On Wednesday, we made our first trip to Bentonville, Arkansas to participate in the Lifetime Series 100K MTB Little Sugar. Karel signed up for the event several months ago (when the event registration opened) and I received a free entry (thanks to my friends at Never Second). I had not ridden my mountain bike in several months so I was on the fence if I would participate in the event but after some panic riding after IM Chattanooga (4 rides in 7 days on the new flowy trail system by our house) I decided I would do the event.
We have heard a lot of amazing things about Bentonville, Arkansas. For those who don't know about Bentonville, I'll fill you in as to why this town is named "The MTB capital of the World."
- Bentonville is the home of Walmart (started by Sam Walton). The grandsons of Sam (Tom and Steuart) had become avid mountain bikers in college. As part of the Walton Family Fountain, the grandsons wanted a chunk of money to go to mountain bike trails.
- From 2008-2018, the Walton foundation donated $74 million to trail building around the region. By the end of 2023, the town had over 70 miles of trails running throughout the city. You can now find over 400 miles of award-winning trail systems around Northwest Arkansas (NWA).
- It's rare to see a bike locked up in Bentonville. Bikers have the right of way. Cars wait patiently for riders to cross the road.
- There are pump tracks, jumps, cliff drops and wooden bridges all around downtown. Trails flow through neighborhoods, golf courses and off the Razorback Greenway (which is 40 miles long!). Bentonville is Disneyland for cyclists.
- There are countless bike shops and bike-themed coffee shops and restaurants. If you show up to the Airship Coffee Shop on a bike (there are several, one in the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve) you get 10% off your bill.
- In 2022, the trail system in NWA generated over $159 million in economic impact from cycling-related jobs, tourism revenue and taxes.
- Bentonville is also known for its vibrant art scene, largely in part due to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton.
- The Bentonville Best Friends Animal Society (which operates the nations' largest sanctuary for homeless animals and provides adoption, spay/neuter and educational programs) is home to Third Space Coffee which is a fully vegan coffee shop and is located inside the Best Friends Animal Society. Of course, you can bike there.
Wednesday
We had a quick and easy travel day from GSP to XNA and a connection through ATL (on Delta). We decided to use an Airbnb instead of renting a SUV. The downside of the Uber situation in Bentonville is that several of them do not like to put two bikes in an UBER XL (SUV) but thankfully we got lucky from the airport to our Airbnb and the driver was fine with taking our two bikes, two suitcases and us. We stayed off NW J street which was 1/2 mile from Coler bike park and 1 mile from downtown Bentonville. The Airbnb had 6 different units within the building and a bike room and bike wash station. However, next time we visit we will stay in downtown as we did a lot of back and forth walking to/from downtown and there is a Walmart located in downtown. Plus the downtown is awesome with so many stores, coffee shops and restaurants.
We arrived to our Airbnb around 12pm and we had an early check in of 2:30pm. We walked downtown to eat lunch at Sunny's (appropriate). Karel got a curry chicken sandwich and I got an Acai bowl. We stopped at the Phat tire bike shop and Rapha store (yes, a Rapha store). I ordered groceries from Walmart on Monday to be delivered between 2-4pm on Wednesday and they arrived around 2pm. Karel built the bikes as we were waiting for our Airbnb check in. Around 4pm, we headed out on our bikes to Coler (which offers 16.4 miles of trails). The race starts in Coler but it's not part of the Little Sugar course. We had so much fun on the trails. We started on Esther's trail and did the loop twice and then went to Oscar's trail. This trail had a bit more rock features but I was able to get over almost everything. We rode for 90 minutes (until the sun set) and we got used to the different textures of loose rocks, dirts, rocks, some roots and did I say, lots and lots of rocks!
For dinner I had Chipotle delivered (a tradition when we travel for a race) and we enjoyed dinner around 7:45pm. We had a great night of sleep and woke up without an alarm, excited for our first official day in Bentonville.
Thursday
Around 9am, we set out to ride the first "half" of the 100K Little Sugar course. Before the ride, I confirmed with a friend of ours (Travis - who lives in Bentonville) if it was ok to ride on the highway on our way back after we reached the "top" part of the course. He said many people do it as there is a large shoulder. We anticipated a 4 hour ride and we finished up with 4 hours and 11 minutes, 38 miles and ~3600 feet elevation gain. We started off on the bike trail for 2.5 miles and then got on the road for another 2.5 miles (which was part of the bike course). We then made a sharp left turn up a paved trail and then on to the grass for our first steep climb of the day. The course was all single track with only pavement to cross the road. It was incredible to see the trail system and how it went through neighborhoods, forests, and golf courses. The ground was very rocky (loose and jagged gravel) which took some getting used to as there were so many tight turns and switchbacks, up and down, which made it challenging to find the right body position to keep the wheels from sliding. The rule with the tight turns is no front brake as the front wheel needs to turn (while the rear wheel can slide). It was really good for me to see the course as my skills were a bit rusty but they came back quickly. There was a lot of climbing so I made sure not to go too hard on the climbs so I wouldn't exhaust myself. Karel and I decided before the ride that he would ride at his own pace and wait for me at the intersections (when we crossed a road) and if there was a section that I was capable of riding over but I may struggle without Karel showing me which line to take. For this section of the course, I was able to ride over almost everything, even in the double black diamond "Technical Difficulty" trail. There were two sections that I got off my bike as I don't have the skills to do tight turns which have an obstacle right after - but that's part of MTBing. There's no shame in getting off the bike. I had a lot of fun and the weather was perfect in the upper 70's and sunny. We wore our USWE hydration packs and had a bottle on the frame. When we got to the top of the course, we refilled our frame bottles with water from the golf course bathroom and I got a Dr. Pepper to sip on for the ride home.
