Bike Magazine (May 14, 2019) by Kurt Refsnider

The 2019 edition of the self-supported Arizona Trail 300 saw Scottish adventurers win both the women’s and men’s fields. Impressively, neither Annie Lloyd-Evans nor Huw Oliver had ever before ridden in the desert, but despite that, both found the slow, technical trail much to their liking. The AZT300 is one of the toughest bikepacking ultras in North America – nearly half of the competitors dropped out this year.

Between the heat, long distances between resupply points and water sources, and seemingly endless challenging singletrack, everything about this course is difficult. What might be most striking about Annie and Huw’s rides, however, is how much these two legitimately enjoyed themselves. Both were enthralled and continually inspired by the trail and the ever-changing landscape and seemed to draw energy and positivity from the experience rather than letting the rigors of the event draw energy out of them.

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