8 BRAKING NEWS
U.S. National Mountain Bike team moves to Bentonville, two gravel events return for 2023, Fayetteville reaches gold-level, Bentonville Bike Fest changes venues and Arkansas’s first U.S. Bike Route.
10
BIKE CHECK
Lucas Strain shows off the custom paint work and build of his 2019 Cannondale SystemSix.
14
Portrait photographer Ed Drew combines love of mountain biking and photography.
By Kai Caddy
23
From coffee shop to gas station stop, the ins and outs of a group ride.
By Bryce Ward26
FACTORY DAYS
A look inside the AMF bicycle factory in 1950s Little Rock from a woman who lived it.
By Stephen KochEVERY ISSUE
32 EVENTS
38 SHOPS
Painter Lucas Strain’s Cannondale SystemSix is built for speed.
NORTHWOODS TRAIL SYSTEM
Hot Springs north and west of Park Avenue Including Cedar Glades
31.5 + Miles northwoodstrails.org
LAKE OUACHITA VISTA TRAIL (LOViT) Southern shore of Lake Ouachita
40 Miles trailforks.com
IRON MOUNTAIN TRAIL DeGray Lake/ Caddo Valley
32 Miles trailforks.com
OUACHITA NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL North of Hot Springs through north of Mena 108 Miles trailforks.com
WOMBLE TRAIL
Near Mount Ida, west of Hot Springs
35 Miles trailforks.com
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KAI CADDY Editor kaicaddy@gmail.com
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MIKE SPAIN Art Director
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VANCE GARDNER SOMMER THROGMORTON Account Executives
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ROLAND R. GLADDEN Advertising Traffic Manager
SARAH HOLDERFIELD Graphic Design/Social Media
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JACKSON GLADDEN Circulation Director
ALAN LEVERITT President alan@arktimes.com
The 2023 Highlands Gravel Classic in Fayetteville will be the only UCI Gravel World Series race in the U.S. this year. The event is an official qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships.
The top 25% of finishers in 10 men’s and 10 women’s age groups will qualify for the World Championships.
“The 2023 Highlands Gravel Classic is getting an early start in terms of marketing and registration being opened to ensure that every gravel cyclist in the U.S. can get this event on their calendar to take their shot at qualifying for the World Championship race in Italy,” race director Bruce Dunn said.
The 2022 UCI Gravel World Championships was the first UCI-sanctioned gravel championship with 561 gravel racers from around the world.
Racers from 30 states have already registered. The race is open to gravel riders of all levels with all participants racing the same two courses. Men ages 19 to 59 and women from 19 to 49 will compete on a 66-mile course while men 60-plus and women 50-plus will tackle a 52-mile course. All races start and finish at Fritchie Farms, which is just east of Fayetteville.
The Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder has pushed its race date to Oct. 28, one week later than traditional.
The race, which features routes of 42, 63 and 109 miles, include sections of Forest Service roads that are normally off limits to cyclists but are available to Chinkapin Hollow participants through special permitting allowed to the event. The 109- and 63-mile courses include significant mileage in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“We are excited that the 2023 Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder is moving to a new date and on a Saturday to better accommodate participant travel needs,” race director Bruce Dunn said. “Past participant feedback has consistently raved about the quality of our gravel roads, but we’ve also heard from many that they prefer a Saturday event. We believe that the Chinkapin Hollow offers gravel racers and enthusiasts one of the best values for their dollar in this part of the country.”
All three races start and finish in the Lake Wedington Recreation area, which is located a few miles west of Fayetteville’s city limits and has been managed by the U.S. Forest Service since 1954. There will be on course support, a post event party with food and beverages, finisher swag and podium awards. There will also be equalized prize purses.
The League of American Bicyclists has designated Fayetteville a gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community, the first in Arkansas.
“The city of Fayetteville is honored to be the highest-ranking Bicycle Friendly Community in Arkansas,” Mayor Lioneld Jordan said. “This is a reflection of our community’s commitment to accessibility, equity and more sustainable practices, as well as our staff’s vision and hard work to create an extensive network of trails for both transportation and recreation.”
The League’s Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward improving cycling within communities. The designation is awarded to communities based on assessments across five key categories: equity, engineering, education, encouragement and evaluation and planning.
