ACROSS THE COUNTRY
How an Arkansas City Became an Epicenter of the Biking World
Buoyed by the interests of the family behind Walmart, Bentonville has become an unexpected hub for cycling.
WHY WE’RE HERE
We’re exploring how America defines itself one place at a time. In Bentonville, Ark., a thriving off-road biking network has drawn residents and tourists alike into mountain and gravel biking.
Listen for the click of a bike gear, shifting in tune with its rider. A whoosh of air as tires lift off the ground, then a satisfying thud as the bike returns to earth. The clack of a cyclist’s cleats, fresh off a ride, in the downtown square.
This is the soundtrack to Bentonville, a city of about 60,000 near the state’s border with Missouri that has dozens of immaculately kept trails for every level of biker.
“Pure joy — it’s the reason I got up at 6 o’clock this morning to be out here,” said Dani Shamburger, 33, pausing during an early Sunday ride in the woods a few miles from the city’s center. “It’s my sanctuary.”
The investment in biking has come largely from the billionaire Walton family and its business, Walmart, which is headquartered in Bentonville.
Over more than a decade, Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of the Walmart founder, have steered at least $74 million through the family foundation toward the construction of 163 miles of paths and trails for recreation and competition. Those arteries now snake through the city, connecting to hundreds of trails in the surrounding mountains.