Cyclists prepare to take part in a Girls Bike Bentonville group ride. One of the group’s weekly intermediate level rides starts on the Bentonville Square at 11:15 am on Tuesdays. The group hosts regular weekly rides on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Bike-related events and rides will take center stage in Northwest Arkansas in celebration of National Bike Month.
A series of expert and family-friendly rides will occur throughout the month, and the biggest of those rides will be Square 2 Square on Saturday, May 14.
The cities of Bentonville and Fayetteville held the first Square 2 Square ride last year, drawing hundreds of cyclists who rode the Razorback Regional Greenway from Bentonville to Fayetteville. This year’s 32-mile ride goes in the opposite direction and ride participants must register on the Bike Bentonville website.
Square 2 Square is coupled with Artosphere Trail Mix, a series of fantastic events organized by the Walton Arts Center staff near the greenway on May 14-15. The Trail Mix events on May 14, which include music-, art- and nature-focused activies, will occur at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Lawrence Plaza near the Bentonville Square, downtown Springdale, Lake Fayetteville an Fayetteville’s West Avenue parking lot. The complete Trail Mix schedule provides additional details.
One of the day’s highlights will be a birthday party at Lawrence Plaza to celebrate the greenway’s completion in May 2015.
There are many other activities planned during National Bike Month across Northwest Arkansas, and it’s possible to join many local residents who participate in the National Bike Challenge. There are many other rides scheduled for May, including:
- Saturday Spin. Leisurely rides on April 30, May 7, May 21 and May 28 on the Razorback Regional Greenway, start at 9 am near the Mill Street Market in downtown Springdale. It’s a group ride to Lake Springdale and back.
- Bike to Baum. The May 1 ride takes off at noon from the Fayetteville Depot and ends at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks baseball team takes on Texas A&M at 1 pm. A similar Bike to Baum ride is planned for May 15.
- Bike-itecture Tours. Planned for May 12 in Bentonville and May 12 and May 21 in Fayetteville, riders must register to participate. They’ll learn about architecture in those cities during leisurely rides.
- Bike to the Barn. Bike Springdale will lead a group ride to the Barn Party in downtown Springdale on May 27, a monthly event that brings together musicians from all over Northwest Arkansas for a community jam session. Cyclists will meet up at Lake Springdale at 6 p.m. and ride to the grounds of the Shiloh Museum. The event ends at dusk so bike lights will make the ride back to the lake much easier.
- Ladies Du Fayetteville. The May 22 women-only race starts at 8 am at Veterans Memorial Park near Lake Fayetteille. Participants must register to participate.
