SPRINGDALE -- The world's top pump track cyclists will compete in Northwest Arkansas this fall with the Red Bull Pump Track Championships at The Jones Center.
The announcement of the championship event came Tuesday during a groundbreaking ceremony at The Jones Center for the new Runway Bike Park. The new pump track will be the largest of its kind in North America and will be built by Velosolutions, a company based in Europe.
"Velosolutions and Red Bull got together this year and launched their inaugural Pump Track World Championships," said Mike Gilbert, chief operating officer for The Jones Center. "The final race was to be held in Sweden, but for one reason or another, that race began to become iffy. At the same time, we were in lengthy discussions with Velosolutions to build a track here."
Red Bull approached The Jones Center when it looked like Sweden would not be able to host the world championships, Gilbert said.
The sides met and worked through several issues once the track construction was cleared by the FAA, a step made necessary because of the track's close proximity to the Springdale Airport runway.
Once The Jones Center got the clearance from the FAA, Red Bull and Velosolutions met with Gilbert and other Jones Center leaders and struck a deal for the world championships to be held here this fall Oct. 12-13.
A large group of Northwest Arkansas and Springdale leaders were on hand Tuesday morning for the joint announcement. Gilbert said work on the track, which is estimated to cost close to $1.5 million, will begin next week with a target completion date of Labor Day, about six weeks ahead of the Red Bull championship.
"This is a continuing journey for us and sort of caps off the last six years," said Ed Clifford, The Jones Center's CEO. "This park will be available for all of Northwest Arkansas to enjoy."
Clifford said plans for the track started more than a year ago when a parcel of land adjacent to The Jones Center, owned by Waste Management, became available. The Jones Center tried to get Waste Management to donate the land but instead it was auctioned. The Jones Center won the auction. A grant from The Walton Family Foundation covered most of the cost of the track construction.
The pump track is one of three skills courses that will be built at The Jones Center. In addition to the world-class pump track, there will also be a flow track and a strider track for children, which Gilbert hopes to use to increase cycling opportunities in Springdale.
"The Walton Family Foundation survey recently identified that 30 percent of Springdale residents ride bikes, whereas in Bentonville it is 44 percent, and Fayetteville and Rogers are up above that as well," Gilbert said. "So what that means is that there a lot of kids in our community that don't have access to biking right now, and with all of the trails that are being built, we want all the kids in Springdale and all the adults in Springdale to have access and the skills necessary to ride these trails out in the wilderness."
The construction of the track and the decision to host the Red Bull Championships within just a few weeks of track completion made for a narrow window to pull it all together, but the staff felt like it could pull it off, Gilbert said.
"We want to be able to show off obviously our new facility, but to show off all of the biking infrastructures in Northwest Arkansas," Gilbert said. "To be able to do that on a world stage right after we open the skills park is an incredible opportunity, and we'd only have that once, so our team was game to pursue it."
Karen Minkel with the Walton Family Foundation said the new track would make cycling even more accessible to the many different cultures in Springdale, which was important to the Foundation.
"What's unique about The Jones Center park is it will enable access for the diverse community that is growing in Springdale," she said. "We think this is going to offer incredible access to the Latino population, the Marshallese population in a way that other amenities in the region can't offer."
Gilbert said the new track, when completed, will push Northwest Arkansas to the forefront as a major cycling destination.
Qualifying for the world championships began in March in The Netherlands, and other races have been held in The Philippines, New Zealand, The Netherlands, India, Japan and Germany just to name a few. There were also events held in Oklahoma City and Leavenworth, Wash.
A pump track combines rolling jumps with high-banked turns on an asphalt surface. The track is ideal for both mountain bikers and BMX riders.
Once the track is completed, Gilbert said he is hopeful that other groups will be able to utilize the facility, specifically students in elementary, junior high and high school. He is hopeful that a cycling league will emerge, similar to what the NICA racing league has done for high school and junior high mountain bikers.
The Jones Center also will be working closely with schools to bring students to the track with a bike rental program, a bike safety program and other events geared to feed the ever-growing biking population in Northwest Arkansas.
Minkel said the pump park will work hand-in-hand to teach riders starting at a young age how to properly ride the trails.
"The reason we are really interested in skills parks like this is that we think it is a gateway into really taking advantage of all the cycling opportunities across the region," Minkel said. "This is a way to develop skills in a fun environment, particularly for kids. This is a way for them to play and for their parents to be present."
Sports on 06/06/2018
