By Sean Benesh — The Arizona borderlands is a geographic and cultural region on the northern side of the Arizona–Mexico border. Talking about the borderlands as a whole transcends a simple line on a map; it is the place where two countries meet.
While the border has become a hotly contested topic in the political theater of this election cycle, its history shows that it has always been complicated—and that the border itself has moved. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War in 1848. As a result, the United States purchased land that is now California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona and New Mexico. Five years later, the Gadsden Purchase added even more land, including the area where Douglas, Arizona, sits today. Although Douglas wasn’t officially incorporated until 1905, the shift meant that if you lived in the area, one night you went to bed in Mexico and woke up the next day in the United States.
It’s complicated—and beautiful—at the same time.
That complexity forms the backdrop for the BorderLands Gravel race, which started and finished in the border town of Douglas. It would have been easy to write about the race itself—to focus on the course, the mileage, the podium winners, and the results. But once the racers left the pavement just outside of town, the gravel road veered south, and the most prominent feature in front of us was the Arizona–Mexico border wall. Context matters.
Sitting at just over 4,000 feet in elevation, Douglas exists in a transitional zone between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.
As I watched the event unfold, one question stayed with me: why does an event like BorderLands Gravel matter? That question led to others. What impact does a gravel race have in Douglas? What value does it bring to the community? And why did racers travel—sometimes great distances—to ride this stretch of desert gravel along the border?
To understand why this matters for Douglas, we first need to look at the data.
According to the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report by the Outdoor Foundation and the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation participation grew 4.1 percent in 2023 to a record 175.8 million participants—57.3 percent of all Americans aged six and older (p. 3). Americans continue to recreate outdoors, and of those 175.8 million participants, 17.2 percent did so on a bicycle. That translates to more than 30 million Americans experiencing the outdoors by bike.
At the same time, increased outdoor participation delivers a positive economic impact. Outdoor recreation consumers spend $887 billion annually, supporting 7.6 million jobs and generating $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue and $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue. In Arizona alone, consumers spend $21.2 billion on outdoor recreation, funding 201,000 jobs, $5.7 billion in wages and salaries, and $1.4 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Gravel cycling, in particular, has experienced explosive growth. Bike brands now produce entire lines of gravel-specific bikes, and races like BorderLands Gravel continue to multiply. Strava data shows a spike in logged gravel rides. As Jim Cotton (2024) notes, “Strava’s report highlights a 55 percent global increase in the dirt-surface sport, with a 48 percent increase among U.S. users of the platform” (para. 3). Simply put, more people are riding gravel bikes outdoors.
For communities across Arizona, the impetus is to thoughtfully and strategically capture outdoor recreation spending. That’s why events like BorderLands Gravel matter for a place like Douglas.
Douglas benefits from a stable employment base due to its shared border with Agua Prieta, but its rural location presents challenges. Still, where some see challenges and weakness, others see opportunity. To host a gravel cycling race, you need certain fundamentals—and Douglas has them in abundance: miles of gravel roads, stunning desert scenery, mild temperatures, supportive city staff, and countless stakeholders, agencies, and landowners willing to work together. In other words, the entire community backed the event. Even more important, the race needed a visionary to connect these pieces. That’s where race organizer Mike Miller comes in—the straw that stirs the drink.
To them, the race represents more than economic impact. It showcases the town of Douglas and the landscape surrounding the community.
As Mike Miller envisioned the event, Douglas emerged as an unexpected destination for a premier gravel race, anchored by the storied Gadsden Hotel. Inspired by the hotel’s historic charm, he began shaping a vision for a gravel race along the iconic Geronimo Trail. The process started in November 2023 with a meeting between Mike and the Gadsden Hotel’s general manager, followed by conversations with local tourism leaders and city officials. By January 2024, the concept had secured official backing, setting the stage for an event that would highlight Douglas’s rich heritage and rugged terrain.
From the outset, Douglas proved it had the infrastructure and potential to host a world-class gravel event. Drawing on Southern Arizona’s reputation as a gravel riding destination, Mike built partnerships with the City of Douglas, regional organizations, local businesses, and even international partners in Agua Prieta, Mexico. A professional business plan—rooted in years of entrepreneurial experience and collaboration—helped align stakeholders and secure support. With an emphasis on community engagement, clear communication, and delivering results well beyond expectations, the groundwork was laid for the first race on November 16, 2024, and the second on November 15, 2025.
Launching the inaugural event required building a cohesive, experienced team. From course mapping and registration to sound production and on-course support, the organizers planned every detail carefully, drawing on expertise from the mountain biking community. Profitability was never the primary motivation. Mike’s passion centered on creating a memorable, meaningful experience.
As racers left Douglas, they made a right-hand turn onto Geronimo Trail Road. In a region where history constantly surfaces—like water from a deep aquifer—even a road name carries meaning. Geronimo Trail Road is more than a road.
In her article “Geronimo Trail,” Kathy Montgomery writes, “The Geronimo Trail in Southern Arizona feels as remote as just about any drive in Arizona. But it wasn’t always that way. The route once was a major migration corridor for Apache Indians, as well as Spanish explorers, missionaries, Mormons and Mexican revolutionaries” (para. 1). The trail stretches 80 miles from Douglas to Animas, New Mexico, and along this historic route, racers faced stiff headwinds and friendly competition.
During the race, I worked as a photographer, capturing the event through my lens. That role meant testing the limits of my rental SUV from the Tucson airport. For most of the course, the road remained graded and passable. Throughout the day, I drove, stopped, jumped out of the vehicle, and photographed racers pedaling toward me—or disappearing into the distance.
For the first 22 miles, the Geronimo Trail paralleled the border wall. The route then wound through John Slaughter Ranch and the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge before turning northeast toward the New Mexico border. Racers who chose the long route turned around at the state line.
The race’s remoteness makes it especially compelling. In “Trips & Trails: Geronimo Trail,” Eva Rupert writes, “Stretching over 80 miles from Douglas, Arizona, to Animas, New Mexico, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere” (para. 2). That sense of isolation amidst the vast terrain appealed to many racers. Aside from the occasional truck or ATV, we had the road to ourselves. A gravel race, after all, should be challenging, remote, and beautiful.
Many racers I spoke with praised the challenge, the location, and the hospitality of Douglas. Although most lived in Arizona, many had never visited Douglas before. If they traveled this far south, they usually stopped in nearby Bisbee. Now, Douglas was on their radar.
In marketing, we often talk about the sales funnel. At the top of that funnel sits awareness. Before people can buy a product or service, they have to know it exists.
Douglas and the surrounding borderlands remain hidden gems. Events like BorderLands Gravel raise awareness and introduce people to a vibrant community with spectacular scenery and welcoming residents—and great food. Douglas boasts some of the best Mexican food in the country.
Between the race and the awards ceremony, my search for a breakfast burrito took me just a 10-minute walk from the border. The moment reinforced the importance of understanding Douglas in context: its geography, its shared border with Agua Prieta, and its intertwined culture and economy. Its history reflects layers of Spanish missionaries, explorers, miners, ranchers, and Mexican revolutionaries.
Now, we can add gravel racers to that list.
If you missed the race this year, mark your calendar: the next BorderLands Gravel race takes place on November 14, 2026.
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