Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Starting and finishing in Tucson, Arizona, the Sonoran Ultra Endurance Ride (SAUER) is a new winter event that takes riders on a 316-mile loop through the enchanting Sonoran Desert. In this short recap, co-founder Henley Phillips reflects on the inaugural running and some of its many surprises. Read it below…
Words by Henley Phillips, photos by Henley Phillips and others
For anyone looking to escape the frigid temperatures and gloomy skies of winter in the northern part of the United States, you can find no better place than Southern Arizona. Tucson, specifically, draws down thousands of people each year to soak up the sun and hundreds of miles of trails and dirt roads that are easily accessed from the city. We get all types: snowbirds in RVs, professional runners and cyclists, and scores of bikepackers riding the numerous routes throughout the Borderlands.
However, apart from a few underground events that are mainly known to locals, there are surprisingly few multi-day races that make use of these dirt roads and public lands. Getting to and from Tucson is logistically relatively easy. We have a charmingly small international airport, and Amtrak service connects Los Angeles and El Paso. Sonoran hotdogs, raspados, and taco trucks by the dozens offer Sonoran-style cuisine. By February or March, winter rains have hopefully brought wildflowers and a pop of green to the desert.
After about a year and a half of planning and scouting many bumpy jeep tracks, Tucson finally has the event we’ve always wanted. On March 7, 2025, a group of 17 riders gathered in downtown Tucson at Presta Coffee Roasters for the inaugural Sonoran Ultra Endurance Ride, or SAUER (like sauerkraut, more on that later.)
The majority of the route passes through the traditional lands of the Tohono O’odham (or “People of the Desert”) and Ópata. Previous to that, this part of the country was unthinkably underwater before being dried out and having mountains thrust up all over it to dot the horizon like islands. Those ranges are now known as the Madrean Archipelago, a term that references the Sky Island region of Arizona, New Mexico, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora.
At 316 miles with just over 15,000 feet of elevation gain, the SAUER takes you on a clockwise loop of the Sonoran Desert, deep into the heart of the Sky Islands, and within a stone’s throw of the international border. The route links iconic rides such as Box Canyon, the San Rafael Valley, and Ruby Road with the lesser-known tracks of the Cerro Colorado, Roskruge Mountains, and Ironwood National Monument. To finish it off, what looks like a straight shot back into town has turned into an infamous stretch described by one rider as “heinous.”
To kick things off for the inaugural year, a pre-ride meeting was held Thursday evening over pizza and drinks, where the talk turned to the impending weather and temperature dip. This past winter (December through February) was the driest in Tucson’s history, and the few natural water sources were bone dry in the weeks leading up to the start. While rain could temporarily revive a few sources, too much would cause the kind of mud that ruins bikes and dreams.
Sure enough, and counter to how we billed the event, Friday morning dawned cold and blustery with a rare chance of snow at lower elevations. After a few quick miles leaving the city on dedicated bike paths, the route turned to exposed dirt roads with no place to take shelter as the wind picked up and the snow came down. For some, the unexpected weather derailed plans for bigger mileage on the first day. By Friday evening, the field had split into three distinct groups: a lead of three who would forgo sleep for the entire route, a cohort of five who took refuge at the Patagonia Mountain Cabins just past mile 100, and the remaining riders who opted for steak dinners and hotel rooms in Sonoita.
Day two dawned crisp and sunny. By late morning, the critical gas station resupply at mile 129 was full of riders thawing out from the cold night and morning. Depending on timing, riders need to seriously consider their pace and make some important decisions on how much food to pack out. Mistime or misjudge the next resupply, and you’re looking at nearly 100 miles of some of the roughest roads on course with no easy bailout option.
Passing through the small town of Arivaca at mile 165 and entering the last half of the course, it becomes a very different kind of ride. Whereas the initial miles are suited for a light and quick gravel bike, suspension and wide tires are welcomed for the final stretches. Here, the dots slowed as fatigue set in, clear skies brought the temperatures back up, and the surface became increasingly challenging.
By midday on Saturday, winner Jeff Kerkove completed the loop with a finishing time of 30 hours and 20 minutes, a very impressive ride given the weather and all the unknowns of a first-time event. Over the next few hours, Andy Wentzel would arrive in 34 hours and 5 minutes, with Bradley Davis not far behind in 36 hours and 54 minutes. The weather continued to hold for the next couple of days, seeing four additional riders finishing at all hours of the day: Dave Keller (2 days, 7 hours, 31 minutes), Matt McDonnell (2 days, 11 hours, 59 minutes), Nate Garcia (2 days, 18 hours, 17 minutes), and Forest Radarian (4 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes).
For a first-year event, the variety of experience levels from the riders was exciting to see. For some, this was their first time bike camping or their longest ride to date. For others, the SAUER was another notch in a resume that collectively included the Stagecoach 400, DOOM, the Colorado Trail, the Arizona Trail, and the Tassie Gift, among others. Some folks were prepping for Tour Divide, while others were content to ride what they could given their work schedule.
Back at the start, each rider was adorned with a cabbage pendant with directives to “protect the cabbage.” Upon completion of the route, riders were awarded a jar of homemade sauerkraut in recognition of their ferment from participant to finisher.
Whether you’re a racer looking for an early-season event, a school teacher on spring break, or just looking to explore this part of the country, the SAUER welcomes you. We’re gathering feedback from this year’s riders and are already planning next year’s grand depart for Friday, March 6, 2026. You can read more about the event here, and follow on social @SAUER.Tucson.
The Sonoran Ultra Endurance Ride (SAUER) is co-hosted by Dexter Kopas and Henley Phillips. Feel free to reach out to them on Instagram.
Further Reading
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