The gold-level award recognizes Fayetteville’s commitment
to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies and bike infrastructure.
Other Arkansas communities recognized by the League as bike friendly are: Benton and Washington counties, silver; Bentonville, Springdale, Conway, North Little Rock, Rogers and Little Rock, bronze.
The League also recognizes 61 businesses all across the state as bicycle friendly and four bike-friendly colleges and universities: the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Arkansas State University.
Visit bikeleague.org/bfa to see a complete list of award winners.
The Bentonville Bike Fest returns for its third year with an earlier date and new venue.
The event, which had been held in July previously will now be May 25-28 at the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve.
New events at this year’s festival will include the North American debut of the Mountain Bike Eliminator Pan American series. Mountain Bike Eliminator, or XCE, is a relatively new XC mountain bike race format in which four riders compete against each other over a very short course. In each heat, the two fastest riders advance to the next round, while the two slower riders are eliminated from the race.
Other festival favorites continue in 2023, including: UCI Trials C1 competition, enduro and kids enduro, other kids events, a gravel event, UCI C1 BMX flatland event and workshops from pros like Kyle Strait, Rachel Strait, Anneke Beerten and Carson Storch.
Entrance for attendees is free and bike demos are complimentary.
Meet USBR 80, a 177.5-mile bicycle route from Memphis to Little Rock, newly designated as an official U.S. Bicycle Route. The path takes cyclists from the Mississippi River in West Memphis to the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock “through rural areas and historical downtowns of the Arkansas Delta,” the Adventure Cycling Association states, “including Marianna, home of the James Beard Award-winning Jones Bar-B-Q Diner, and Stuttgart, known for its waterfowl tourism on the Mississippi Flyway.”
In December, USA Cycling announced that the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team would be setting up shop in Bentonville in a lead-up to the 2028 Olympics.
The team will utilize Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas’s network of trails and gravel for endurance fitness camps as well as skills-development camps leading into the World Cup racing season. In addition to National Team camps, USA Cycling will also host mountain bike and road Junior Talent Identification and Skills Camps in Bentonville.
The camps are made possible through a philanthropic investment by the Walton Family Foundation at the direction of Steuart Walton and Tom Walton; the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation; and the Penner Family Foundation.
“Our long-term goal is for Team USA to win the gold at the 2028 Olympic Games,” said Brendan Quirk, CEO of USA Cycling. “This investment gives us access to the infrastructure and resources we need to support our Under-23 and Junior riders. Developing these up-and-coming riders is a top priority for USA Cycling, now and in the future.
“Northwest Arkansas’s incredible network of singletrack trails and gravel roads is the perfect training ground for the National Team. Our riders love racing and training in Northwest Arkansas. By deepening our presence here, we’ll make it easier for riders at all levels to get access to our racing development pathway and pursue their athletic goals.”
In addition to serving as the center for its mountain bike operations, the city will also become the national base for its collegiate cycling operations and other functions related to the growth of grassroots bike racing across the country.
“Having training and support facilities based in Bentonville will provide our riders with an ideal launching pad to succeed on the world stage,” said Jim Miller, chief of sports performance at USA Cycling.
USA Cycling’s corporate headquarters is in Colorado Springs, Colo. It also has a European logistics base and rider housing in Sittard, Netherlands. The Bentonville satellite office will further accelerate the growth of elite American mountain bike athletes and will provide workspace for the mountain bike coaching and support staff.
HOMETOWN: Bentonville
OCCUPATION: Painter and designer
THE BIKE: A 2019, new to me, Cannondale SystemSix. It’s pretty fast. I’m always in between team bike, and I normally just ride whatever I’m given. I was swapping teams and the end of the year and I wasn’t going to have a bike for a couple of months. Normally, all I pretty much look for in a race bike is whatever is the stiffest and the most aero. And since this bike came out in 2018, I’ve wanted one. According to their white sheet it’s still as aero as the Cervelo S5. It’s used, I got [the frame and fork] for $1,200. That’s good enough for me. I’m not trying to spend $10,000 on a bike.
PAINT: Yeah, I did some crazy custom paint — a little marbilizer with a purple fade and some sparkles in the black that give it that Giger alien universe kind of feel to it.
