If children's bicycling activity is limited to pedaling loops around the driveway, they may be missing out. There's a whole world out there and the Big Rock Mountain Bike Festival, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, means to help them start exploring.
Presented by the Central Arkansas Trail Alliance and ArkansasOutside.com, the festival is in conjunction with Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day and has two aims:
"Getting kids out on mountain bike trails and letting them get their tires dirty, kind of like we all did when we were kids riding around," says ArkansasOutside.com owner Joe Jacobs. "And it also brings the parents out."
Jacobs notes that Pulaski County has about 60 miles of unpaved mountain bike trails ready for exploring. This year's festival will take people to see the trails of Little Rock's Boyle Park, 2000 Boyle Park Road. Alliance volunteers have done significant work cleaning up the trails around the park, to the point that, "they're pretty much better than they've ever been."
Throughout the day, experienced riders will lead children (and parents who want to ride along) on some of the easier trails in the park. For those ready for more of a challenge, volunteers will direct visitors to the tougher rides. Regardless, they'll be able to explore what Jacobs calls "an amazing place."
"I was doing some trail work there with some other folks. We're back in the woods and I said, 'Now stop a second and realize you're in the middle of Midtown. You're deep in the woods -- in Midtown. It's a wonderful place."
But there's more to the annual event than trail rides. Jacobs explains that they're making the day bigger this year.
There will be a mountain bike clinic geared toward women who are interested in the sport but want support getting started. The more general "bunny-hop" clinic will include tips to help mountain bikers who have some experience learn a next-level skill. More competitive riders can take part in bicycle drag races, and children can spin their wheels through an obstacle course sized for small bodies.
Organizers also plan demonstrations and clinics involving cyclocross, a form of bicycle racing that involves skilled bike handling -- including running and jumping while carrying the machine -- and navigation of obstacles. Jacobs says, "If you haven't seen that, cyclocross is the coolest thing to watch in cycling these days."
Add in vendors, demonstration bikes, bike repair, and it's a day full of pretty much everything bike-related for all skill and interest levels.
Participants are encouraged to take bicycles and helmets, and are welcome to pack a picnic lunch if they want, although organizers are planning to offer hamburger lunches in exchange for donations to the alliance.
Otherwise, admission is free and no registration is required.
"Be ready to have a good time," Jacobs says. "Bring the whole family."
Call (501) 707-5989 or visit arkansasoutside.com.
Triple spice
The story goes that, back in the day, Fayetteville High School's cross country team budget was a whopping $100. Something needed to be done. That something was the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival.
Now in its 26th year, the Chile Pepper has grown into a running trifecta.
"It's actually three meets in one," explains race director Jay Lewis. "It's the University of Arkansas home cross country meet, the Fayetteville Bulldogs Invitational and just the general run for anyone."
This year's festival is Saturday at the University of Arkansas Experimental Farm. It starts with the general public races at 7:30 a.m. The Chile Pepper XC 10K is a state championship race in the Arkansas Grand Prix series, so look for lots of whippets to toe the line.
College races follow at 9:45 a.m., and the junior and senior high school events begin at 11 a.m. There are different race lengths, from 5K to 10K.
In other words, it's "a big day of running."
Gathering these various groups of runners in one place on the same day creates what Lewis calls "a unique atmosphere." The high school runners are anxious to see how the college students compete. For college programs, it's an opportunity to recruit from the pool of high schoolers. They expect school teams from across the region.
"They feed on each other," Lewis says.
As for the general public, "They'll stay after and watch some outstanding races."
This year's Chile Pepper has a new event: the Tom Lewis One-Mile Friday Night Pepper Dash, 7 p.m. Friday.
"But it's a fast mile," he warns. "There'll be some guys in it who may be sub-6-minutes. It's not just a little run. It's going to be a drag race. There's some pride in it, which can be a fun thing."
While the Chile Pepper doesn't draw the attention a Razorbacks football game does, it's still a major event for the region, attracting an estimated 5,000 runners and another 4,000 to 5,000 spectators every year.
Registration is $30 for the general public races in advance, $40 for those who sign up race day. The mile dash is $15. Everyone who runs will get a free taco dinner at Jose's in Fayetteville.
The money raised goes back to area high school cross country teams. While in the past that has been limited to schools in Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville, this year they're opening it up to smaller communities such as Gentry and Prairie Grove.
Call (479) 530-5954 or visit chilepepperfestival.org.
Trailing
Mountain men generally used pack mules or their own two legs, not bicycles, but that's no reason why participants in the Greers Ferry Lake Trails Bike Ride can't invoke that can-do, adventurous spirit when pedaling their way along the Heber Springs Trails.
The road ride, with its "Ride Like a Mountain Man" theme, starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Spring Park and is a noncompetitive "fun" ride designed to show off some of the area's new bicycle trails. It may not be a race, but participants need to be strong enough to navigate some hills.
This is a no-frills ride -- no aid or water stations along the way. So riders should provide their own water and gear. Helmets are a must.
Registration is $20 and money raised will go to the Arkansas Dream Center and Breakin Bread.
Call (501) 206-8487 or visit gfltc.com.
ActiveStyle on 09/29/2014