In the late afternoon, around 4:50pm, Karel and I went for a ~30 min run in Coler bike park. Afterwards, we walked 1 mile to downtown Bentonville and had dinner at Oven and Tap. The crust/pizza was delicious! We met up with a friend who used to live in Jacksonville and now he and his family live in Bentonville and he is a trail builder! After dinner we went to the Walmart museum.
Friday
I was looking forward to another day of riding. I didn't find Thursday's ride too challenging but little did I know that Friday would be a challenging ride! Our Greenville friends - Andrew and Ava - joined us for the ride. Ava was doing the 50K and Andrew was doing the 100K but both did the back half of the course with us. It was another 4+ hour day in the saddle and it was very challenging. We rode 40 miles (with the first 7 on the road to get to the top part of the course, where the only aid station would be located) in 4 hours and covered ~3000 feet elevation. But this part of the course was much more demanding with more technical features and the double black diamond section called the "Ledges" - which makes Technical Difficulty feel not to difficult. I had two hard falls on the Ledges but I was able to also get over some challenging features before then. But after my falls, my confidence dropped and I found myself doubting myself a lot and having to get off the bike more than I had hoped. This part of the course required a lot more energy and I was also trying to not go too hard but there were some sections that required a hard effort just to get through/over. It was fun riding with Andrew and Ava and having their company made the time pass by. After we finished the Ledges, we spotted Alexey and his dog Sir Willie so we had to say hi. Nearing the end, we biked up to "The Castle" (video for context) and had fun sending it down the trail. The ride felt like it would never end as the trails are literally endless! There was even a pump track with jumps on the sidewalk! We couldn't believe all of the trails. We finally made it back to downtown Bentonville and headed back to our Airbnb. The course was well marked (we also had the route on our computers) with pink arrows for the 100K and signs for the road crossings. In the evening, we took an Uber to Travis's house for a catered taco meal with a handful of Jacksonville people (several that we knew) as Travis used to live in Jacksonville (which is where we used to live before moving to Greenville). We left around 8:30pm.
Travis's senior dogs <3
Saturday
Although our focus was on the Little Sugar, we were so excited to watch the Ironman World Championship (female race) and follow our 6 athletes participating in the event. We had a 5 hour time difference from Kona but thanks to our VPN, we could watch the race later on on YouTube. We started the morning with an easy run to the Crystal Bridges museum to check out the Best Friends Super Adoption Event. We saw so many dogs, puppies, kittens and cats and got several freebies for our furry crew.
We ran ~5.6 miles. As got close to our Airbnb, Karel got a sandwich from Archey's Sandwichery and I went to the Harps Food Store (grocery) for a few items and walked a mile back to our place. We spent the rest of the day watching the IM World Championship (what a race!), with a quick break around 2pm to bike down the road to pick up our packet at the Coler park.
The expo had a lot of vendors so it was fun for Karel to check out different booths. Everyone was really nice at the event. I was really excited for the event (only small nerves but more excited than nervous) and went to bed around 9pm.
Sunday - Race Day!
We woke up around 5:45 and had our pre-race meal (bagel and PB/jam w/ yogurt for me and oatmeal for Karel). We did some foam rolling and mobility and left for the race around 7:15am. We arrived just before 7:30am and watched Ava and the 50K set off. The elite men went off at 8am, elite female at 8:10 and then the age groupers at 8:20am. Karel and I did ~20 min of warming up before we lined up near the front of the corral (a few rows back). It was a little chilly in the morning (in the 50's) but it was going to be a warm day in the upper 70s.
Nutrition:
Marni - consumed 4 bottles worth of INFINIT High Fructose 90g (360g carbs). I used my USWE 1.5L pack. 1 bottle of 90g INFINIT Fructose, 1 bottle 90g Never Second. 2 Never Second Gels (orange and fruit punch), a few swigs KetoneAid, 1 packet Gu Chews. Refilled one bottle with water.
