Plan now for cycling fun in 2024

There’s no bad time to ride a bike in Arkansas. The relatively mild temperatures make it easy to get out and mash the pedals year-round. But, there’s a definite lack of organized events and races during the winter months.

December isn’t completely devoid of chances to compete on the bike.

The National Guard GRIT Beast Challenge is an off-road duathlon at Mt. Nebo State Park in Dardanelle slated for Saturday. Of course, a duathlon isn’t purely a cycling event — there is running involved.

But, the GRIT Beast Challenge does offer a team category where you can pair up with your running buddy, have them handle the running legs while you take on the mountain bike portion. Either way, a good way to keep some fitness heading into winter and a chance to ride on some of the most heralded mountain bike trails in Arkansas.

On Sunday, Conway plays host to the state cyclocross championships.

If those two races aren’t your thing, December is a great time to take a look ahead at next year’s calendar and start putting together that training plan to complete your cycling goals.

The Rule of 3, Northwest Arkansas’ largest and most unique race is slated for May 19 in 2024, but registration opens Feb. 5 and spots get snapped up quickly.

If that race is on your radar, organizers offer a couple of rides earlier in the year to help prepare you for the course that features tarmac, gravel and singletrack.

First up is the Rule of $3.99 on Jan. 20. The ride offers routes of 35 and 65 miles in Benton County. And, as a testament to how popular these events are: They are officially filled up already. But there’s still time to jump on the wait list for either distance. If you’re elevated from the wait list into the event, you’ll have to pay an entry fee of $42.10, but all of that except $3.99 will be refunded when you check in.

The second Rule of 3 primer is the Hazel Valley Rally that explores the wilds of Washington County on April 13. Registration opens Jan. 17. Check out ruleof-three.bike for all the particulars.

A new event for 2024 is the Arkansas Graveler, a six-day, 340-mile adventure tour from Fayetteville to Jonesboro set for June. This unique event will take riders to a new city each day. Each stop will feature nightly entertainment and farm-to-table dinners.

There are also plans to include off-the-bike outdoor activities along the way like fishing and archery. It’ll be a

great way to experience all the outdoor recreation our state has to offer.

The event also features incredible flexibility. You can choose to do all six days, just the first day (with free transportation back to Fayetteville) or you can just tag along and not even pedal and experience the great entertainment and food.

Registration for the Graveler opens Jan. 1. We plan to delve into the event more in the coming months, but the field is limited, so don’t delay on that registration if this interests you. Check out routes and more at arkansasgraveler. com.

Also in the news just this past week was the announcement of the 2024 UCI Gravel World Series. The Highlands Gravel Classic in Goshen remains the only race in the U.S. in the series, which qualifies riders for the UCI Gravel World Championships.

This will be the third year of the race. New for 2024 is a UCI Elite category. The elites will start separate from the amateurs. The top 25% of finishers in each age group qualify for the world championships. Of course, the cycling calendar will fill up in a hurry as always in 2024. Lots of other events have already released dates, others are making final preparations. We’ll try to break it all down for you in this space in coming months.

For this month, though, enjoy some long, cool rides, some holiday treats and get ready to crush your goals for 2024!