DOUGLAS, Arizona (October 2, 2024) – The Apacheria Gravel will held for the first time on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The inaugural Apacheria Gravel will start and finish in Douglas, AZ located in South East Arizona on the International Border, sharing a port of entry with Agua Prieta, Sonora, MX.
The official Start – Finish line will be in front of the Border Air Museum, which in fact, is the first international airport in the USA.
The Apacheria Gravel will consist of three course routes – respective distances of, 38, 69 and 89 miles. All three distances will be contested on the Geronimo Trail, located in Cochise County and the ‘Border-Lands’ area of SE Arizona The Geronimo Trail traverses the foothills of the Perilla Mountains, San Bernardino Valley and the western edge of the Peloncillo Mountins.
Douglas, AZ is a vibrant and proud community that was incorporated in 1905. Douglas was founded as an American Smelter town – to treat the copper ores of near by Bisbee, AZ. Douglas sits at an elevation of 4032 feet.
In 1916 the Mexcian Revolutionary Leader, Pancho Villa was active in the Douglas, AZ and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mx area – stories are told that Pancho Villa rode his horse into the lobby of The Gadsden Hotel ( www.thegadesdenhotel.com) and chipped the marble grand staircase. The Gadsden Hotel will serve as the event’s host hotel along with the awards ceremony venue.
The genesis of the Apacheria Gravel is the robust growth of the gravel event platform nationally and internationally.
The date of the Apacheria Gravel was decided after a lengthy process in critical and strategic thought. The Apacheria Gravel is the final Gravel event, west of the Mississippi for the 2024 event calendar. The event’s date – November 16, 2024 – is two weeks after the Spirit World 100 (11/2/24 – www.thespiritworld100.com ) and one week in advance of the El Tour de Tucson (11/23/24 – www.eltourdetucson.org ) as well as the premier Gravel Cycling Event in Mexico – Belgian Waffle Ride ‘Mexico,’
Please visit the event’s official website for all of the details and answers to numerous FAQ’s: www.ApacheriaGravel.com.
