If you're lining up for the Waffle at BWR Arizona in 2027, you're starting your season on a course that asks more of your bike handling than almost anything else on the gravel calendar. About three quarters of the route is off pavement, and a lot of that is terrain most gravel races steer around: sand in the bottom of washes, loose rock, and cactus lined singletrack where one bad line costs you a tire or a handful of cholla spines. The total climbing is modest for 100 miles. What wears riders down is the constant change in surface, the speed you lose every time the dirt turns soft, and the paved connectors that are just fast enough to tempt you into spending energy you'll want back in the final hour.
Race Overview
The Belgian Waffle Ride started in north San Diego County and has grown into a multi state series built around its own invented genre, the "unroad" race. Arizona joined the calendar in 2023 as the desert opener, nicknamed the Hell of the North (Desert), and it quickly picked up a reputation as one of the most technical stops in the series. Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafañe won each of the first three editions.
The 2026 edition broke that streak in dramatic fashion. Temperatures climbed to 88°F, the hottest BWR Arizona on record, and more than 600 starters were whittled down by heat and attrition. Haley Batten, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist in cross country mountain biking, used the first singletrack sector to get clear and rode alone to win by just over 13 minutes. In the men's race, Andrew L'Esperance attacked five miles in and spent most of the day off the front. Russell Finsterwald went after him solo with about 60 miles left, didn't make contact until roughly 10 miles from the finish, and then beat him by half a wheel, the closest finish in BWR history.
For 2027, BWR's own published future dates list the Arizona race on Sunday, March 7, about a week later than the 2026 race. Some third party event calendars still show a late February date, so check the official BWR site before you book travel. Arizona remains the first of four races in the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel, followed by California, Utah, and Montana, with each rider's best three results counting toward the series standings. Elite and competitive women start in their own wave, with a strict rule against drafting across the men's and women's fields, and the elite prize purse is split equally between men and women.
Course Description
BWR rewrites the Arizona course most years and publishes the final route in its Race Bijbel about a week before race day, so the details below reflect the 2026 course. Expect the same terrain and the same overall character in 2027, but confirm the specifics once the 2027 Bijbel is out.
In 2026 the race started and finished at the Four Peaks Staging Area inside McDowell Mountain Regional Park, with a neutral two mile rollout before racing began. The Waffle covered 101 miles with 6,770 feet of climbing and 75 percent unroad, according to the Race Bijbel. The 2025 Waffle was listed at 103 miles and roughly 7,500 feet, which gives you a sense of how much the route and the reported numbers can move from year to year.
The Waffle front loads its extra mileage with a loop that the shorter distances skip. That loop heads out into the Tonto National Forest on moto trails and rocky doubletrack, works through a series of named sectors including a stiff paved climb organizers call Hoefijzerberg, and passes the Sears-Kay Ruin before swinging back through the long, exposed gravel grinders around Rio Verde. Those Rio Verde miles have almost no shade or shelter from the wind, and they're where small groups tend to form and where the pace can get away from you.
From there the Waffle joins the Wafer route back toward McDowell Mountain Regional Park, and the race changes character. The back half is where the singletrack lives, including the Pemberton sector, along with a paved climb inside the park and a set of fast, loose descents. Organizers specifically flag Blue Wash as a descent to ride carefully, and they post caution signs at several other spots. The finale is an unroad sector designed to expose whatever you have left after 90 miles in the desert.
The Waffle had five feed zones in 2026, and the McDowell Mountain feed zone near the venue gets visited more than once. The feed zone next to the finish, at mile 76.5 on the 2026 course, doubles as the cutoff checkpoint. Waffle riders who hadn't reached it by 4:00 p.m. for men or 4:10 p.m. for women were pulled from the race, and the course closed at 6:00 p.m. Organizers recommend 40mm tires at minimum, and plenty of riders go well beyond that. Batten won in 2026 on a split setup with a 2.2 inch mountain bike tire up front, a 50mm tire in the rear, and a dropper post. Organizers also note that roughly 30 percent of Waffle starters typically don't finish, mostly due to flats, poor fitness, and the heat.
