Gwen Cameron finished her first-ever bikepacking race yesterday evening, becoming the fastest woman to complete the 2026 Pinyons and Pines event in Arizona. She completed the 413-mile route in just 3 days, 13 hours, and 45 minutes. Find photos and a recap of her ride from Wyatt Spalding here…

Words and photos by Wyatt Spalding

At roughly 7:45 p.m. on Sunday evening, Gwen Cameron became the first woman to complete the 2026 edition of the Pinyons and Pines bikepacking race. Gwen completed the 413-mile route with 40,000 feet of elevation gain in just 3 days, 13 hours, and 45 minutes. She maintained a steady pace throughout the ride despite the vast challenges posed by this year’s course. Not only did she finish in first place, but this was also her first-ever bikepacking race.

The women’s race remained incredibly tight between Gwen, Sarah Didier, Katie Smyth, and Sarah Higgins until the third night, when Gwen opened a gap and took the lead. However, while Gwen stopped to rest, Sarah Didier passed her, having skipped sleep and made a big push into the Camp Verde resupply. The rest seemed to pay off, as by 12:30 p.m. on day four, Gwen was back in the lead with roughly 58 miles to go.

The race remained tight between the two until Gwen broke away on the final big climb up Mormon Mountain, securing the win. Congrats to Gwen on an incredible ride and an impressive debut into bikepack racing!

Sarah Didier arrived roughly an hour later, securing second place with a time of 3 days, 14 hours, and 29 minutes. Katie Smyth and Sarah Higgins shared third place, arriving at the finish line together with a finishing time of 3 days, 16 hours, and 42 minutes.

Kristen Alan, Cami Bohn, Allison Bohn, and Hannah Luz are still making steady progress out on one of the most difficult versions of Pinyons and Pines yet. Despite the list of demanding conditions, the women’s field has kept us on our toes with impressive rides all across the board.

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Check out the 2026 Pinyons and Pines Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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