Liz Sampey’s AZT750 Record, Kit List, and Revel Rascal

In case you missed it, at 6:44 pm this past Saturday, April 27th, Elizabeth Sampey made it to the Utah state line and into the record books, becoming the fastest woman to ever complete the 750-mile Arizona Trail Race. Over the course of 9 days, 11 hours, and 44 minutes, Liz pedaled some of the finest and most rugged singletrack Arizona has to offer (and hiked with her bike and gear strapped to her back across the Grand Canyon) while making her way from the Mexico border to Utah. We caught up with Liz to ask her about her bike, gear, and experience out on the AZT. Here’s the full Q&A with photos, Liz’s full gear list, along with some additional thoughts about the Revel Rascal (the bike Liz rode).

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First of all, congrats on your amazing finish. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Thank you! I had so much fun out there. I’m originally from Minnesota, though I’ve lived in Colorado for most of my adult life. I’ve been full-time mobile for four years, either living in my van in the US/Canada or off my bike somewhere around the world. I’ve been racing bikes of all types on the road and mountain since 2007, bikepacking and doing expedition-style trips since 2015, and this was only my second ultra race. I raced the CTR last year and was leading the women’s field before an unlucky major mechanical ended my race 35 miles from the end. Thankfully, I had much better luck in the AZTR750!

Was this the first time you’ve ridden the entire Arizona Trail?

Yes, this was my first time riding the full thing! I’d only ridden a few very small parts before – the Canelos, some of the trails leading up to Mt. Lemmon, and the trails around Mt. Humphreys in Flagstaff.

What was your favorite part or parts of the trail?

My favorite part was the Highline Trail between Pine and the Mogollon Rim. I kept hearing about how awful it was, and I kept waiting for the awful parts to come, but they never did. Haha. I think people were just trying to scare me. I got on it right at sunset and it had been raining for hours and there was a beautiful rainbow stretched across the mountain.

I did encounter some death mud in the first few miles, but mostly it was a combination of some steep rugged climbs, some fast hike-a-bike, and so many ripping descents! I did most of it in the dark and I had such a blast. Ben Hanus was somewhere a few ridges ahead of me, and every so often I would hoot or laugh on a descent and I’d hear him echo me off in the distance. I camped near the bottom and hiked Mogollon Rim in the morning. It was a short but steep hike, and when I reached the top I was so excited to be up there and for me it symbolized the final third of my ride. The whole Highline/Mogollon experience was one of my favorite moments of the race.

I also really loved the Canelos, and I loved Oracle Ridge! I did that descent at sunrise and it was so steep and loose and fast, my brakes were locked up and I felt like I was skiing more than riding a bike. It reminded me of surfing volcanoes on my fat bike in Guatemala. I had an absolute blast (and also fried my rotors).

Any time I was night riding was awesome, too. I go so fast at night and have so much fun. Night riding is my most favorite thing in the entire world, and the hardest thing for me every night was making myself stop to sleep.

Did you have any crazy or scary moments?

Yeah, in the Grand Canyon. I was in there a really long time. I pushed the sleep deprivation pretty hard on those last couple of days, including the Canyon hike, and my load was really heavy with all the food and water I was carrying. I’m a really small person so it was a lot, and I’m really slow hiking downhill (there’s a reason I ride bikes and skis!). I’d been awake and pushing pretty hard for a full 24 hours and I definitely cracked at one point at around 4:00 a.m. in the canyon. I was having hallucinations and hearing full albums of music and conversations in the river, and saw a few weird things as well. But I was okay with all that. It was when I tripped on something and my load literally pulled me over backwards on a narrow trail that I got pretty freaked out. But I was able to get through it and keep moving. The hike uphill was much easier than the hike downhill!

Leading up to the race, what would you consider the most valuable training in your regimen to which you owe your success?

I spent a month backcountry skiing in southwestern Colorado, NOT on my bike, which consisted of hours upon hours of skinning steep uphills with a heavy pack and ski poles. This is exactly what the canyon hike uphill was like. When I was struggling in the canyon, I pictured myself hiking uphill through the deep snow with my heavy mountaineering pack on. My mantra was, “I’ve done this before, I can do it now.”