GROUPSET: I’ve got kind of my ideal race build, which is Ultegra DI2. It works as well as Dura Ace, but it’s easier to replace something out of town if it’s crashed.
CRANKSET/POWER METER: A Rotor 30-millimeter crankset with my 55-tooth sprint chainring setup and a Power2Max power meter which is a really sweet German power meter that’s pretty accurate.
WHEELESET: Easton SL90, 38-millimeter wheels that are awesome for training and for cross-windy races.
HANDLEBARS: 34-centimeter Specialized women’s anatomically correct handlebars that are super narrow and aero. They were $37 on the Specialized website. I drilled them multiple times to wire the DI2 through them. It took a long time to find them. I was on Reddit forums a lot.
STEM: A negative 20, Zipp SL90 stem with a slam that stem top cap just to make it as low as possible. Normally I have 100 millimeter head tubes on my bikes and this Cannondale only comes with 110-millimeter. So this was just to achieve the fit I normally ride.
BOTTLES: My buddy, Jason [Gallacher], who runs Affinity Cycles just happened to have some bottles that perfectly matched it and sent them over.
KNOW THE PERFECT PLACE THAT COULD USE A SIDEWALK, OR MAYBE A TRAIL THAT NEEDS SOME TLC?
Your ideas may qualify for funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) or the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Visit our website to learn more about these grant programs administered by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
• Recreational trails
• Shared-use paths
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north little rock river trail
Fate has an interesting way of bringing things together. For Ed Drew, a fine art photographer based in Little Rock, fate has brought his camera and the mountain bike together.
After Drew’s father died and left him some money, one of the first things he purchased was a Minolta camera.
“From the moment I used that camera, it was instant love,” Drew said. “The two things in my life that I instantly fell in love with were mountain bikes and cameras.”
His most recent work is an ongoing series of Arkansas mountain biker portraits. It seems like an obvious connection, but fate sometimes takes its time.
Drew grew up in Brooklyn, New York. You won’t find any singletrack mountain bike trails in New York, but it’s where he fell in love with mountain biking.
“The first time I ever saw a mountain bike or a bike, I fell in love,” he said. “That was back when I was like 15 or 16. And I begged my father to get me a mountain bike. He finally got me one.
“I would ride my bike through the streets of New York. That was my mountain biking. And occasionally, my mom would take us out to New Jersey or upstate New York, and I could run actual dirt. Mind you, I had no idea what I was doing. I was a hazard to the trees. But that little taste of dirt and actually, the bike shop itself was a huge refuge for me.”
Drew would ride almost every day to Bayridge Bicycle World from his home in Bensonhurst.
“The first time I ever saw a mountain bike or a bike, I fell in love ... I begged my father to get me a mountain bike. He finally got me one.”
G H“RICHARD,” owner of Arkansas Cycling and Fitness, dry plate process, 4x5 shot on an Aero Ektar/Speed Graphic.
“I’d spend a lot of time in the bike shop, just staring and drooling and all these different bikes, just absolutely enamored with them,” he said.
After graduating high school, Drew spent six years on active duty in the Air Force. He took photographs throughout his active duty years and fell deeper in love with art while stationed near Tokyo, Japan.
It was when he arrived in California, though, that he decided to pursue art as a career. He enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute. His mountain bike education also grew while in California.
“Once I moved to California, and I was in the San Francisco area, I got to ride in Marin County and Tamarancho, which is supposedly the birthplace of mountain biking,” he said.
He became friends with one of the founders of mountain biking, custom bike builder Steve Potts.
In 2013, as a member of the California Air National Guard, he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he would produce his first major body of work.
“It was interesting, to say the least, to go from the middle of San Francisco and art school, to the very conservative, helicopter combat search and rescue, which kind of folds into that whole special operations lifestyle,” he said. “I’ve always been an artist or thought of myself as an artistic person. So the whole idea of creating art in everything I do, it flowed, so to speak.”
In Afghanistan, he created tintypes of fellow combat rescue airmen. A number of those original plates are now part of the permanent collection in the Smithsonian American History Museum.
Drew’s first experience in Arkansas was in 2000 when he was stationed at the Little Rock Air Force Base.
