SPONSOR/ORGANIZER :: #OldPuebloMTB #OldSkoolOGs w/ Todd Rasmussen & Co.
I was asked to be the photographer for the St. Patrick’s day parade. I said I would only if they would provide a float for Bikes. It was a fair trade. Now all I need is some bikes adorned with decorations and and riders in green. Hopefully, that will include you. We will go for beverages afterwards. Bring the family. Wear Green. Be Seen.
September 14th
Folks have been asking us for years. When is Zia Rides going to do a gravel event? Well, we were waiting to find the right location with a venue and gravel roads that live up to the quality and expectations that people have come to expect from Zia Rides. And boy did we finally find it!
The base of operations for the Pinewood Showdown will be the scenic Wilderness Ranch outside Pinetop-Lakeside/Show Low, Arizona where we have access to some of the most beautiful and fun dirt roads in Northern Arizona. We found a spot worthy of your trusty gravel or mtb steeds, and we don’t plan to disappoint.
Riders will have the option of choosing between a 25, 50, or 100 mile routes to test your mettle. Couple this with an amazing venue, live music in the camp pavilion and you have the recipe for a fantastic weekend. The various courses will also delight with fully supported aid stations, well marked courses and plenty of options for all ability levels. Mark your calendars for a full weekend of family fun in the White Mountains. It’s going to be epic!
When exiting the Bar-Triangle Ranch onto Williamson Valley Road, the first mile and a half will be a neutral roll-out. The race will begin once the pavement ends and you turn left onto Camp Wood Road. This is a wide open gravel road that gradually slopes upwards before reaching a 7-mile, 1000-foot climb at approximately 10 miles into the loop. Around the 14-mile mark, the road will top out, followed by a sweeping descent towards Walnut Creek Rd.
photo credit: Dirty Freehub
At 15.5 miles, riders turn right onto Walnut Creek Road (FR 95), a rustic Jeep road. It has many twists and turns and crosses several streams (dry and/or wet). The road mostly goes downhill, with some steep parts. There are some short “kickers” with inclines as steep as 14%. Eventually, you will reach Williamson Valley Road.
Back on a smooth gravel road, Williamson Valley Road runs to the north. At a bit past 28 miles, you’ll see a steel-truss bridge that appears misplaced in this remote landscape. Once a smaller part of a grand seven-span bridge that succumbed to floods in 1916, it now stands here, relocated and rebuilt by the AZ Highway Department in 1936. You’ll complete the loop and head back into the Bar-Triangle Ranch. 88-mile riders will turn right on Camp Wood Road for a second loop.
WHERE/WHEN
The Start/Finish venue will be at the Bar-Triangle Ranch, a working cattle ranch. This is the site the former site of the tiny hamlet of Simmons, where a stage stop and post office once operated.
ACCOMODATIONS
Many hotels, motels, homestays in the nearby towns of Prescott, Prescott Valley and Prescott National Forrest
Dear gravel riders, soul surfers & anyone who uses the bike to escape time…
We are Heidi Rentz & Zander Ault
We’re co-creators, gravel cyclists, chefs & party animals. We’re so freaking excited to see you in Patagonia, Arizona for a gravel road race that has inspired every aspect of our lives.
The Spirit World 100 is a down home gravel road expedition that has been in creation for 4 years. We’ve been exploring the outer reaches of our abilities to be spirited entrepreneurs in an attempt to bring something from another universe to the event scene. Our main goal is to connect more people through our contagious love for riding bikes, cooking and throwing a mean party. Now, we just need all you special humans to bring your creative and powerful energy to the desert southwest.
The Spirit World 100 and 50-mile course options are 2 of our most coveted and adored gravel routes in southern Arizona. Each course option is a reflection of the thousands of hours we’ve spent soaring through the San Rafael Valley since 2015. In order to showcase one of the Nations best remote and purely quiet destinations, we have partnered with the Town of Patagonia to invite riders and their families to the high desert. Obsessed with the landscape of the borderlands region, we’ve studied the maps of this area and are working closely with regional government, land management and private entities to make this place more accessible for the entire gravel cycling community. We want to help redefine the future of outdoor recreational tourism in the greater Tucson and borderlands region of The Copper State and The Spirit World 100 will be a key player in this mission.
If we said this wasn’t a race, we’d just sound ridiculous. Any time you place 100’s of riders on the start line, it’s a race! This race is a place to find the answer to why challenging ourselves in unfamiliar conditions is so sought after. We’re only human and we were put on this earth to move, sweat, be affected and feel the power of confidence that our raw and natural surroundings can instill. The Spirit World 100 is a celebration of exactly what you’re searching for every time you jump on your bike. You’re welcomed in, wholeheartedly.
