20 January, Bentonville - Following on from the successful ‘Women Shred’ event in 2019, Kenny Belaey, multiple Trial Bike World Champion and avid mountain biker has made Bentonville his US home, setting plans in motion to host an even bigger cycling event in 2021 - Bentonville Bike Fest, presented by Pyure - an action-packed 3 days for bike enthusiasts taking place June 18-20.
The festival itself costs nothing to enter and offers the perfect place to chill out with your friends and family while you are surrounded by free demo bikes, world-class action and access to some of the best trails around. There will be live bands, DJs and dirt shows with tons of jumps and a brand new Mama Bear pumptrack area hosting some of the best MTB and BMX freestylers around.
There will be a huge range of pro-rider talent present to encourage, teach and race (generous prizes up for grabs). Riders include Freeride pioneer Hans Rey, professional two-wheeler - Barry Nobles, multiple world trials champion Vincent Hermance, Perrine Devahive who’s a World Cup top 3 trials rider, Joacim Nyman who’s a top 8 World Cup trials rider and is going to pulverize the ‘Highest Forward Jump on a Bicycle’ Guinness World Record plus, pioneering freerider Richie Schley will be creating top-quality video reports during the event.
There will also be Anneke Beerten, multiple UCI Four Cross World Champion, Jeff Lenosky, trials and all mountain rider, Nico Vink, founder of the LooseFest Series and Red Bull Rampage participant and judge. Jeremy McGhee who does pioneering work for disabled athletes alongside Mountain Bike legend, Multiple World Champion, Hall of Fame Inductee & all around Bike Enthusiast Brian Lopes.
A number of brands are already committed to sponsoring the event with Gold Sponsors such as Van Dessel, OZ Trails and Univega. Other sponsors include Body Armor, WD40, Vizzy, Vital Proteins, JUNK Brands, Mojo Cycling, Supernola, Live Gnar, Milo’s Tea Company, Boost Oxygen, Impossible Foods, Dig Clothing Company and many more. They will have booths setup in the expo area for riders and visitors to learn about their products. Bike brands like Allied Cycle Works, Niner, Jamis, Pirelli, Rapha, Univega, Van Dessel and many more will bring demo bikes and setup booths to feature the hottest new items in the industry. Community partners include Progressive Bike Ramps, Pure Nutrition, Bike Bentonville, Visit Bentonville, the Walton Family Foundation and Slaughter Trail Guides.
Keep up to date with the news and the fun at:
FB - https://www.facebook.com/bentonvillebikefest/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Bentonvillebikefest/
Women Shred Athlete and Brand Focus:
Anneke Beerten
Why Bentonville Bike Fest - what made you choose this event? In 2019 I got asked by Kenny if I was interested in coaching at an event that he was working on organizing in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was going to be skills clinics just for women - Women Shred - and I immediately said yes! I loved the idea and I had heard so much about the trails and riding in Bentonville that I couldn’t wait to go and check it out myself.
What's your involvement with Women Shred? In 2019 I coached women at the first ever Women Shred event in Bentonville and I am excited to do so again this year!
What can ladies who attend on the day expect to learn and experience? They can expect a whole lot of fun!! The rides will be divided in different categories, everybody is welcome from beginner to expert and pro! The diversity of trails are great to work on skills on all kinds of different levels. We will get you out of your comfort zone a bit, work on overcoming some fears, get the adrenaline going and will have a great time shredding the trails of Bentonville! Women Shred is all about celebrating female cyclist and strengthening the female mountain bike community. Looking forward to see everyone out there!
Porsha Murdock
Why Bentonville Bike Fest - what made you choose this event? In 2019 I raced in Eureka Springs and had an awesome time. What better way to see the riding Bentonville has to offer than to include it in a fun festival!
What can ladies who attend on the day expect to learn and experience? From both the workshops and the rides? From what I saw during the first event, women can expect lots of riding and tips, tricks and helpful tools to make riding even more fun. There is someone there to answer any questions you may have. While this is my first time attending the Bentonville Bike Fest, I’m really excited to ride new trails and meet new people!
Xylena Hoppen
Why Bentonville Bike Fest - what made you choose this event? I heard from some local SoCal lady shredders that the Bentonville Bike Fest is a new, but all time event to go to! From racing, to skill clinics, to social gatherings with shredders, and last but not least the MTB community vibes are at an all time high! Seems like an event for me to go to!
What's your involvement with Women Shred? I am good friends with Anneke Beerten so I will be attending/helping Anneke’s Women Shred workshop, it will be my first time ever at a Women Shred workshop!
What can ladies who attend on the day expect to learn and experience? From both the workshops and the rides? They should expect to learn skills which they will adapt to their daily riding, get more comfortable with their riding. Experience all time positive vibes at a women’s specific event, make new friends. Meeting all time lady shredders from all skill levels, from beginner to professional lady riders! Come join the fun!
Liv Cycling US
Why Bentonville Bike Fest - what made you choose this event? We’ve been noticing Bentonville gaining popularity as a place for destination riding, as well as having great infrastructure to accommodate cyclists in the community. We believe this event will be a big hit among existing and new cyclists and we want to support its growth and success!
What was the attraction of Women Shred? With Liv Cycling being a brand led by women, for women, the Women Shred segment of the event is a natural fit for us! That is a space we are proud to be an industry leader in. We look forward to bringing fun, community, and engagement to women at the event.
How can women engage with Liv Cycling at Bentonville Bike Fest? Liv Cycling will have a dedicated space at Bentonville Bike Fest. We’ll have women from our company on site, as well as some of our elite athletes and brand ambassadors. We’ll be hosting events, clinics, women’s rides, and down to have a good time! Make sure you come say hi!
