BENTONVILLE --A three-day gathering of cycling industry professionals, held Tuesday through Thursday, will look to build on Northwest Arkansas' biking reputation.
PeopleForBikes, the U.S. bicycle industry's trade association, is organizing the SHIFT'22 conference to collaborate, lead and realize the vision for better bicycling across America, according to the PeopleForBikes webpage dedicated to the event.
"We will have 300 current and future bike industry leaders learning and shaping the future of bicycling and the bike industry," said Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes.
PeopleForBikes is based in Boulder, Colo. Its mission is "to get more people riding bikes more often" and "make bike riding better for everyone."
"The fact that a group like PeopleForBikes has chosen to have this event in Bentonville is a pretty big deal," said David Wright, city Parks and Recreation director. "It's a pretty special event."
Over the course of three days, SHIFT'22 participants will network, attend educational sessions and ride world-class mountain and gravel trails, exploring the forests and scenic back roads of Northwest Arkansas, according to the webpage.
Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas cities have worked to develop the region as a destination for bicyclists. That work has involved building miles of single-track mountain trails, as well as the Razorback Greenway, a 37.5-mile paved trail that extends from south Fayetteville to Bella Vista.
A 2017 study by the Walton Family Foundation and PeopleForBikes found that 90,000 mountain bike tourists provided $137 million in economic benefits to Northwest Arkansas that year.
Dice said the conference's key themes are diversity, equity and inclusion; manufacturing and assembly in America; and sustainability and climate initiatives. Attendees can focus in specific topic areas that will help their personal and organizational growth, she said.
There are 12 venues for events and a host of speakers, according to the webpage.
"It's an honor to be named the host city for PFB SHIFT'22 and be able to share the beauty of the Ozarks and Bentonville," said Allyson de la Houssaye, executive director of Women of OZ, a nonprofit women's mountain bike group. "Women of OZ is excited to support the event with rides and educational clinics. PeopleForBikes has been a great supporting contributor to the bike culture here in Northwest Arkansas and playing a key role in helping to move the bicycle industry forward."
Visit Bentonville's website proclaims the city as "the mountain biking capital of the world."