon' (Carson's nickname) and the native of Dijon, who was involved at the elite road level until 2022 before switching to ultra races after discovering he had a low testosterone level and therefore being forced to choose a more compatible type of activity with his prescribed treatments, are now absolute reference points in the world of endurance competitions, a field in which, in recent years, they have both achieved numerous satisfactions.

Bosoni, in fact, arrived at the AMR (his longest off-road race ever and the first on a mountain bike) on the heels of prestigious successes obtained in 2025 at Desertus Bikus, The Traka 560k and Transcontinental Race, while Carson (winner of some of the most coveted races in the world such as Unbound XL, Badlands, Transcordilleras and Memory Bike Race) last year narrowly missed first place in the TCR, which was won by the Frenchman.

Well aware of their strengths, how to win ultra events, and the potential critical points of this year's Atlas Mountain Race, both lined up with great hopes at the start in Beni-Mellal and, after setting off on February 6th, they approached the race at a pace that suited them, allowing proper time for rest along the route.

This lucid approach proved winning for both Bosoni and Carson, with the former, by overtaking Norwegian rookie Ole Bjørn Smisethjell (second ahead of Pole Radosław Gołębiewski), ending up being crowned as the youngest winner in the race's history, and the latter, by keeping the main pursuers (especially British Kerry MacPhee and French Camille Albisser, second and third at the finish line) at a safe distance, managing to repeat her Atlas victory two years after her first triumph.

Behind them, the arrivals of participants followed in the subsequent days, defining the two final rankings in which Italy also carved out a small space thanks to Nicolò Varanini (excellent 9th among men), who delivered a praiseworthy performance alongside former road pros Rob Britton (until 2021 with Rally Cycling) and Juan Antonio Flecha (for some years involved in the ultra world), both capable of finishing the race in the top 20, in 19th and 14th position respectively.

Photo Credit: Atlas Mountain Race