BORDER PATROL

British travel writer Tim Wild heads on a pilgrimage to Arizona's gravel Mecca, and isn't disappointed

- Tim Wild

Every conversation I had about this trip involved the same preamble. No, I wasn't talking about the outdoor brand. No, not the South American region either.This particular Patagonia is less well-known than either of the above, but that's changing fast. The tiny town of around 800 people, nestled below the San Rafael Valley in Southern Arizona, near the Mexican border, has a growing reputation as one of the best gravel-riding destinations in the US. So I cajoled a photographer friend into coming, rustled up a top-grade gravel bike, and went to check it out.'

Patagonia is barely there, in the best way. One grocery store, a couple of bars, a diner... The main road to Mexico runs right through it, complete with Border Patrol cars and roadblocks for drivers headed north. It's like the town in a movie where the city slicker's car breaks down and he gets stranded - the one where two weeks later he's married a local woman and started running for mayor.

It's a charming fantasy location for a suburban British boy, and I'm tempted to just hang out in the diner with the old guys and listen to some tall tales, but that's not why we're here.

Gravel central