Road Bike in Morocco - how far down?

[IanC]

I've been reading Chris's books, and am thinking of trying some Saharan riding maybe next year.

I'd like to first take a look at Morocco, on a big road bike (Pan European), but am not sure how practical this is, or how far south I could reasonably get? The book mentions the odd dune on the road, but are we talking about a bit of sand a few inches deep or something many metres thick which needs riding _over_? I don't fancy pulling a 300kg bike out of a dune on my own! I've ridden plenty off-road (M-X etc.), but NOT on this sort of bike!

Also, maybe alternatively, would riding up into the Atlas be suitable, i.e. are there half-decent tarmac roads?

Also, would this sort of bike "stick out like a sore thumb" in a country such as this, or are there all sorts down there?

I've been all over Europe (Nordkapp, Gibralter, Sicily), but need a bit more space!