Event Recaps

Earlier this morning, 37-year-old Scotland local Kerry MacPhee became the first woman (and sixth overall rider) to finish the 2024 Highland Trail 550 (HT550) event, finishing the rugged 550-mile route in just 3 days, 23 hours, and 18 minutes. Joergen Trepp was at the finish line to capture photos and hear about her ride. Learn more here…

Alex McCormack from the UK just took first place at the 2024 Highland Trail 550 event in Scotland, shaving just over two hours off of the previous record. Joergen Trepp was at the finish to snap some photos and hear from 26-year-old winner Alex first-hand…

The unofficial poster child for (not) canceling bikepacking events due to weather is this year’s Three Rivers Way in Tennessee. It took off earlier this month during a massive thunderstorm and challenged riders with flooded tracks and many obstacles. It was Chris Summerlin’s first time participating in a bikepacking event, and he ended up having quite the adventure. Read his story here…

The Fools Gold 420 is a 420-kilometer bikepacking event that traverses the Goldfields region of Victoria, Australia. The second edition of the event saw 17 finishers, and Em Keogh beat the previous women’s fastest known time by more than 24 hours. Find Em’s story and a collection of photos from the event here…

The RockStar Challenge is a 250-ish mile race from Rocktown (Harrisonburg) to the Star City (Roanoke) with three route options to choose from. This year, both Caitrin Maloney and Britt Mason set new course records on the trail and gravel routes, and they put together a pair of short ride reflections. Read their stories here…

Taster Trip by Adventurefuel is a three-day introduction to bikepacking where participants learn all the mechanical skills, camping tricks, and packing hacks for a successful and fun bikepacking adventure. Organizer Lewis Brindley put together a recap from last month’s spring Taster Trip, including stunning photos from their overnighter in Wanaka, New Zealand. See it here…

Bikes or Death hosted its second annual Bikepacking Basics campout a few weeks ago, welcoming 30 riders for a chance to try out bikepacking in a supported environment. Find a written recap and photos from event organizer Patrick Farnsworth here…

Tour De Los Padres is a challenging 185- or 300-mile bikepacking route that traverses some of the most scenic areas of the Southern Los Padres National Forest, California. Around 30 riders showed up for this year’s grand depart, and Drew Raney, the organizer of this year’s Tour Route, put together a recap of how things played out. Find Drew’s story and photos from the event here…

This February, more than 30 riders showed up for the 11th annual group ride of The Queen’s Ransom route beyond Phoenix, Arizona. This was Julian Urbina’s third bikepacking trip ever, and he put together a detailed reflection that’s a must-read for anyone interested in the route or group ride. Find his story and photos here…

Over 100 riders showed up for this year’s Doom & Despair event in Arkansas last Friday, resulting in some blazing-fast times and an overwhelming feeling of community support and camaraderie. With help from the organizers and event photographers, we put together the top finishers’ times, some brief recaps from the quickest riders, and a few photos here…

The Idaho Women’s Bikepacking group recently tackled its first campout of the year, and more than 30 women were in attendance. In this piece, Lauren Melink shares a recap of the group’s 40-mile overnighter to Loftus Hot Springs. Find that and photos from the trip here…

After 20 days, 23 hours, and 45 minutes, Kinsey Loan became the first woman to finish the 2024 Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000, taking fourth place overall. With help from some dedicated dot watchers, we put together a quick recap of her ride. Find it here…