BENTONVILLE -- Todd Sadow could barely contain his excitement in describing the explosion of mountain biking opportunities in Northwest Arkansas.
This weekend the sport brings its best riders to the region to compete in the Oz Trails Off-Road, the fourth race of the 2018 Epic Rides series. The field is loaded with Olympians and former world and national champion mountain bikers seeking the largest cash purse in the world of $60,000.
AT A GLANCE
Epic Rides Oz Trails Off-Road
Today-Sunday
WHERE Bentonville
SCHEDULE
Friday
• Ozark 25 Fun Run 2 p.m.
• Pro Women El Yucateco 5:15 p.m.
• Pro men El Yucateco 6 p.m.
Saturday
• Ozark 50 7:30 a.m.
• Ozark 35 8:30 a.m.
Sunday
• Pro Men Backcountry Race 8:30 a.m.
• Pro Women Backcountry Race 8:40 a.m.
• Kids Fun Ride 9 a.m.
For more information: epicrides.com/oz-tr…
• Awards Party 1:30 p.m.
Sadow, the founder and president of Epic Rides, said he has never seen mountain biking -- or cycling in general -- take off as it has in the Northwest Arkansas region over the past three to five years.
"This is a beautiful thing for anyone who likes two wheels," Sadow said. "You guys are just blowing the doors off of anything the world has ever seen."
The Oz Trails Off-Road event starts today and goes through Sunday's professional race where the top male and female riders will share the cash payout equally with the first place winners pocketing $10,000 each.
Sadow stressed that the pro bikers are just a part of the overall mountain biking experience of the Epic Trails series. There will also be beginners, seasoned amateurs along with the world's top professionals all shredding the same dirt.
"We started talking about this event in Bentonville three years ago," Sadow said. "They are just doing so many things right in Bentonville for bicycling. There are some other places that are doing some nice things, but Northwest Arkansas is on a different level completely. It's unheard of."
The event opens today with its hub on the Bentonville square with cycling industry vendors, live music and more. The event ramps up even more Saturday with more live music including Big Sam's Funky Nation at 7 p.m. On Sunday the focus shifts to the pros as they take off through the Slaughter Pen and Back 40 trails then back into downtown.
Sadow, who was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, but moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he attended the University of Arizona, was a road bike racer growing up in North Texas. In college, he transitioned over to mountain biking and has been shredding ever since.
His love of the sport led him to make it a career choice, although he admits "we were not an overnight success ... far from it."
Sadow said there was a void in professional mountain bike racing from the late 1990s to the early 2000s and Epic Rides was created to bring the mountain biking community back together.
"We had a vision and we just stayed the course," he said. "We have fun and we try to keep our arms around the details and make sure the participants have a good experience and that mountain bikers have a place to come together."
Among the top cyclists to watch this weekend are Chloe Woodruff, a former Olympian and national champion, Sofia Gomez-Villafane and teammates Catharine Pendrel and Katerina Nash, both former world champions. On the men's side, current points leader Howard Grotts, Geoff Kabush and Payson McElveen are riders to keep an eye on.
Heading into Sunday's championship, Grotts leads the pro men's category over Russell Finsterwald, Benjamin Sonntag, Ryan Standish and Kabush. On the pro women's side, Evalyn Dong leads the way ahead of Crystal Anthony, Amy Beisel, Larissa Connors and Gomez-Villafane.
"This is such a perfect fit for our championship event each year," Sadow said. "The timing is there, the community and to show off this culture to our mountain biking community nationally and globally."
Sports on 10/05/2018