Forecasted Weather
Early March in the desert north of Fountain Hills is usually pleasant on paper. Average highs run in the mid 70s with lows in the upper 40s to around 50, and the area typically sees only a couple of days of measurable rain in the entire month. With an 8:00 a.m. start, the first hour of racing should feel cool, often in the 50s, before temperatures climb steadily through the morning.
The average is not the whole story. The 2026 race hit 88°F, and the heat shaped the result as much as the terrain did. There's almost no shade on the course, the sand and rock radiate heat back up at you by midday, and the exposed Rio Verde section can pick up a steady breeze. Plan your hydration and electrolytes for a hot day even if the forecast looks mild, and check the forecast in the final days before the race, since a later March date in 2027 nudges the odds toward warmer conditions rather than cooler ones.
Why This Course Rewards a Best Bike Split Plan
BWR Arizona punishes riders who race the first half like a road event. The paved sections are fast, the groups are big early, and the hard parts of the course come late, after the heat has had hours to work on you. A BBS race plan for BWR Arizona 2027 will:
- Put a ceiling on the paved connectors and the Rio Verde grinders. These are the sections where groups form and riders burn matches pulling or chasing wheels. A target set ahead of time tells you when sitting in is worth it and when following a surge costs more than it saves.
- Account for real rolling resistance in the sand and rock. A plan that treats this course like smooth gravel will promise you speeds you won't see in the washes. Surface specific Crr gives you honest time estimates, which makes your fueling and pacing decisions far more realistic.
- Protect your legs for the back half singletrack and the park climb. The most technical riding and the finale sector come after 70 plus miles, when tired riders make bad line choices and lose the most time. Arriving with reserves matters more here than banking a few minutes early.
- Show you where you stand against the cutoff. With a hard cutoff at the feed zone next to the finish, a plan that projects your arrival time takes the guesswork out of whether you're on pace or need to adjust before it's too late.
Interactive Race Plan and Course Map
This power plan was modeled for an athlete with an average CdA of 0.3406, an FTP of 250 watts and weighing 165 lbs. Want to see what your time would be on the 2027 BWR Arizona course? Try the Time Analysis feature below, where you can quickly adjust Drag, Power, Weight and Crr to your own values. Check out our demo race plan to see what a premium race plan looks like.
| Interval | Int. Time | Total Time | Int. Dist. | Total Dist. | Grade | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:34:03 | 00:34:03 | 7.40 mi | 7.40 mi | +2.68 % | 13.04 mph | 196 w |
