Ronck claims three cycling national titles

Ooh wee, the heat outside nearly matches the heat one local racer has put on his competition this summer.

Rogers’ Preston Ronck, a 14-year-old who races for the OZ Development team, won three USA Cycling national championships this summer. An attack on the final climb led to a solo victory for Ronck in the junior men’s 13-14 road race in June in Roanoke, Va.

Just a couple weeks later, Ronck took home two gold medals at Mountain Bike Nationals at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Pa. Ronck won both the short track and cross country races in his age group.

Ronck wasn’t the only Northwest Arkansas cyclist to find success at Bear Creek Mountain. Bentonville’s Chris Drummond won the Masters 40+ short track title and finished third in cross country. Ashley Green of Bella Vista won the Masters 35-39 women’s title. And Nat Ross of Bentonville was fourth in the eMTB cross country race.

It’ll be exciting to watch the talent from the area develop over the next few years. The infrastructure these athletes have in Northwest Arkansas is second to none.

Events this month are a little sparse as summer winds down. But there’s still plenty of opportunity.

Bike clubs throughout the area are putting on the NWA Bike-a-Palooza in Springdale on Aug. 19. This event features something for everyone.

They’ve got a mountain bike ride with five pace groups, a relaxed 27-mile greenway ride, an even more relaxed 14-mile greenway ride, an 8-mile greenway ride for cargo and family bikes, a 62-mile road ride at a 20 mph pace, a 46-mile road ride at a 17-19 mph pace and a 31mile road ride with two pace groups.

The best part, your entry fee supports Pedal It Forward NWA, a group that fixes up used bikes for those in need.

You can find out more about the Bike-a-Palooza on their Facebook page, including other ways to support Pedal it Forward: facebook.com/Bikepalooza. Deadline

to register is Aug. 15.

The Arkansas State Time Trial Championships are set for Aug. 20 in Mountainburg. No need to nerd out on aerodynamics for this year’s event as this 6.66-mile course at Mount Gaylor is mostly uphill after the first mile.

Parking and sign-in will be at Mountainburg High School. Registration is available at bikereg.com.

As much as one tries to stay on top of all the various cycling events going on in the area, it’s not hard for one to slip through the cracks.

The city of Rogers has hosted the Bombsquad Summer Jam Series at the Railyard weekly since July 6.

Luckily, there’s still time to make it out to the last few weeks of the series which runs every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. through August. The events feature weekly jump and skills contests and are free to enter.

If you’re more comfortable with your two wheels on the ground, bring your chair and setup to watch the spectacle. Jump jams make for some quality cycling spectating.

Looking to dip your toe into some enduro riding? The finale of the Ozark Enduro Lite race series is Aug. 13 at Coler MTB Preserve in Bentonville. As mentioned previously in this space, these events are beginner-friendly enduro races.

Preriding and packet pickup will be available Aug. 12. DJ OZ Underground will be providing the music on race day. VIsit ozarkenduro.com for all the details.

Despite the heat, August is a good time to get out and get plenty of training miles in while there’s still plentiful daylight. September brings lots of fondos and charity rides, but there’s still plenty of racing left in the Natural State before the year ends. More on that next month.