Riding High

RIDER NOW WORKS IN SPORT HE LOVES AS DIRECTOR

Steve Schneider of Springdale zips along the Mt. Sequoyah Woods trail in Fayetteville on Friday Dec. 20 2013.

Steve Schneider of Springdale zips along the Mt. Sequoyah Woods trail in Fayetteville on Friday Dec. 20 2013.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

— Twenty years ago, a mountain biker could use the fingers of one hand to count the miles of off-road cycling trails in Northwest Arkansas. Riders today can pedal over more than 100 miles of cycling trails that meander over hill and dale in the region.

Mountain biking has grown so much here that the sport’s leading organization has set up an oft ce in Bentonville and tabbed Steve Schneider of Springdale as a regional director.

Looking for Schneider? Check his oftce. That could be on the seat of his mountain bike one day or at a desk answering email the next, working at his job as south-central regional director for the International Mountain Bicycling Association based in Boulder, Colo. He started work in September.

Schneider, 57, not only rides, but volunteers countless hours building and improving mountain bike trails as a member and vice president of the local Ozark Off-Road Cyclists group. His work with the group prepared Schneider for his job with the international association, which promotes mountain biking in the United States and foreign countries.

A big part of his work is being an advocate and lobbyist for the sport. Schneider works with government agencies to secure places for new trails and helps cycling groups in the mid-South get them built. Schneider’s territory is all of Arkansas, southern Missouri, northern Louisiana, east Texas and eastern Oklahoma.

In the 1980s, the Fossil FlatsTrail at Devil’s Den State Park was the only trail built specifically for mountain biking, and it was only 3miles. Now, more than 100 miles of cycling trail crisscross the region.

“The potential for mountain biking for Northwest Arkansas is unlimited,” Schneider said.

“IMBA saw the need to have a regional director here.”

Construction of mountain biketrails has been almost nonstop for years and is going on now. A new trail network in the Buff alo River area is being built near Red Star. The Upper Buff alo Mountain Bike Trail System will offer 18 miles of new trail and 12 miles of restored trail on U.S. Forest Service land. The trails should open this summer.

The city of Springdale plans mountain bike paths that will tie into the Razorback Greenway. In Rogers, mountain bike trails are planned for property south of Lake Atalanta. Little Rock plans more trails, and Schneider said he is working with a group in Helena-West Helena to build mountain bike routes there.

Then there’s maintenance work taking place on trails already built. Schneider is organizing a restoration of the Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail north of Mountain View. Seventy-five volunteers will work Jan. 30-Feb. 2 to repair damage from neglect, logging and the 2009 ice storm.

BIKING BENEFITS

These days, area riders don’t have to make long trips to find exciting routes. Fact is, out-of-town bikers are traveling here in part because of so many places to ride.

“One of the coolest things we have here is that riding is year-round. In a lot of states, people don’t mountain bike in January. That makes Arkansas a great destination,” Schneider said.

All these new trails, some within biking distance of Schneider’s downtown Bentonville office, attract visitors who spend money. Schneider said a mountain biker spends an average of $300 during a weekend trip to ride in Northwest Arkansas.

The list of trails to ride for visitors or locals in Northwest Arkansas is long, Schneider said. Depending how the region is measured, there are more like 200 miles of mountain bike trail instead of 100.

Schneider’s advice for new riders is to pick beginner-level trails. Lake Fayetteville is a good choice. Blowing Springs trail in Bella Vista or the Bashore Loop of the multi-use trail at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area are good for beginners. So are the beginner-level routes of the Slaughter Pen Trail in Bentonville. Schneider said former President George W. Bush biked at Slaughter Pen in 2010.

WORKS LOCALLY

One mission of the International Mountain Bicycling Association is to connect with the nation’s mountain-bike groups and recruit them as association chapters, said Mike Van Abel, association president. In turn, chapters benefit from association assistance and resources. The Ozark Off-Road Cyclists are the first association chapter in the south-central region.

Schneider brings hisenthusiasm and energy for Ozark Off-Road Cyclists to the international association, Van Abel said. Schneider is one of eight full-time paid regional directors for the association.

“You could say he’s an evangelist for the sport because of the work he’s done with the OORC,” Van Abel said. “He’s been in the trenches as far as building trails and working with land managers.”

Ozark Off-Road Cyclists were named the Arkansas volunteer club of the year in 2012 by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Schneider may spend more time slinging a pick and shovel than riding in his work with the Ozark cyclists. The group puts in thousands of member hours each year building new trails and fi xing existing ones.

The cyclists recently refurbished the mountain bike trail at Lake Fayetteville. Trails from Eureka Springs to Fayetteville and beyond have the handiwork of these tireless bike-riding volunteers.

Trails have intrigued Schneider most of his life. He grew up in California hiking on trails in the Sierra Nevada mountains with his dad. Schneider and his wife, Margie, have hiked all overthe United States. His friend, Chuck Maxwell, got Schneider into mountain biking in 1982.

Schneider worked as a technician in a cardiovascular surgery clinic for 20 years. That job involved juggling several tasks at once. Schneider said that helps him at his job with the international association, working now in the sport he loves.

Outdoor, Pages 6 on 01/09/2014