Patagonia, AZ, sits tucked between the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains — where gravel roads stretch endlessly across ranchland, rolling hills, and desert vistas. The terrain mimics the legendary Flint Hills of Kansas, making it the perfect place to prepare for spring’s biggest gravel races like Mid South and UNBOUND Gravel.
This region offers a mix of rugged climbs, chunky descents, and hero dirt — a training ground that pushes and rewards riders. It’s the perfect launch pad for your spring gravel season!
4 Guided Gravel Rides exploring the Patagonia region
Training + Skills Sessions focused on bike setup, nutrition, pacing, and recovery
Evening Workshops with industry experts and coaches
Coffee & Conversation each morning with Merchant Cycles
Chef-Prepared Meals from The Cyclist Menu kitchen
Optional Add-ons: entries to MidSouth, UNBOUND Gravel, SpiritWorld
Farm direct at its best. We do not try to serve local food, it’s the only ingredients we work with, and your attendance directly supports southern Arizona’s food network. Team chef, Zander Ault prepares 2 meals a day, each one sharing a story of the season and the travels he's experienced over the course of his 15 years in the business.
Get comfortable at The Stage Stop Inn Hotel. Enjoy jumping into the freezing pool after a long day on the bike, great showers, within walking distance from town.
ocused on bike setup, nutrition, pacing, and recovery
A gallery of professional photographs at the end of the trip
*we have a lodging option for an additional $600
Thursday, February 19
Welcome to Patagonia!
2PM: We will meet for our spin today in the town park & Then we’ll head out for our 20 mile shakedown up Temporal Canyon. The purpose of our ride this afternoon is the shake out the trade legs and set the tone for a magic few days together!
*We will 5 rides guides + have a support drive on this short spin, just in case you need anything or have an issue with your bike.
Tonight we’ll enjoy happy hour with Unbound Champions Yuri Hauswald and Kristen Legon sharing stories of their adventures out there in the Flint Hills.
Post ride: Wash up and join us for happy hour as the sun sets over the Santa Ritas. Dinner under the stars by Chef Z to follow.
Friday, February 20
We’ll get up early this morning to hop on our bikes and cruise into the magical San Rafael Valley to adventure for the day. We’ll ride all the way to the border of Mexico and enjoy lunch under a massive cottonwood tree in the old town of Lochiel. After lunch, we’ll head through the middle of the San Rafael Valley, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
We’ll spend the afternoon soaking up the Arizona sunshine while our professional mechanics provide a lesson and our coaches share some inspiration.
Dinner by Chef Z will be served tonight under the stars.
This morning we’ll meet up for a bike mechanic class, followed by a light lunch.
Our afternoon will take us on bikes to Alto Ghost Town during the heat of the winter Arizona sunshine.
Happy hour this evening around the fire and dinner under the stars.
This is our last morning all together. We’ll head our for our early morning recovery loop before going to pack our bikes up in our travel bike boxes.
12-noon: Wow, that was FUN! Bon Voyage….