| #2 | 00:01:08 | 00:35:11 | 0.52 mi | 7.92 mi | -4.63 % | 27.58 mph | 2 w |
| #3 | 00:00:27 | 00:35:39 | 0.19 mi | 8.11 mi | -1.88 % | 25.08 mph | 110 w |
| #4 | 00:02:28 | 00:38:08 | 1.38 mi | 9.49 mi | -6.13 % | 33.43 mph | 0 w |
| #5 | 00:17:42 | 00:55:50 | 3.24 mi | 12.73 mi | +4.34 % | 10.96 mph | 208 w |
| #6 | 00:00:20 | 00:56:11 | 0.16 mi | 12.89 mi | -7.67 % | 28.23 mph | 0 w |
| #7 | 00:23:08 | 01:19:20 | 3.52 mi | 16.41 mi | +5.52 % | 9.11 mph | 220 w |
| #8 | 00:03:11 | 01:22:31 | 1.60 mi | 18.01 mi | -6.58 % | 30.05 mph | 9 w |
| #9 | 00:03:40 | 01:26:12 | 0.48 mi | 18.49 mi | +8.17 % | 7.85 mph | 238 w |
| #10 | 00:02:27 | 01:28:39 | 1.36 mi | 19.85 mi | -7.60 % | 33.36 mph | 0 w |
| #11 | 00:02:10 | 01:30:49 | 0.24 mi | 20.09 mi | +8.42 % | 6.54 mph | 231 w |
| #12 | 00:02:01 | 01:32:51 | 0.98 mi | 21.07 mi | -7.05 % | 28.92 mph | 13 w |
| #13 | 00:12:54 | 01:45:45 | 1.97 mi | 23.04 mi | +5.01 % | 9.16 mph | 221 w |
| #14 | 00:01:11 | 01:46:56 | 0.41 mi | 23.45 mi | -2.96 % | 20.68 mph | 77 w |
| #15 | 00:08:55 | 01:55:52 | 3.08 mi | 26.53 mi | -1.85 % | 20.71 mph | 117 w |
| #16 | 00:04:57 | 02:00:50 | 1.15 mi | 27.68 mi | +1.08 % | 13.86 mph | 194 w |
| #17 | 00:00:29 | 02:01:20 | 0.12 mi | 27.80 mi | -4.85 % | 14.58 mph | 2 w |
| #18 | 00:01:38 | 02:02:58 | 0.53 mi | 28.33 mi | -1.35 % | 19.34 mph | 145 w |
| #19 | 00:00:58 | 02:03:57 | 0.34 mi | 28.67 mi | -4.27 % | 20.74 mph | 25 w |
| #20 | 00:00:29 | 02:04:26 | 0.12 mi | 28.79 mi | +2.50 % | 14.47 mph | 204 w |
| #21 | 00:02:15 | 02:06:41 | 0.66 mi | 29.45 mi | -1.65 % | 17.51 mph | 121 w |
| #22 | 00:01:22 | 02:08:04 | 0.43 mi | 29.88 mi | -2.74 % | 18.84 mph | 107 w |
| #23 | 00:00:05 | 02:08:10 | 0.03 mi | 29.91 mi | -4.33 % | 21.31 mph | 2 w |
| #24 | 00:28:40 | 02:36:51 | 10.10 mi | 40.01 mi | -1.95 % | 21.13 mph | 97 w |
| #25 | 00:02:16 | 02:39:07 | 0.81 mi | 40.82 mi | -1.91 % | 21.26 mph | 88 w |
| #26 | 00:16:22 | 02:55:30 | 4.78 mi | 45.60 mi | +0.53 % | 17.51 mph | 155 w |
| #27 | 00:01:12 | 02:56:42 | 0.22 mi | 45.82 mi | +6.27 % | 10.82 mph | 221 w |
| #28 | 00:01:31 | 02:58:14 | 0.56 mi | 46.38 mi | -3.45 % | 21.99 mph | 30 w |
| #29 | 00:01:46 | 03:00:00 | 0.56 mi | 46.94 mi | +0.80 % | 19.01 mph | 166 w |
| #30 | 00:00:20 | 03:00:21 | 0.11 mi | 47.05 mi | -4.17 % | 19.13 mph | 0 w |
| #31 | 00:34:57 | 03:35:18 | 7.84 mi | 54.89 mi | +2.25 % | 13.46 mph | 194 w |
| #32 | 00:00:30 | 03:35:49 | 0.17 mi | 55.06 mi | -5.78 % | 20.26 mph | 1 w |
| #33 | 00:00:28 | 03:36:18 | 0.18 mi | 55.24 mi | +0.23 % | 22.03 mph | 171 w |
| #34 | 00:00:34 | 03:36:52 | 0.20 mi | 55.44 mi | -4.37 % | 20.75 mph | 2 w |
| #35 | 00:02:33 | 03:39:26 | 0.94 mi | 56.38 mi | -2.78 % | 21.93 mph | 54 w |
| #36 | 00:01:38 | 03:41:04 | 0.50 mi | 56.88 mi | -0.49 % | 18.36 mph | 148 w |
