The NW Arkansas cycling community is rolling into Spring with challenges, events, jobs and more.
📷: Trailblazers
National Bike Month Challenge
The Bike Month Challenge starts on May 1 and runs until May 31! Once you register on Love to Ride NW Arkansas, you can form a team of up to 10 people and ride against other teams to collect points, top leaderboards, win prizes and have a fantastic time. Your team could be filled with your co-workers, friends, family, best friend’s dog walker – whoever you like and they can sign up whenever they like! Know someone that doesn’t ride, but would like to? Or is that you? Excellent! New riders earn double points, so go ahead and encourage riders of all levels to join your team. It’s not about who rides the most miles; the primary focus of the challenge is riding for fun and encouraging more people to experience the joys of riding a bike.
The program is free for groups and individuals and is offered entirely virtually. Last year, NW Arkansas had 2,979 participants and 179 organizations join the challenge!
Upcoming Events
May is filled with events aimed at cyclists of all types and skill levels, here are a few:
- Cinco de Mayo Bike Ride – Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with group rides and drinks while supporting local organizations! Meet at The Meteor in Bentonville at 5:30PM, $2 from every drink sold will benefit Arkansas Latinas en Bici and Pedal It Forward. Do you have spare bikes or bike parts? Bring them to donate! You can choose from gravel, road, or mountain bike rides. All levels welcome. Bring your bike, helmet, and water. Don’t have a bike? Bikes are available upon request.
- Square 2 Square Spring Ride (all skill levels) – There are two options for this event, both in-person and virtual. The traditional in-person ride will take place Saturday, May 7 and follow the Razorback Greenway from Fayetteville to Bentonville. The virtual ride will take place May 1-31. Participants can complete their virtual ride at any point during this time frame and there is both a 15-mile and 30-mile option. Registration closes on May 4.
📷: Arkansas Latinas En Bici Facebook
📷: Joe Martin Stage Race Facebook
Upcoming Events (Cont'd)
- Adult First Ride – Taking place on Sunday, May 15 in Bentonville, this program is the only one of its kind in the region and aims to teach adults who never learned to ride a bike or had not ridden since they were children to learn in a safe, supportive, and comfortable environment. Bikes and helmets are provided for all participants to use during the class.
- Joe Martin Stage Race – The oldest continually held stage race in the U.S., will take place in Fayetteville May 19-22. Some 800 cyclists representing all 50 states and 27 nations will be competing for titles in men and women professional and amateur divisions. This is a fun spectator-friendly event!
Make a Difference
Pedal it Forward NWA and partners are hosting a city-wide Bike Drive in Springdale May 12, 13 and 14th. This drive will support the kids’ bike giveaway at the Natural State Criterium Series races this summer. Donations of new and used bikes of any size; dirty bikes; bikes with flat tires; broken shifters/brakes, missing parts; and bike components, parts and accessories can be dropped off between 8am-5pm on May 12 and 13 at Buffalo Builders Construction or Phat Tire in downtown Springdale on May 14 between 9am-6pm.
This bike drive follows the first city-wide bike drive in Bella Vista in which over 70+ bikes were donated!
📷: Pedal It Forward Facebook
📷: Trailblazers Facebook
Get Rolling on a New Career Path
- Northwest Arkansas Innovation Program Manager – PeopleForBikes (PFB) is seeking a full-time program manager for its Northwest Arkansas Bike Business Innovation team, based in Benton County, AR. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about getting more people to bike for transportation and enjoys collaborating with stakeholders within the Northwest Arkansas community to accomplish the Bike Business Innovation program’s goals. Learn more HERE.
- Program Director and Faculty, Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician Program – The BIKE Program Director will teach full-time (3-3 load) as well as lead the administrative, operational, and student success functions of the program. The Director will serve as an NWACC representative and community liaison by developing industry partnerships regionally and nationally, including in bike manufacturing, retail, and trail building, as well as with career and technology education centers, area high schools, and universities. Learn more HERE.
- Graphic and Technical Designers – Interested in the outdoors? Trails? Mountain Bikes? Do you find yourself dreaming about maps and getting sick air? If you answered yes to the above, then you should reach out. Progressive Trail Design is looking for an entry-level graphic designer and technical designers interested in trail building. Optimal applicants will have a working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk products [CAD], GIS and mapping interests. Mountain bike experience is a plus as is the desire to grow oneself and their career through contributing to the larger team. Send your resume & portfolio to Joel McCourt at: joel@progressivetraildesign.comÂ
- Seasonal Part Time Trail Crew – The Trailblazers, a non-profit organization that has developed multi-use and soft surface trails in Northwest Arkansas for over two decades, are hiring seasonal part time trail crew to help with maintenance of existing soft surface trails in the OZ Trails network. Roughly 25 to 30 hours per week, from May through August. Learn more HERE.
Make Your Voice Heard
How do you feel about the biking and walking conditions across the region?
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning has launched the Walk Bike Northwest Arkansas Public Survey to help the region and communities gather information about what people want in Northwest Arkansas in regards to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The deadline for feedback is May 31.
If you have further input please contact the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission at ebowen@nwarpc.org or call 479-751-7125.
