Twenty-five years ago, Devil’s Den State Park was Arkansas mountain biking.
The park was the first in the state to welcome off-road pedal-cyclists to its trails, and its annual fall race has been popular since 1989.
One event with a $10 entry fee became - over 25 years - a full day of USA Cycling-sanctioned offroad racing and socializing known as the Northwest Arkansas Mountain Bike Championships.
The 25th annual championships will take over Campground A on Saturday.
“That probably makes it the longest continuous running mountain bike race in the state,” says assistant park superintendent Tim Scott, who is the park’s cyclist in chief.
Scott expects Saturday’s races once again will draw about 200 people, many of whom will camp overnight Friday and Saturday. But not everyone camps, so registration will be open from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and also from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday in the visitor center.
Fees vary with the rider’s USA Cycling classification: The fee for Category 1 riders is $40; for Cat.
2 it’s $35; Cat. 3 riders will pay $30 and Juniors will pay $20. All racers also must have an Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series license, and the Cat. 1 riders also need an annual USA Cycling membership. Cats 2 and 3 can buy a temporary license.
Category 3 riders will begin lapping the 5.5-mile course at 9 a.m. Saturday in Campground A, followed by Cat 2 riders at 11 a.m.
and the Cat 1 race at 1 p.m.
Racers will compete for cash and other prizes donated by BMW of Northwest Arkansas, the Friends of Devil’s Den State Park, Bank of Fayetteville, Tailwind Cyclists, Jack and Jo Anne Miller, the Scott Defoliart Charitable Mountain Bike Fund and Lindsey and Associates Realty. Other prizes include free cabins and camping accommodations at the state park.
There will also be observed trials from 3 to 6 p.m., a children’s challenge course and a cookout during the awards ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. In the trials, which will take place near the lake and the park cafe, riders will show off their skills by jumping all kinds of stuff.
The day’s format will be familiar to past participants. “Always on Saturday night we have a big feed,” Scott says. Darrell Cox will grill hamburgers for everyone, and “we’re going to break out a cake and ice cream.”
The rule for eating the ice cream is to take your own spoon and bowl and show up prepared to help crank the 5-gallon ice cream churn. Those who don’t help don’t eat.
So Scott still hasn’t acquired a bicycle-powered generator to crank the ice cream? “That’s always been the talk,” he says, but no.
Devil’s Den State Park is in Washington County near West Fork. Information about camping reservations is available at (479) 761-3325.
ActiveStyle, Pages 27 on 09/09/2013