| #37 | 00:00:53 | 03:41:57 | 0.15 mi | 57.03 mi | +4.85 % | 10.40 mph | 220 w |
| #38 | 00:01:20 | 03:43:18 | 0.41 mi | 57.44 mi | -2.42 % | 18.23 mph | 97 w |
| #39 | 00:00:13 | 03:43:31 | 0.08 mi | 57.52 mi | -4.13 % | 21.00 mph | 0 w |
| #40 | 00:26:59 | 04:10:31 | 7.79 mi | 65.31 mi | -0.06 % | 17.32 mph | 152 w |
| #41 | 00:04:32 | 04:15:04 | 1.56 mi | 66.87 mi | -2.08 % | 20.54 mph | 83 w |
| #42 | 00:00:48 | 04:15:52 | 0.28 mi | 67.15 mi | -3.11 % | 21.00 mph | 36 w |
| #43 | 00:00:20 | 04:16:13 | 0.10 mi | 67.25 mi | +2.41 % | 16.65 mph | 202 w |
| #44 | 00:00:54 | 04:17:07 | 0.28 mi | 67.53 mi | -3.41 % | 18.46 mph | 13 w |
| #45 | 00:00:34 | 04:17:41 | 0.16 mi | 67.69 mi | +1.14 % | 16.34 mph | 187 w |
| #46 | 00:00:19 | 04:18:00 | 0.11 mi | 67.80 mi | -5.91 % | 19.98 mph | 0 w |
| #47 | 00:02:31 | 04:20:32 | 0.63 mi | 68.43 mi | +1.91 % | 14.95 mph | 169 w |
| #48 | 00:00:12 | 04:20:45 | 0.05 mi | 68.48 mi | -10.52 % | 15.20 mph | 0 w |
| #49 | 00:00:47 | 04:21:32 | 0.10 mi | 68.58 mi | +8.35 % | 7.55 mph | 232 w |
| #50 | 00:00:16 | 04:21:48 | 0.07 mi | 68.65 mi | -8.90 % | 15.46 mph | 0 w |
| #51 | 00:00:22 | 04:22:10 | 0.11 mi | 68.76 mi | +0.89 % | 16.82 mph | 179 w |
| #52 | 00:00:20 | 04:22:31 | 0.14 mi | 68.90 mi | -7.24 % | 23.53 mph | 1 w |
| #53 | 00:00:51 | 04:23:23 | 0.20 mi | 69.10 mi | +3.92 % | 13.63 mph | 216 w |
| #54 | 00:00:30 | 04:23:54 | 0.13 mi | 69.23 mi | -3.30 % | 14.95 mph | 3 w |
| #55 | 00:00:39 | 04:24:33 | 0.09 mi | 69.32 mi | +8.80 % | 7.85 mph | 234 w |
| #56 | 00:01:16 | 04:25:50 | 0.38 mi | 69.70 mi | -3.97 % | 17.57 mph | 0 w |
| #57 | 00:01:23 | 04:27:14 | 0.23 mi | 69.93 mi | +5.27 % | 9.89 mph | 223 w |
| #58 | 00:00:54 | 04:28:08 | 0.26 mi | 70.19 mi | -1.68 % | 17.11 mph | 117 w |
| #59 | 00:01:10 | 04:29:19 | 0.24 mi | 70.43 mi | +3.95 % | 12.05 mph | 220 w |
| #60 | 00:00:36 | 04:29:55 | 0.18 mi | 70.61 mi | -4.72 % | 17.58 mph | 1 w |
| #61 | 00:02:40 | 04:32:36 | 0.49 mi | 71.10 mi | +4.22 % | 10.89 mph | 208 w |
| #62 | 00:01:08 | 04:33:44 | 0.40 mi | 71.50 mi | -4.38 % | 20.82 mph | 51 w |
| #63 | 00:01:03 | 04:34:48 | 0.18 mi | 71.68 mi | +4.45 % | 10.47 mph | 205 w |
| #64 | 00:00:30 | 04:35:19 | 0.17 mi | 71.85 mi | -4.49 % | 19.49 mph | 2 w |
| #65 | 01:10:31 | 05:45:50 | 17.65 mi | 89.50 mi | +1.39 % | 15.02 mph | 181 w |
| #66 | 00:00:28 | 05:46:18 | 0.12 mi | 89.62 mi | -2.66 % | 15.18 mph | 102 w |
| #67 | 00:11:59 | 05:58:18 | 2.35 mi | 91.97 mi | +2.09 % | 11.75 mph | 201 w |
| #68 | 00:02:07 | 06:00:26 | 0.64 mi | 92.61 mi | -2.02 % | 18.11 mph | 125 w |
| #69 | 00:18:56 | 06:19:22 | 3.75 mi | 96.36 mi | +2.17 % | 11.87 mph | 206 w |
| #70 | 00:00:17 | 06:19:39 | 0.11 mi | 96.47 mi | -3.35 % | 23.89 mph | 0 w |
| #71 | 00:00:09 | 06:19:49 | 0.06 mi | 96.53 mi | +2.50 % | 22.52 mph | 200 w |
| #72 | 00:14:32 | 06:34:22 | 5.74 mi | 102.27 mi | -2.84 % | 23.69 mph | 38 w |