What other activities are Liv Cycling getting involved in to support women this year? Liv Cycling is a brand by women, for women, so EVERYTHING that we do is to support women and getting more women on bikes. At Liv Cycling, we seek out events that create a welcoming environment for women to ride and fully experience the adventure of the local area. Since Bentonville has become a ride destination we are excited to be highlighting this part of the US. At Liv, we always have something fun up our sleeve! Keep an eye out on the BBF schedule to join our women’s events. We look forward to bringing women together for a fun, encouraging time together and make you fall in love with riding even more than you are now!
What's On*
All American Sprint & Enduro Races
The All American race will be presented by Supernola. The sprint format is not only very exciting, its an individual sprint race on an iconic trail with the all American king and queen crowned that night and receiving a $2500 prize purse.
The enduro carries a $4000 prize purse. It will be presented by Mojo Cycling and built and designed by one of the best enduro course designers out there - Slaughter Trail Guides.
Pumptrack Demo Area
Offering free access to a huge range of demo bikes.
Women Shred Programming
Anneke Beerten and Perrine Devahive will host riding workshops to improve safety and skills for female riders.
Kids Shred Activities
Buddy Pegs will make sure kids can try out an obstacle course and see the latest in children's bicycles.
Trial Bike Shows And Competition
Trial Bike shows will be happening throughout the weekend, along with a US National Trial Competition with a $4000 prize purse. This will serve as a test event in order to become a UCI Trials World Cup in the future.
Gravel Ride
Presented by Van Dessel and with the support of our gravel partner - the dedicated team at 37 North, riders can choose a 24 or 60 mile ride to get a taste of what gravel riding has to offer. Starting with a Q&A, the ride is fully supported with a sweep car for those who face technical difficulties, plus a meal is provided upon return.
Trial Bike Guinness World Record Attempt
‘Highest Forward Jump on a Bicycle’ - Vincent Hermance, Joacim Nyman and Kenny Belaey will battle it out to see how high they can hop onto a wall. The World Record for this currently stands at 179cm which was set at Prudential Ride London by Laszlo Hegedus.
Style It Up Workshops
Nico Vink’s career started as a world cup racer almost 3 decades ago. He has travelled the world building the world's best big air dirt jumps, is a Red Bull rampage judge and one of the most respected freeriders out there. You can sign up for Style It Up workshops with Nico - He’ll give you tips and tricks to ride better, safer and cooler!
Art
In collaboration with OZ Art, there will be a number of Art installations created by well respected artists and inspired by the festival vibe. Art is a huge part of Bentonville and following the event, the artworks will be installed along the trails!
Kenny Belaey, Bentonville Bike Fest, presented by Pyure founder and CEO said: “Following the success of Women Shred we really wanted to up our game and put on an even bigger show with the hugely appreciated support of our sponsors and talented professional riders. We are really proud to offer riders the chance to experience the latest bikes, see world class shows by multiple world champions (trials, flatland, Guinness World Record and dirt). This is going to be an unmissable event for anyone wanting to race, learn or just soak up the unique atmosphere and unbeatable trails in Bentonville.”
Kalene Griffith, CEO of Visit Bentonville said: "After running a very successful Women Shred bike event for the Bentonville Film Festival in 2019, we're excited to learn that Kenny Belaey will now head up the Bike Bentonville Fest in June of 2021. As the Mountain Biking Capital of the World, we can't think of a better place for bike lovers to travel to than Bentonville, Arkansas, for this exciting and inclusive event."
Tom Walton, Walton Family Trust - supporters of Bentonville Bike Fest, presented by Pyure said: “We’ve always challenged ourselves and Northwest Arkansas communities to be innovation labs for trail building and cycling – an effort that includes diversifying ridership.”
With more than 300 miles of natural-surface trails, Northwest Arkansas has risen as a premier mountain biking and public recreation destination. When people leave the expo area of downtown Bentonville, they will roll right onto the trails. It is ideal for beginners, but also for the very advanced rider. The perfect place to experience mountain biking!
Want more racing and to see more of Northwest Arkansas? Extend your trip for a full week to check out Arkansas’s second oldest mountain bike race June 23rd-27th. The Fat Tire Festival in Downtown Eureka Springs includes newly finished Marble Flats and Passion Play trail systems, just minutes from the Lake Leatherwood trail system and campground!
*We will of course be monitoring the ongoing COVID situation and will communicate any changes or new regulations that will affect Bentonville Bike Fest, presented by Pyure as soon as we can as the safety of every person involved is our main priority.
About Bentonville Bike Fest, presented by Pyure
Kenny Belaey, multiple Trial Bike World Champion and an avid mountain biker made Bentonville his US basecamp because of ‘the best trails ever, the bike boom, great food and awesome people’.
During his 2018 visit to the Bentonville Film Festival he got the idea to celebrate women in bike videos on the big screen at Lawrence Plaza and champion women on bikes.
The idea was born to join forces with the film festival and include everything the awesome OZ Trails has to offer. The Women Shred event was born! In 2020 the event evolved into the Bentonville Bike Fest by going from a women-only event to a festival for all bike enthusiasts. “Because of Covid-19 we couldn’t guarantee the safety of our visitors and the quality for our sponsors, so we decided to postpone the festival to 2021.”
Meanwhile the town of Bentonville has been nominated as the ‘Mountain Bike Capital of the World’ because of its innovative and endless network of trails. Now the whole world is watching Bentonville and we realize this is the perfect opportunity to make this a one-of-a-kind event. In 2021 we have decided to go without the Bentonville Film Festival. We can’t wait to create a festival that does justice to this beautiful town and its status!
3/8/2021 2:30am
0 comments
To post, please join, log in or connect to Vital using your Facebook profile Login with Facebook.
