Fayetteville is set to host the annual Arkansas High Country Race, a self-supported, 1,000-mile ultra-endurance bikepacking event, in 2020 and 2021.
Borrowing from multiday backcountry hiking or backpacking, bikepacking combines cycling through rugged terrain with minimalist camping.
The Arkansas High Country Race follows the perimeter of the Arkansas High Country Route. The route was published in 2019 by the Adventure Cycling Association with support from the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation. It connects several of the state's natural divisions in Central and Northwest Arkansas through a series of three gravel and paved road loops.
Starting from Fayetteville, cyclists will traverse the Ozark mountains east to the Buffalo National River corridor and then south into the Arkansas River valley. From the river valley, riders dip west through the Ouachita mountains with sizeable climbs and roller-coaster ridges before climbing back north through the Ozark mountains to the finish line in Fayetteville.
The Arkansas High Country Race is scheduled to officially start from the Experience Fayetteville visitor center the morning of June 6, with a community event. It's an opportunity for local cyclists to ride with some of the country's top endurance racers as they make their way out of Fayetteville along the Razorback Greenway.
Complete details, including schedule and registration, are available at www.rivervalley.ozarkoffroaadcyclists.org/races-tours.
For race information, contact Chuck Campbell, race director, at 501- 725-1377 or [email protected].
Sports on 11/12/2019