| #73 | 00:02:27 | 06:36:49 | 0.84 mi | 103.11 mi | -1.41 % | 20.43 mph | 112 w |
| #74 | 00:00:15 | 06:37:04 | 0.11 mi | 103.22 mi | -7.56 % | 25.46 mph | 1 w |
| #75 | 00:00:55 | 06:38:00 | 0.28 mi | 103.50 mi | +0.60 % | 18.30 mph | 159 w |
| Totals/Avg | 06:38:00 | 06:38:00 | 103.45 mi | 103.45 mi | -0.99% | 15.59 mph | 160.81 w |
Climb Summary by Category
| Category | Climb Count | Total Time | Total Dist. | Avg. Time | Avg. Dist. | Avg. Grade | Avg. Speed | Avg. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat3 | 3 | 00:56:20 | 9.39 mi | 00:18:46 | 3.13 mi | 4.24 % | 10.11 mph | 215 w |
| Cat4 | 13 | 00:44:47 | 7.24 mi | 00:03:26 | 0.56 mi | 4.46 % | 9.87 mph | 219 w |
| All Cats | 16 | 01:41:07 | 16.64 mi | 00:06:19 | 1.04 mi | 4.42 % | 9.91 mph | 219 w |
| Climb | Start Time | Start Dist. | Duration | Distance | Speed | Power | Grade | Elevation Gain | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:00:00 | 0.00 mi | 00:01:15 | 0.24 mi | 11.43 mph | 208 w | 3.48 % | 44 ft | Cat4 |
| #2 | 00:22:21 | 5.05 mi | 00:10:06 | 1.82 mi | 10.78 mph | 205 w | 3.95 % | 386 ft | Cat4 |
| #3 | 00:38:49 | 9.75 mi | 00:15:46 | 2.62 mi | 9.98 mph | 212 w | 4.57 % | 647 ft | Cat3 |
| #4 | 00:56:49 | 13.12 mi | 00:22:30 | 3.29 mi | 8.77 mph | 223 w | 5.02 % | 895 ft | Cat3 |
| #5 | 01:22:31 | 18.01 mi | 00:03:40 | 0.48 mi | 7.85 mph | 254 w | 7.09 % | 185 ft | Cat4 |
| #6 | 01:32:51 | 21.07 mi | 00:12:54 | 1.97 mi | 9.16 mph | 223 w | 4.14 % | 465 ft | Cat4 |
| #7 | 02:55:30 | 45.59 mi | 00:01:12 | 0.22 mi | 10.82 mph | 223 w | 5.32 % | 67 ft | Cat4 |
| #8 | 03:17:15 | 51.40 mi | 00:18:03 | 3.48 mi | 11.57 mph | 211 w | 3.13 % | 611 ft | Cat3 |
| #9 | 04:25:50 | 69.65 mi | 00:01:23 | 0.23 mi | 9.89 mph | 220 w | 5.27 % | 64 ft | Cat4 |
| #10 | 04:28:08 | 70.14 mi | 00:01:10 | 0.24 mi | 12.05 mph | 220 w | 3.95 % | 49 ft | Cat4 |
| #11 | 04:30:49 | 70.80 mi | 00:01:46 | 0.24 mi | 8.23 mph | 217 w | 5.76 % | 76 ft | Cat4 |
| #12 | 04:33:44 | 71.44 mi | 00:01:03 | 0.18 mi | 10.47 mph | 201 w | 3.95 % | 41 ft | Cat4 |
| #13 | 05:47:27 | 89.80 mi | 00:01:43 | 0.27 mi | 9.21 mph | 219 w | 3.83 % | 56 ft | Cat4 |
| #14 | 05:49:56 | 90.25 mi | 00:02:13 | 0.32 mi | 8.72 mph | 225 w | 4.39 % | 75 ft | Cat4 |
| #15 | 05:54:11 | 91.00 mi | 00:01:23 | 0.23 mi | 9.72 mph | 221 w | 3.55 % | 42 ft | Cat4 |
| #16 | 06:08:18 | 94.15 mi | 00:04:52 | 0.81 mi | 9.93 mph | 217 w | 3.27 % | 141 ft | Cat4 |
Build your own personalized 2027 BWR Arizona power plan today! Sign up for a free Athlete Basic account to get started with your athlete profile and bike setup, then grab the 2027 BWR Arizona course to model your own race plan.
2027 BWR Arizona FAQs
