We caught up with Tyler just days after setting the new FKT for the 616 mile Ride Across Arizona, Arizona’s hardest gravel road ride, to discuss what it takes to succeed at this monumental challenge.
What attracted you to take on Ride Across Arizona (RAAZ)?
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of adventure. Ever since I was a kid, a bicycle has been a source of freedom and exploration. There’s something magical about traveling across a landscape under your own power that you can’t replicate in a vehicle. It started with a 2-mile ride to the local Country Store to buy candy and has been a part of my life ever since. So not only did RAAZ check the boxes on “Adventure” and “Exploration”, but it also let me explore what I’m capable of. In a world where we are chronically comfortable, challenging myself physically and mentally makes me feel alive. It’s exciting attempting something that you’re not quite sure if you pull off. In fact, I DNF’d RAAZ twice before. I guess 3rd time’s the charm!
How were you feeling heading into RAAZ after your first two attempts were thwarted by weather?
I was nervous and a little embarrassed to be honest. After 2 failed attempts, I was quieter about my intentions to try a 3rd time. My first attempt at the Grand Depart was thwarted by rain and peanut butter mud that was impassable. I tried again a month later, but the heat in the Mojave desert affected me in a way that it never had before. I got heat exhaustion, and my friend Tom had to come rescue me (thanks Tom!). My wife, Annie, rescued me the first time in the middle of the night. Have I mentioned how amazing she is yet?! So, the 3rd attempt, I was pretty nervous and decided to wait until it got cold. I knew the cold wouldn’t kill me as long as I kept moving.
You clearly excel off-road but have enjoyed success in other disciplines. Which do you think you are best at?
I’m pretty “ok” at everything but not the best at anything. I’ve been doing road racing for about 15 years and spent about 15 years as a runner before that. So, I’ve always been an endurance athlete and just started gravel racing in the last 2 years. I enjoy it because you don’t need incredible technical skills like mountain biking and it’s harder than road races where you can just “sit in” and sprint at the end. If I had to pick, I’d probably say I’m best at gravel racing because the races are long and difficult enough.
Bike setup is a big talking point for any bikepacking event. What was your setup for RAAZ and would you make any changes in hindsight?
I rode the State Bicycle Carbon All Road gravel bike set up the SRAM Red wireless components. I had carbon ENVE wheels with 2.0” Continental Race King mountain bike tires, carbon ENVE handlebar/stem with ENVE clip-on aerobars. I used the RedShift Sports suspension seatpost. The State Carbon All Road held up incredibly well, and I didn’t have any mechanical issues whatsoever with the bike.
To carry my gear, I used the Tailfin Aeropack, which was great. It’s super stable and holds a ton of gear. How you keep things organized gets worse as you keep riding, so having a little extra room is really valuable. I also had 2 toptube bags, a small triangle bag below the top tube, handlebar bag, and 2 feed bags attached to the handlebars. Lots of small bags worked well to keep things organized, and I was able to carry 4 water bottles (3 on the bike and 1 in a feedbag). I also had a USWE hydration pack with 2L of water in it.
The only change I would make is to run a suspension fork like the State Bicycle Company gravel suspension fork. My hands, wrists and shoulders are incredibly sore, and I should’ve used one for RAAZ. The route is definitely not “champagne gravel”!
Any major surprises concerning the route?
I knew it was a rough course, but the sheer number of miles of chunky/rocky gravel was far more than I expected. I expected Rim Road to be rough, but it just seemed to never end. I tipped over 3 or 4 times riding that section in the dark.
What did your training plan consist of? Ride lots or structured?
With 2 young kids at home and a (amazing) wife who also likes to run/ride, it’s hard to fit lots of rides in per week. So, I’ve been doing 3 group rides each week and usually start super early to get in a few hours before each ride. Most mornings I’d start around 3am and then begin the group ride at 5:30. I also did a few overnight rides where I’d start at 8pm and ride through the night into the morning. I wanted to see how I would respond to no sleep in preparation for RAAZ. So far, I’m up to 7,770 miles for the year riding just 3 days per week.
What role did rest and recovery play in your strategy? It looked like you barely stopped, was that intentional?
I knew I would be able to ride through the 1st night since I had practiced it. I brought a bivy and sleeping bag liner in case I needed to sleep the second night. But it was so cold that I knew I’d probably just lay there freezing and not get any sleep. So, I went the whole ride without any sleep. I felt incredibly fatigued and had a hard time concentrating, but I never felt like I was going to fall asleep on the bike. I think my Strava file said 6 hours of stopped time (52 hours of moving time and 58 hours of total time. These are rough estimates of course). I stopped at each town to warm up and get “real food”. I kept craving a cheeseburger or pizza. I was pretty tired of gels and drink mix.
Did you expect to set a new race record? How did that motivate you to keep moving when times got tough?
I was certainly hoping to. I knew Dana Ernst was incredibly strong, and everything would have to go right for me to beat his time. I had some pretty dark moments in the morning of day 3. The headwind was so strong that I was going 3mph on flat roads. I started to worry it’d take me another day if the wind didn’t let up. Thankfully, the course goes back into the forest where the wind wasn’t as bad.
Another unfortunate circumstance was that one of my battery banks stopped charging and I also lost one of my lights on a downhill in the dark on the first night. So, I was down to 2 lights and half a battery bank to charge all my electronics. I worried I’d run out of lights before the end of the ride, so I stopped using my phone for music or audiobooks. This left me with just my own thoughts to listen to, which I can assure you, is less entertaining than you might imagine!
How does establishing the new FKT for RAAZ compare to past victories?
I’ve won some road races and gravel races in the past, but this feels much more satisfying. I think because I failed so miserably the first two times, that finally completing it this time around made it feel so much more rewarding. It was also much harder and more painful than other events. With nothing to listen to, I started making a list of all the things that hurt. I realized the list of “things that don’t hurt” was shorter: my elbows, my chin, my right pinky.
Which is more difficult, riding ITT or Grand Depart?
ITT was more difficult mentally. The Grand Depart was more fun having a group there, and I felt more encouragement and comradarie. Unfortunately, doing the Grand Depart is on a set day, so the weather may not be ideal like it was this year. I would recommend doing the Grand Depart, but be willing to postpone if the weather doesn’t look promising. The route starts at 500 ft above sea level and goes to 9,000+. So, there’s a pretty small window of opportunity where weather will be “ok” for the entire route.
Any advice for someone taking on this route?
The State Bicycle Carbon All Road with mountain bike tires is the perfect rig. I would 100% do suspension fork and suspension seatpost though! Other than that, I’d say really think about what your goals are. I wanted to do it as fast as possible. But I think taking your time and camping would be incredibly fun. The RAAZ route was incredibly difficult, yet beautiful, varied in terrain, challenging, and rewarding. I’d encourage anyone who wants to try part of the route to ride the last 100 miles or so near the NM border. Despite being incredibly tired and wanting to be done, I couldn’t help but still me amazing by the beauty around me.
Overall, I would encourage anyone to get out of their comfort zone. Go do something challenging. You might fail (I know from experience!), but again…maybe you won’t! You might just surprise yourself.
Tyler Arnett
