Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Visit Bentonville holds inaugural bike summit
BENTONVILLE — The mountain biking mission in Arkansas is world domination, Gary Vernon, program officer with the Walton Family Foundation, told a crowd of municipal officials and biking advocates Friday.
The crowd of about 85 chuckled. Though the mission was jovially stated, Vernon proceeded to talk about ways to make the state the center of the cycling universe.
Attendees from around the state listened to Vernon and six other speakers at Visit Bentonville’s inaugural Arkansas Bike Summit held Thursday and Friday.
Visit Bentonville has been fortunate to send representatives to different biking conferences, but not every tourism agency or municipality is able to do that, said Kalene Griffith, Visit Bentonville president and CEO.
The summit’s purpose was to share what some places are doing efficiently and effectively in hopes other cities can benefit, she said.
Speakers addressed topics such as the economic
impact cycling can have on a community, how small cities can be a bike destination, the importance of public-private partnerships and the effectiveness of grassroots efforts.
Vernon gave a history of the trail system in Northwest Arkansas and talked about initiatives the Walton Family Foundation is supporting to continue to develop the cycling scene in the state.
The Adventure Cycling High Country Mountain Bike route should be finished and open next year, he said.
The 1,200-mile route connects Little Rock to Hot Springs, winds through the Ouachita and Boston mountains, connects to the Razorback Greenway in Northwest Arkansas and then to Eureka Springs and down to the Buffalo River.
“This is going to bring another group of cyclists to Arkansas,” Vernon said.
It will also give exposure and tourism to small towns along the routes because bikers will look for food and places to stay, he added.
Vernon said the foundation would like to see 1,000 miles of single-track trails in the state by 2020. There’s already 850 miles, 175 of which are in the Bentonville and Bella Vista area, 29 in Fayetteville and 21 in Siloam Springs, according to a map he showed.
“We’re averaging a mile of trail a week, sometimes more,” Vernon said. “It depends if it rains or not.”
There are seven points in the formula for world domination of mountain biking, he said. They include having the best trail builders working on projects, building trails in strategic locations, having innovative trail master plans, having trails that serve all skill levels, being focused in the marketing and promotion of trail systems, holding the best cycling events and making sure cycling is accessible to all.
Vernon also addressed how partnerships between organizations, government officials and volunteers are key to a successful trail system.
“You can’t just throw money at a project, build a trail and walk away,” he said. “You have to have that grassroots, volunteer effort supporting it.”
Volunteers are building the trails in Russellville, said Terry Thomas, who became the city’s parks and recreation director in March. He said he attended the summit to network and learn how to expand his city’s trail system.
His main takeaway was the importance of partnerships within and outside the city, he said.
“Anybody that can help, you have to draw them in to help because, as a city official, we can’t do it all,” Thomas said.
This is one of two events Visit Bentonville will hold this year. The other will be a food and travel summit in November. Griffith said she expects the Arkansas Bike Summit to become an annual event.