Your target power depends on your FTP, body weight, bike setup, and finish time goal — not a generic number that applies to every rider. The variables that matter most are your current fitness, your aerodynamic position, and the specific demands of the 2027 BWR Arizona course. The best approach is to build a personalized plan in Best Bike Split using your actual athlete profile — you'll get a segment-by-segment power target based on your specific inputs rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
Every course is different and requires its own unique pacing plan. On a multi-loop course, fatigue and wind shift between laps and what felt comfortable early can become unsustainable later. On an out-and-back, headwind in one direction becomes tailwind in the other — an asymmetry a flat power target can't account for. On a point-to-point or single-loop course, you only get one pass at every section with no opportunity to recalibrate. When you create a Best Bike Split race plan for 2027 BWR Arizona, we model the specific demands of that course so your pacing strategy reflects the race you're actually doing.
Significantly — and the effect varies depending on the course profile. On flatter courses, wind and aerodynamics become the dominant variables in your speed equation, more so than on courses where gradient naturally dictates effort. On climbing-heavy courses, your power-to-weight ratio and how you manage the descents matter most. A Best Bike Split race plan lets you model the specific conditions forecasted for 2027 BWR Arizona, so your targets reflect what you'll actually face on race day rather than what the course looks like on paper.
It depends on the course and how well you pace it. Flat, fast courses offer genuine PR potential but only if you execute correctly — without terrain to naturally regulate your effort, going out too hard early is easy and costly. Technical or hilly courses reward smart segment-by-segment pacing over raw fitness. Either way, a physics-based race plan from Best Bike Split gives you a realistic split prediction based on your actual profile so you know before race day what a well-executed bike leg looks like for you specifically.
Yes — and this is one of the most underused features. Once you've built your 2027 BWR Arizona race plan, you can export it directly to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or any ERG-mode trainer for indoor sessions, or push it to your Garmin, Wahoo, or Karoo for outdoor rides. Training on your actual race plan means you arrive at 2027 BWR Arizona already knowing what your target effort feels like at every section of the course — not just what the number says on paper.
Using Best Bike Split for Gravel Racing
Coach Dave Schell of Kaizen Endurance wrote a great primer on how gravel racers should think about course modeling, from drafting value and group dynamics to equipment selection and aid station timing. It's definitely worth a read before you build your plan.