Total: ~675g carbs, 182 ounce fluid (~28 ounce fluid and 101g carbs per hour).
Karel - 3 bottles (in 2L pack) with 4.5 scoops INFINIT Fructose. 1 bottle of 1.5 scoops INFINIT. Another bottle with 1 scoop INFINIT. 2 Never Second Gels (with caffeine). 1 package Skratch chews. 1 gel (100 calories). Pickle juice (from random places on the course where locals were cheering). A few sips Ketone Aid. A few sips Gatorade.
Total ~500g carbs, ~150 once fluid.
The race started pretty quickly and I found myself in a big pack near the back of the front pack. Once we hit the grassy climb, I was around a few other ladies which made me feel comfortable. I was a bit worried about being around so many other riders but I stayed calm and focused on myself as well as what was happening right in front of me. Thankfully, the first section of single track was a concrete-like single track so it wasn't too sketchy being so close to so many other riders in a single file line. I never found myself alone in the first few hours as I was always around other riders. I was able to stay in front of a few ladies as they were good technically but I was able to keep inching myself away on the uphills. I felt like I rode really well and the miles were clicking by. I passed a lot of guys on the climbs but they would often pass me on the downhills. The course is laid out really well in that there climbs are not too long (but they are steep) and the downhills can be flown at times (but often included a lot of tight switchbacks). I was so happy to have gotten through the Technical Difficulty section that I sectioned with Karel but I did have to get off my bike in the next section with the tight turn and roots right after. When I stopped, a group of guys and two ladies passed me. It took me a while to catch back up.
I made a stop at the aid station and grabbed my bag with a few more bottles to refill my flask. I really had to pee but I held it as I didn't want to waste any more time. I saw my friend Sean from Jacksonville at the aid station and got word from Karel (via text) that he got a bad flat tire (hole in his tire) and had to nurse the tire with CO2 and his e-inflator until he could get it changed at the aid station. I texted Karel that I was feeling really strong.
Next came the hard section of the course and although I was feeling good, I could tell I was getting a little tired. I needed to stay really focused and I opted to not try some of the technical segments as I didn't want to waste energy that I could use on the climbs. There was one girl (Nina) who rode the Ledges really well and she passed me right away. I was a bit nervous for the Ledges but at that point, several guys around me where walking over the technical parts which made me feel good that I wasn't the only one walking over them. I was proud of myself for getting over a fallen tree because I didn't do it on Friday because I was scared.
Around 5 hours in, I started to feel my energy dipping but I got a boost when I could see Nina in the distance. I just couldn't catch her. I continued to pass guys uphill (everyone was very nice, I would ask to pass when they had a chance and they would move over and I would pass. I would do the same when guys wanted to pass me). I ended up riding around similar people for the last few hours of the ride until I turned on my turbo gear and gave everything I could in the final climb to the Castle. I saw Nina at the top of the Castle and I was willing to give everything to try to catch her. I had no idea of my place but just knowing that there was someone ahead of me kept me focused. Around 10 minutes before the finish, I passed Nina (who has exceptional bike handling skills) and also passed another female.
I was so happy when I crossed the finish line. Even though I didn't know how I finished (place wise), I had a lot of fun, didn't crash, rode really well and raced the 60 mile event. I felt bad for Karel that he had a flat tire but he did have a lot of fun out on the course without any major health issues (ex. cramping or back issues). I was so thankful that I didn't have any mechanical issues as there were so many people with flat tires throughout the course. I don't think a few miles went by for 60 miles without seeing someone on the side of the trail with a flat tire. I had 2 CO2 and my e-inflator in case of a flat, as well as a handful of dynaplugs, multitool and spare tube.
RESULTS (~6000 feet, 60 miles)
Karel - 5:59 (10.19 mph). 23rd 40-49AG, 64th amateur
Marni - 6:41 (9.12 mph), 1st (40-49AG), 2nd amateur female, 114th amateur
We finished the event close to 3:30pm so by 4:30pm we were ready for a meal. We went to The Pedaler's Pub with our Greenville friends and the meal was delicious (I got a black bean burger and fries). We then walked across the street to The Hub for the awards ceremony. I received a slot to the Leadville MTB race next summer but I turned down my spot as we have other events planned next summer.
I was exhausted that evening and went to bed around 8:30pm. The next morning Karel packed up the bikes and we had breakfast at Table Mesa (which was delicious).
We took an Uber to the airport around 11:30am (although we had some issues as the first driver didn't want to take our two bikes in his Uber XL SUV and there were no XXL available. Thankfully the next driver took our bikes (after a lot of convincing and a nice tip). The airport is small so we were able to check in quickly and hang out in the lounge (and get some work done and eat some good food) for 2 hours before our flight home.
We can't wait to get back to Bentonville. This race really filled our cup. We love being in nature, being around laid-back, fun people and feeling accomplished. No metrics, no times. Just you vs .you vs. the trails.