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Once I got south of Flagstaff it became pretty apparent that this route was much bigger than I expected.  The trail was also quite a bit more primitive and slower going than I expected. I had planned to night ride 2-4 hours most nights but it ended up being more like 4-7 hours EVERY night to keep a level of progress that could even give me a chance of finishing. While I would have really liked to make it to Mexico, in talking with other racers the zone south of Tucson was still slow going with tons of elevation change. Once I got to the Gila river I realized that best case scenario I would be riding until the day before we flew back and would basically jump straight back into work on top of having to get my bike packed up. I adjusted my expectations and accepted that Tucson would be the destination. The trail was so epic, I kept thinking about how much singletrack there was in AZ and how much variety of terrain there was. Gear: I had no mechanical issues or major gear failures but here
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Video Montage

I've created a 7 minute movie from my 2 weeks of footage.  The camera mount broke at Martinez Canyon so I don't have much from the final few days.  
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Stage 8: Highline Trail

From General Springs I crossed the main forest road and got on what ended up being the rowdiest descent of the whole route. It was just straight down a steep loose telephone line access filled with rocks.  I rode most of it but did have to walk a few feet of the descent since I would pick up speed to fast on the loaded bike. The Highline Trail is the most dreaded section of the AZT. I was optimistic by heading South this wouldn't be the case. It turns out starting in 2022 this will no longer be the case.  A trail crew has made significant progress on cleaning up the trail.  While I still did get a preview of the the past torture fest only a few hills at the start will still so rocky they were not rideable.  The parts which have been reworked were rather soft and that made pedaling difficult but it will pack in. They basically ran a zamboni over the whole trail. I met the trail workers and thanked them for their work. I also ran in the ranger heading up the project and chatted with
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Stage 7: The Other Rims Edge

 I was glad to be able to pack up in the warm room while it was still well below freezing outside.  I stopped by the general store for some hot coffee on my way out of town.  I met a southbound through hiker who was very worried, two days later snow and even colder temps we're coming and they knew they had a few days before they dropped into Pine and lower elevation.  I was very glad I would be moving fast enough to be well ahead of the weather. This plant lined the trail and glows silver at night Lots of gates this day This trail is exactly what I though the Northern trail would be, dreamy flowing singletrack with some minor elevation change.   Halfway through the day I ran back into Chad who was bikepacking southbound that I met at the Grand Canyon North Rim.  We caught up and it turned out he had gotten rained out after taking the shuttle around the Grand Canyon. He spent over a day at the South Rim.  I kept moving, determined to make it to the ranger station by dark to have din
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Stage 6: Resupply Day

 I woke up next to the gate after hearing someone pass through right at sunrise. As I was packing up a pair of through hikers come through. They had heard me out late the night before as I was running my bear bell.  After I had packed up camp I set out towards Flagstaff. The bike route follows the equestrian trail which is a long ways around the town to then go into it for resupply.  I had strategically picked the spot I had shipped my stuff to knowing this. I had picked the CVS closest to the trail as they we're a FedEx shipping center and had a couple restaurants in the plaza. I picked up the package, ordered a significant amount of food from the restaurant next door, then setup on the patio to unpack shipment. I had shipped a more conventional backpack, fresh clothes, a tent, and a lighter weight sleeping bag. Its amazing the people who finish the trail without a drop shipment. I took over a corner of the patio. It took almost 2 hours to get all my new stuff in place and old stu
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Stage 5: Leg Redemption

 I started the day out nice and cozy from sleeping in a hotel. I woke up early and decided to grab a quick breakfast from the Mexican  restaurant from the same plaza, it was freezing outside.  I was expecting breakfast burritos but was surprised by an all you can eat American breakfast buffet. I grabbed my bike, stopped by the general store to grab some sugary snacks and an packet of Ramen as I was low on food and wasn't sure if it was gonna be a one or two day journey to Flagstaff.  The trail to the lookout tower was in quite good condition. I was serenaded by the anthem of the Northern AZ woods: Chainsaws.  There was a crew of 6 lumberjacks cutting trees just off trail.  I ran into some hunters looking for elk just after and and let them know the elks probably don't like all the chainsaws going in the area. Warm Hotel in Tusayan Grandview Firetower At Grandview I had to go up the fire tower to get a look, I've never passed up a fire tower overlook.  I decided to keep a go
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Stage 4: Out of the Canyon

I woke up quite sore from the day before. I took quite awhile to get my bike strapped back onto my bag.  I decided today warranted 2 pouches of oatmeal.  I quickly crossed the bridge across the Colorado River and through the tunnel. I ran into a group familiar with the race and they got some great photos of me and gave great words of encouragement.  The day was a blur but here's some of the things people said: Canyon Views "I've seen plenty of men ride bicycles, but I've never seen a bicycle ride a man" -Mule train cowboy(w/Pit Vipers) "Oh is there good trails at the bottom, no? And you found out the hard way" "You must have really wanted a bicycle at the bottom" "I bet you had a blast riding that thing down" "So will you bring your bike to a shop to be reassembled when you get out?" In the end hiking out was just as difficult as down & across. Huge props to the bikepacking lunatics who do the whole thing in a day! I'
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Stage 3: Into the Canyon

I got up to cook breakfast and pack my things up. I tried to be strategic knowing I'd be attaching my bike to my bag shortly.  I killed the partial butane I had started with and broke out my brand new can, one less thing to carry through the canyon.  I ate with the rim hikers I had met the night before. I got to the permit office just a few minutes before 8. They phoned the South Rim and were able to get me a permit at the group spot in Bright Angel which was ideal. That meant I would hike the 7 miles down and 7 miles across today and save the 7 miles up for the next day.  I donated my left over shower quarters to the NPS to not carry a bunch of extra metal across the canyon. A few hundred feet in Bike Disassembly Once at the trail there was a small sign that said "No Bicycles". It took me about 40 minutes to pack my bike up.  The weather was overcast and drizzling which was ideal.  The bike felt heavy but manageable. I was very glad to have a proper bag to keep the weigh
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