Mountain biking event shifts gears

FAYETTEVILLE — The state’s largest cross-country mountain biking event will change venues this year.

Slaughter Pen Jam, which has been Bentonville’s top mountain biking festival and race for the past nine years, will become Kessler Mountain Jam at Fayetteville’s regional park Nov. 3-4. The single-track race is part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series across the state.

About 300 riders have attended the Slaughter Pen Jam annually, with an estimated 1,500 spectators, said David Wright, Bentonville parks director. Participation in mountain biking has increased exponentially over the last few years, and with so many events scheduled in Bentonville, it was time to switch things up, he said.

Bentonville has 10 mountain biking events lined up this year. The nearly decade-old Jam had served its purpose as a springboard, Wright said.

Moving the event to Fayetteville’s Kessler Mountain seemed like the perfect fit, Wright said. Parks and tourism officials between both cities started working over the last month or so to make the arrangement, he said.

“I want the Jam to be successful,” Wright said. “Whether it’s in Fayetteville or Bentonville or Timbuktu, I want it to be an event that’s popular and benefits cycling and promotes the sport. I hope it does for Fayetteville exactly what it’s done for Bentonville.”

Riders already frequent the Kessler trails, and construction on about 4 miles of new soft surface trail will be unveiled Saturday. The City Council in February bought nearly 230 acres near Interstate 49 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to turn into a mountain biking destination.

Studies from the Walton Family Foundation showed bicycling generated $137 million in economic benefit to Northwest Arkansas last year. Visitors spent $27 million at local businesses.

Molly Rawn, Fayetteville’s tourism director, said the city’s mountain biking story is just beginning.

“Cycling and mountain biking in particular is something that Experience Fayetteville has made it a point over the last year and a half to increase our emphasis on,” she said.

The event already has a solid history, and Fayetteville parks and tourism officials will brainstorm ways to broaden its appeal in future years, Rawn said.

Wright said Bentonville officials will help Fayetteville with anything they might need to organize the event. The two cities already meet regularly for the Square to Square bike ride.

Fayetteville, Bentonville and Hot Springs are International Mountain Bicycling Association ride centers, a designation that recognizes the best in mountain biking communities, according to the organization’s website.

Brannon Pack, director of Ozark Off-Road Cyclists, a regional mountain biking advocacy and trail building nonprofit group, said the Boston Mountains, with Kessler among them, have their own unique elevations and views.

“Fayetteville’s pretty special, man. They call it ‘on the hill’ in Fayetteville for a reason. It’s upway anywhere you go,” he said. “It should make for a fantastic mountain bike event.”