I also spent a lot of time in Arizona just getting used to the desert riding. I hadn’t ridden much in Arizona before this fall. I’ve been here since October, and when I first got here the riding was really foreign and intimidating to me. Everything is sharp or chunky or both. Even though I didn’t ride a whole lot of AZT, just getting used to this style of riding was really helpful. I spent a lot of the winter riding in the rugged Tucson Mountains, and by the time the race came around, desert chunk felt like an old friend. I’m a mountain girl, and I didn’t expect to fall in love with the desert, but I definitely have. I’m sad to leave it behind.

Any tips, insight or recommendations you’d give a first time AZT rider?

Fueling is SO important! I talked with several other riders along the way who didn’t plan their calories, and many of them ended up having to ration or running out of food in long sections. In all my years of personal backcountry travel and also guiding others, I have a well-tested theory that anyone with a moderate amount of fitness can do big days in the mountains if they keep themselves well-fueled, and if they don’t blow themselves up by going too fast.

Pacing is also very important. I didn’t start really pushing myself until after the first 300 miles were over. I just rode in a way that felt good – which was actually pretty quick. I’m a really slow starter in the mornings and it takes me about an hour to warm my body up, so I have to tell myself not to push too hard until I’m warm. It’s easy for new racers to get caught up in the excitement of everyone around, you especially at the beginning, and push too hard and blow up in the Canelos. But if you ride your own ride, pacing how it feels good to you and remember to eat and drink, you should have a great ride.

Above all, don’t forget to have FUN! You’re on a week+ long bike ride through some of the most beautiful country in the world with some really amazing people! You get to see every sunset and sunrise from the seat of your bike. What could be better? If you’re not grinning like an idiot, you need to change something. Probably eat more, or just remember your sense of humor. I really think the main reason I rode so well is because I was having a blast the entire time. I just loved being out there. It’s such an incredible trail and the bike I was riding, the Revel Rascal 29er, was SO playful and fun. I was actually shredding trail instead of just suffering through it. Remember that all the hard or painful times will pass, and look for moments that make you smile to turn your attitude around.

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How’d you like the Rascal!? I spent a day on it in Sedona and really liked it.

Oh man. Don’t get me started, haha. This is hands down the most fun bike I have ever ridden. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like I was actually riding well on a loaded bike, shredding the downhills and cruising the rocky climbs. The Canfield Balance Formula suspension design, tuned by the legend Jeremiah Starkey to be more efficient in pedaling than the original CBF, makes the drivetrain operate with maximum efficiency both uphill and down, during pedaling and braking. I actually HAD FUN on the Happy Jack trail, if that tells you anything. On miles and miles of Arizona chunk that crushes most bikes and beats up most riders, my Rascal was so efficient pedaling over that I was literally cruising along and laughing with delight.

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Anyone you’d like to thank?

Revel Bikes, Industry Nine, Fasst Company, Rogue Panda Designs, Osprey Packs, and ClubRide for getting me dialed in for the race. Kurt Refsnider for sitting down with me and talking me through the entire AZT course when I decided to commit to the race last fall, and for teaching me most everything I know about ultra racing before the CTR last year (my first ultra). Kurt knows more about the Arizona Trail than anyone else out there, and his intimate knowledge of the course was so valuable. Chris Reichel for introducing me to Revel and what their crew was dreaming up. As soon as I heard about the bikes and the crack team of industry legends behind them, I knew the Rascal was the exact bike I wanted to race on. All the other AZT racers out there sharing that experience with me. It was really special to share some miles with some truly exceptional humans. I’m so grateful for this community.

Thanks for taking the time to answer those questions, Liz! Make sure to follow Liz over on Instagram @elizasampey, on Facebook, and check out her website vitalmotionlife.com.

Additionally—I’ve been looking for a place to fit in these thoughts—scroll down for more photos and my first impressions on the Revel Rascal.