About the Founders
Hello World!
We are Heidi, Zander, Burchie and Big Sky. Our story began 20 years ago when we (H & Z) met at The University of Montana. Our time together has always been spent cooking beautiful meals, adventuring on foot, ski, bike, and exchanging deep conversation. After college, Heidi spent her time in Moab, Utah, running a mountain bike touring company while simultaneously racing her mountain bike on the professional level for 7 years. Zander spent the remainder of his 20's between Idaho and Alaska cooking for the National Outdoor Leadership School, among many other things. When Z finally had the guts to kiss Heidi after 11 years of friendship, at the age of 30, the two of us never looked back and quickly started operating our boutique cycling tours with The Cyclist's Menu (TCM).
We're believers in the power of manifestation and it's surely taken us to some wild places during our young careers. Hospitality has been the heart and soul of our lives for the past 10 years. Planning events and running trips is our most beloved job. We keep ourselves busy at home in Patagonia, AZ with our gravel cycling race event, The Spirit World 100, Heidi's new trail running event called The Daydreamer, and The Gravel House, our 9 bedroom hotel + 2 home rental property.
Now, 40 years old with a 2 year old little girl and a 3 year old golden retriever - we are thrilled to have some unbelievably special moments to look forward to with all of you amazing humans in 2025 and beyond.
How The Spirit World Started
In 2017 we were riding through the San Rafael Valley with guests and our dear pal, Yuri Hauswald. As we pedaled across FS Road 61 heading west towards Patagonia from Parker Canyon Lake, all we could talk about was how big this valley is, and how impactful its views, stillness, and environment are as you travel through it. We all decided Patagonia needed some sort of cycling event: a race, a ride, a gathering to bring people together in celebration of this outstanding ecosystem and the road network that exists here.
We chatted about the idea for the remainder of the trip that week, and then it didn't resurface for about 9 more months. We began thinking of why longer distance riding has impacted our lives so much, and what we called the head space in which we entered in pursuit of our adventures: the spirit world. It became apparent to us that we needed to organize an event that allowed more people to join versus a private trip with The Cyclist's Menu. At the same time, we knew we wanted to become a larger part of Patagonia's tourism-focused future.
Thus, The Spirit World was brought to life in downtown Patagonia in November 2019, a few years after that ride through the Valley that inspired us to share this place with so many wonderful people.
