The ever-growing sport of cycling has infiltrated yet another area of Northwest Arkansas. Enter, the Rogers Cycling Festival.
The event, which all takes place in Rogers, spans Saturday to Sunday, and unlike Eureka Springs' annual Fat Tire Festival, road cycling predominates.
The festival begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with the Race for the Spike. This mass-start time trial pits man versus machine, as racers will have to out-do the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad train.
Racers will start in downtown Rogers, turn around in Avoca and head back to the start line. The goal is to beat the A&M train back to downtown Rogers. The course is 11 miles long and considerably flat.
The top male and female finishers win custom jerseys, and engraved railroad spikes will be given to the cyclists who beat the train back to Rogers.
At the same time as the road cyclists start, mountain bikers will also have an opportunity to race the train. Racers will begin on the Fleming Tract in Lake Atalanta Park and cover six miles over single-track trails. There will be a pre-race briefing at 7 a.m. Start time and awards are the same as for the road cyclists.
After the Race for the Spike comes the Wheel Sucker Team Time Trial and the Hot & Hilly Mountain Bike Relay. Both events begin at 9:30 a.m.
The Wheel Sucker Team Trial is a three-person time trial. The 10-mile course begins in downtown Rogers. Racers will ride five miles to Avoca, turn around and then finish back downtown. Teams will start according to their time of registration and in one-minute intervals. The clock stops on each team after its third rider crosses the finish line.
The Wheel Sucker Team Time Trial is USA Cycling sanctioned, so a racing license is required. A one-day license can be bought on race day for $15 or through usacycling.org.
The off-road cyclists will have an opportunity to show their stuff in the Hot & Hilly Mountain Bike Relay. The two-person relay has the first rider start at Fleming Tract of Atalanta Park and ride six miles of single track to the Rogers Bike Park complex. The second rider will ride seven miles of single track to the Fleming Tract and finish back at the bike park. There will be a Sport and Novice Category. Racers can ride to the start lines from downtown Rogers and must arrive 30 minutes early for a pre-race briefing.
Saturday's festivities finish with the Frisco 5 Poker Ride at 5 p.m. The 1.26-mile course around downtown Rogers has the riders draw a playing card at the registration area and four more at designated stops along the route. Completed five-card hands must be returned to the registration area, where the best hands will receive prizes.
Any participants who have already paid for any of the other events will receive a free entry to the Poker Ride.
Sunday wraps up the festival with the Walnut Valley Road Race. It will start with a neutral roll-out from the registration area. The course is a rolling, 6.1-mile loop; racers will complete a certain number of laps, depending on race category. The finish line will be in front of Avoca's Town Hall. A license is required since the event is USA Cycling sanctioned. A one-day license can be bought on race day, but only for the Category 4/5 race; everyone else needs an annual license.
Registration for any of the events can be bought online at rogerscyclingfestival.com through Thursday . Race-day registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday at 214 S. Arkansas St. in Rogers. Packet pickup is from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the registration area.
For more information, visit rogerscyclingfestival.com.
White River Classic
The White River 4-Mile Classic is one of 10 championship races in the Arkansas Road Runners Club of America's 20-race Grand Prix series, which turns out large crowds of runners. (Grand Prix racers gain points based on their finish; the people and teams with the most points at season's end win plaques at an annual award ceremony.)
The race begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at City Hall. A start time of 7:15 a.m. is available to walkers and slow runners. At 8:30 a.m. there will be a free fun run for children 10 years old and younger.
The course contains a series of elevation changes. The race begins with a long descent before entering rolling hills. Racers will start a steep climb just before the three-mile mark that gradually decreases before a descent of five blocks to the finish line. There will be water stations placed at Miles 2 and 3 along the course.
Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers, as well as to the top three finishers of the Masters, Grand Masters and Seniors divisions. Awards for all other age divisions will either be given to the top three or five finishers depending on age. The award ceremony will take place in the parking lot right next to the finish line.
Any male who can beat the course record of 19:45.07 for men will receive a $550 cash prize and any female who can beat the woman's record of 22:39.58 will receive $250.
Registration can be done online at wrroadrunners.org until 7:30 a.m. Friday. The online registration fee is $15 and guarantees the participant will get a T-shirt. Race-day registration will take place between 6 and 7 a.m. at Batesville City Hall, 500 E. Main St. The cost is $20 ($15 for those 18 years old and younger). T-shirts will be given out on race day until they run out.
Packet pickup will only be available on race day. Packet pickup will also take place at Batesville City Hall between 6 and 7 a.m. Racers will receive their timing chips during this time.
For more information, visit wrroadrunners.org.
ActiveStyle on 07/27/2015