Tucson, Arizona is our home. When we aren’t there, we’re hosting private gravel and road cycling camps around the globe. For sometime now, we’ve wanted to create an event that everybody felt comfortable committing to. Cycling camps aren’t for everybody. They may never meet your personal schedule or provide enough of what you’re looking for in a vacation. The Spirit World 100 has been designed to deliver fun, challenge and growth oriented human interaction over the course of 4 days. We couldn’t be more excited to show you Patagonia, Arizona and the San Rafael Valley. See you in The Spirit World!
Teeth to the wind,
The date and website for 2024 is not up. Guessing on the date at this time. I’ll update it when I find additional info
2024 Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona
March 1 – 2, 2024
Welkom to the first stop of the Belgian Waffle Ride Tripel Crown of Gravel…
The Second Annual Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona is something we cannot wait to share with you. It’ll be a unique desert and mountain experience, which will be known at the Hell of the North Desert. Here is a snapshot of information about the event and what to expect…
BUT, THERE ARE ONLY 1,000 SPOTS THIS YEAR!
There is a formula to the creation of each new Belgian Waffle Ride, and this year’s first BWR and the kick-off to the Tripel Crown of Gravel, is the newest manifestation of this formula. The BWR AZ, which will take place in Cave Creek, Arizona, on the fringes of the Valley of the Sun, embodies the three ingredients that make the BWR so special. 1) A dream destination, 2) varied terrain to accommodate an extremely dynamic racecourse, and 3) a cycling community that is both vibrant and desirous of the Unroad experience only the BWR can offer.
1) Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, on the fringes of North Scottsdale, the BWR AZ will start and finish at Stagecoach Village in Cave Creek and take in a seamless connection of beautiful desert and varied challenging terrain with breathtaking views and near-perfect riding conditions. The area enjoys over 300 days of sunshine and incredible scenery, with conditions that are perfect for exhilarating Unroad riding, including crushing climbs to beautiful views of the surrounding desert. The destination is a picture-perfect town in the desert foothills that brings together history, culture, and nature in a unique atmosphere. The downtown area has plenty to offer the entire family, and the city is surrounded by many other destinations that you don’t want to miss out on.
2) The topography, transitioning from the verdant riparian environment along the Salt River to the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, will offer towering saguaro cactus standing sentry against a backdrop of made-to-order sunsets. The springtime temperatures will nurture an array of stunning wildflowers among an ocean of vibrant green cacti and remain mild enough for riders to enjoy the full day of riding. The BWR AZ will bring along technical Unroads punctuated by pristine tarmac in the outskirts of Scottsdale. The course in and around Cave Creek will boast a fantastic concoction of terrible terrain, including pitchy undulations in Carefree, Tonto Forest mountains & washes, Rio Verde, sinuous single-track in McDowell Mountain Regional Park & its Sonoran Preserve, and smooth roads connecting gravel sectors completely unique to this desert playground. The dynamic nature of the course, which at roughly 122-miles is less than the usual BWR, will surely devastate even the most well-trained professional gravelleurs by its finale – a series of steep, paved climbs with pitches of 20%. How do you say, “Ouchie,” in Flemish. Oh yeah, it’s AUW! Kind of like, WTF!
3) And then there is the third and final ingredient – a vibrant cycling community. Not only has the area been designated one of only 35 gold-level bicycle-friendly communities in the US, with its safe accommodations, miles of designated bike lanes, and, of course, a plethora of trails to explore – both urban and desert – it has an extensive network of cycling teams, enthusiasts, and every type of bike shop to support them. This Sonoran Desert locale is the most diverse desert in the world, offering amazing views along the rocky mountain ranges that surround it. No wonder this destination has become home to such an active and enthusiastic bike community.
Here is the 2023 Course Information:
WAFFLE-
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42090710
122-Miles/196-Kilometers
~9,000 Feet of Climbing
8 Unroad sectors (the rest is road, dirt, gravel)
50% Unroad (Long, Sandy, Wet or Dry, Rocky, Hilly, Ugly)
Numerous Washes, Water Crossings or Foot Bridges
3 Queen/King of the Mountain segments
3 Queen/King of the Dirt segments
3 Queen/King of the Sprint segments
7 Feed Zones
WAFER –
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42003808
79-Miles/127-Kilometers
~5,600 Feet of Climbing
Several Unroad sectors (the rest is really nice road)
40% Unroad (Long, Sandy, Wet or Dry, Rocky, Hilly, Ugly)
Numerous Washes, Water Crossings or Foot Bridges
4 Feed Zones
WANNA –
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42090863
37-Miles/60-Kilometers
~3,700 Feet of Climbing
1 long Unroad sector (the rest is really nice road)
25% Unroad (Long, Sandy, Wet or Dry, Rocky, Hilly, Ugly)
Numerous Washes, Water Crossings or Foot Bridges
2 Feed Zones