At first glance we are looking at an ordinary group of friends who meet up for a beer or to play football. But these 13 friends also share a passion for a classic on two wheels: the legendary Mobylette moped, of which some 14 million were manufactured after the first model came on the market in 1949.
In those days however the expedition the group has just completed would have been inconceivable. They have covered the 906 kilometres that separate Benalmádena from the Moroccan town of Merzouga, crossing part of the Sahara desert in the process, all on their Mobylettes.
Then, of course, they had to turn round and come home. The expedition arrived back on the Costa del Sol on Wednesday last week, after 11 days up against both the weather and mechanical problems. “We have suffered the cold and the heat, it rained in the middle of the desert and it snowed in the Atlas mountains”, explained an exhausted Francisco Martín, proud of his faithful companion “Cady”, which was a novelty 25 years ago being one of the first mopeds of this kind to be fitted with an indicator.
The idea for the trip was born in the bar Los Leones: “We just wanted to have an adventure”. But why Morocco? Because, according to Juan González, “it is much easier to find spare parts for this type of moped there than in Spain”.
In the end the engines stood up to the conditions better than they had imagined. They weren’t without their mechanical problems, but they were able to repair everything almost immediately. They covered some 220 kilometres a day, sometimes even having to pedal. But what they did try to do is only travel during the morning as a Mobylette’s headlights are not ideal for riding on minor roads after dark.
The Mobylette adventurers were greeted outside their favourite bar on Wednesday night last week, their faces revealing mixed feelings of fatigue and satisfaction.
