Enduro comes to Bella Vista
A line of riders in colorful jerseys stood looking down the gravel-coated hill, discussing techniques and equipment, trails they just rode and what laid ahead. The first of the bunch took off, kicking up a cloud of dust before disappearing into the woods.
The next rider waited to create a gap before flying down the trail as well, starting the timer as he slipped past a microchip reader and trying to keep his time as short as possible while skidding through berms, bouncing off roots and hopping over crests.
Last Sunday’s Bella Vista Enduro, the first race of its kind in Bella Vista and the third race in this year’s Arkansas Enduro series, brought several riders into town to compete for the best possible times across eight stages, or roughly 18 miles of racing.
“We sold out at 160 riders,” Oz Trails director and race coordinator Scott Schroen said. “That’s awesome.”
It was something of a beginner-level event, he said, with lines around the more intense trail features. The biggest source of drama, he said, was likely to be the Back 40’s loose gravel.
Bentonville resident Katie Brewer said she’s raced the entire series thus far. She has also raced a few somewhat informal, fun enduros when she worked at a bike shop in the Springfield (Mo.) area.
It makes for fun, fast riding, she said, and a good time in general.
“Enduros, especially, I think, are a good way to spend a weekend with people that are in high spirits,” Brewer said.
They also provide a level of support one doesn’t get on a normal weekend ride and a good chance to socialize.
This particular enduro, she said, offered excellent weather and a great venue. The Blowing Springs pavilion made for an excellent gathering space, she said, and the overcast, cool-for-July weather was great. And the stages were nothing to sneeze at and Brewer said she’s likely to ride or race in Bella Vista again.
“The stages out here were really fun, too,” Brewer said. “They’re fast and loose.”
Rich Drew, a professional rider with Pivot, said he’d be racing but he was injured in a recent bike accident, so he was functioning as MC for the event and gathering footage.
“Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean you can’t play a key role,” he said.
Drew said he moved to
Bentonville from Dallas recently because he’s been impressed with the region’s growing mountain bike scene. He also brought his business, Ride Series MTB Clinics, which he uses to teach mountain biking skills.
He grew up racing BMX, he said, and transitioned to enduro, which has a similar appeal.
It’s reasonably accessible, he said — most people with a reasonably decent bike and some equipment are ready to go.
“The speed, the fun, the community is what draws me in,” he said. “And I think that’s why everyone else is here.”
Among those racing were Bella Vista resident Kevin Tucker and Neosho (Mo.) resident Greg Capps, who both seemed to share Drew’s sentiment.
“It was fantastic,” Tucker said.
The trails felt somewhat like cross country trails with downhill elements sprinkled in, he said, though there was enough speed to be had that turns could come up faster than a rider might realize.
But it made for an exciting race, he said, and he’s fortunate to have these trails in his backyard.
Capps said that he appreciated dividing riders by age groups — it was nice to not be competing with 20-somethings.
“I know you think we’re in our mid 20s,” he said, “but we’re in our mid 40s. But you can still come out here and race like a kid.”