← All eventsBelgian Waffle Ride Arizona
Desert 'Hell of the North of gravel' — ~104mi/~2,010m of Cave Creek desert gravel + rideable singletrack, the BWR Quad-Tripel Crown spring kickoff and one of the best courses in US gravel.
A gravel race with genuinely rideable singletrack woven through it, widely rated one of the best courses in US gravel. The desert "Hell of the North of gravel", run on the Cave Creek trails north of Phoenix.
104 miles and 6,600 feet of punchy rolling desert climbing, mixing fast open gravel, hardpack and flowing singletrack sectors. The spring kickoff of the BWR Quad-Tripel Crown, on Sunday 7 March 2027.
It flows more than it grinds, so it rewards the rider who carries speed off-road rather than fights it. The catch is the heat: even early March bakes by midday, and fuelling a 5 to 8 hour day is half the battle.
Is Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona for you?
- Gravel riders who can actually handle a bike on singletrack, not just grind fireroad. The AZ sectors reward flow and clean lines over raw power.
- Steady pacers. The punchy climbs stack up all day, so it rewards riders who ration the effort instead of sprinting every rolling pitch.
- Riders comfortable eating and drinking in the heat over a 5 to 8 hour day. The exposed desert taxes anyone who forgets to fuel.
- Anyone chasing a marquee early-season US gravel day on one of the sport's best-rated courses.
Training plan for Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona
A training plan for Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- A fast gravel start in big groups where it is dangerously easy to overcook the opening hour
- Rideable singletrack sectors that reward carrying momentum and punish over-braking
- Around 6,600 ft of short, repeated desert climbs that shred the legs cumulatively
- Open, sun-baked desert with little shade and high sweat rates in the exposed drags
- A progressive mixed long ride building 3hr to 5-6hr on gravel, dirt and singletrack
- Singletrack-flow and loose-gravel handling work on the gravel bike, learning to carry speed
- Short rolling repeats (10-15 x 1-2min) plus sweet-spot blocks on gravel
- Heat rehearsal in the final weeks: midday rides and post-ride sauna, with full fuelling practice
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
