Sand, Rocks, and Sunsets at the 2026 Sonoran Ultra Endurance Ride (SAUER)

Words by Henley Phillips and Dexter Kopas, photos from Henley and the participants

Back for its second year, the Sonoran Ultra Endurance Ride (SAUER) kicked off this past Friday in Tucson, Arizona, with two route options taking riders deep into the Sonoran Desert for a loop of either 139 miles (the SAUER-ita) or 317 miles (the full SAUER).

This year, the race grew nearly fourfold, with around a third of the field represented by women and non-binary riders. In total, around 60 folks donned cabbage necklaces to take on smooth gravel, rough jeep tracks, slivers of the Arizona Trail, and now-infamous sections of gas line roads, all in record time.

The night before setting out, riders and friends gathered at the workshop of Rippie Products for a pre-race meeting and party, with beer provided by local Dragoon Brewing Co. Many kind sponsors, namely Wolf Tooth Components, Chumba Handmade Bicycles, Moon Dust Apparel, Kanberra Sports, Redshift Sports, QUOC, Bedrock Sandals, and Ibex Wool, contributed quality swag to a big raffle.

After fueling up with caffeine at Presta Coffee the next morning, riders took off with the promise of mild temperatures and dry air, a drastic change from last year’s snowstorms on the first day. It’s thanks to this, as well as a big increase in competition, that riders have gone so fast this second year of the grand depart.

For the full SAUER, Jeff Kerkove returned in hopes of repeating last year’s win, and for much of the race, it seemed as though knowledge of the course was paying off. Along with Rocky Gingg and Alex Schultz, the trio led the majority of the race, with small changes here and there as they pushed through the first 24 hours into the Patagonia Mountains and the notoriously rough Cerro Colorado range.

It wasn’t until 250 miles in, when Jeff’s stomach issues caught up to him, that Rocky Gingg took the lead and maintained it to finish with a course record of 26 hours. After regaining intestinal faculties, Jeff groundscored an ice-cold, roadside Corona in the early morning, opened it with his pedal, and finished in second with a time of 27 hours and 30 minutes. Forty-five minutes later, Alex pulled in, having had to pause for the restroom when he caught up to Jeff at the final gas station resupply.

For the women’s podium, Karin Pocock took first place and rounded out the top 10 in a time of 38 hours and 21 minutes. No stranger to long days on the bike, she pushed through the entire route with very few stops, arriving in good spirits but with much to say about the final gas line miles. The morning of day two saw Liz Sampey finish in 2 days and 11 minutes, a well-deserved podium finish for the veteran racer returning after a few years’ hiatus. Bailey Bonaci and Katie Smyth rolled in for a tied third place of 2 days, 1 hour, and 48 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the inaugural SAUER-ita short course, Branson Lou smoked the ride entirely in the daylight, in 9 hours and 54 minutes. After him, Frances Hacker took first place as the first non-binary rider in 12 hours and 9 minutes, and Bex Howard was the first female in 15 hours and 14 minutes. This somewhat chunkier route featured a thigh-deep water crossing of La Cienaga Creek and a section of the memorably tenacious gas-line road to rival that found on the long course.

Outside the podium, riders continued to stream in throughout the weekend and into the early part of the week, some surviving on dirt naps alone, others riding with full touring setups. For some, this was their longest ride to date, their single biggest push, their first bikepacking event, or their first time riding in the desert. Friends and parents showed up with drinks, snacks, and rides back home (or immediately to the airport). If cacti, sand, rock, sunsets, and finish-line celebrations are your thing, join us on March 5th, 2027, for another round of fermentation out in the desert.

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