“To go to Arkansas, it was kind of a shell shock, culture shock moment for me,” he said. “But I ended up meeting my wife here. And we got married in 2001.”
While Drew was finishing up his active duty, his wife was in medical school. Her residency took the couple back to New York, but eventually she got a job in Little Rock and the couple returned to Arkansas.
“I absolutely love it. Now,” Drew said. “Back then, I was like 18-years-old, coming to Arkansas from New York City. It wasn’t really the dream for somebody from New York City.
“Now, I’m older, I’m more calm. Wiser. I like going out and doing outdoorsy stuff. I absolutely love the state. I’m always singing its praises. And it’s because it’s the truth.”
Back in Arkansas, taking mountain biking seriously and looking for his next project, it was a nudge from his wife to do something
a little closer to home that led to the mountain biker portrait series.
“Sometimes the greatest things happen without you even trying,” he said. “I’m a series-based photographer, so I go for different cultures in different sections of the state. Like I’m also doing work in the Ozarks and I started doing work in the Delta. My wife was complaining because I would have to drive like two hours to the Ozarks and two hours to the Delta. She’s like, ‘Why don’t you start a photo project that is actually close to home for once?’ So it was like, I don’t know, I guess I could do mountain biking. And that’s literally how it started. It was just that simple.”
So far Drew has mostly photographed riders from
Central Arkansas and Hot Springs. He’s also a NICA coach and has taken some portraits of the athletes at NICA races.
Drew says the invitation is open to any mountain biker in Arkansas.
“If you want to please do, and I will be happy to travel to you and photograph you and all that,” Drew said. “It’s a really flowing series.
“I want it to be as big as possible. I stress the point where I’m an artist, over a photographer, because my motivations and the concepts for the work I do are all conceptual. It’s a feeling I get like, OK, I think I’ve done enough. And honestly, this project is really, really about Arkansas. Like I said, I really love the state and
“Sometimes the greatest things happen without you even trying.”“BOBBY,” dry plate process, 4x5 shot on an Aero Ektar/Speed Graphic.
“I think shops, because growing up that shop meant the world to me, it really did. To be able to go physically to that place and see those bikes and be inspired by the bike.”
I really want to highlight its beauty and also the strength of mountain biking in the state. It’s way bigger than I thought it was.
“When I started this project, it was like, I’ll take some photos of friends and it might turn into something. And then as time went on, I met more people and I’m like, wow, this is like high school football in Texas. It’s just huge here.”
Being involved with NICA, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, has really ramped up Drew’s enthusiasm for the sport.
“The enthusiasm of the kids is what motivates me the most,” he said. “They train, they show up to training consistently. And then, you know, the parents are really into it. So all of that combined makes for a great atmosphere. And also provides motivation for me to want to do this series more. Because it really does show mountain biking is a big deal here. And I think it needs to be recognized for what it is.”
Drew’s portraits for this series have been shot on glass plates, 4-by-5 film negatives in black and white and color and he’s even done some digitally.
“I don’t want the process to dictate this series itself so much,” he said. “I think variation of processes, looking at not only black and white, but also color kind of shows the breadth of it because the colors in mountain biking are important. People spend time with their mountain bikes picking them out, they liked this color more on this or that, I thought it was kind of an interesting thing to look into.”
He would also like to include those who make mountain biking happen for the riders as well, like shop owners and local framebuilders and bike manufacturers like Allied Cycleworks in Bentonville.
“I think shops, because growing up that shop meant the world to me, it really did,” he said. “To be able to go physically to that place and see those bikes and be inspired by the bike.
“I race for the Arkansas Cycling and Fitness team. [Owner] Richard Maycheck is amazing. He’s the best guy. And the guys that work there, Frank and Robert and Tommy, all those guys are just so welcoming, and warm, and it creates an atmosphere and an outlet. And a lot of these kids when they go to these bike shops, they’re inspired by the bike shop owners and the bike shop workers. And they ultimately go for these bikes because of that. So I thought it was an integral part of the mountain biking world to include them.”
Interested in sitting for a portrait? Contact Drew at end2end@hotmail. com or on his Instagram page @ eddrewphotos. Visit eddrew.net to see more of his work.
Open your eyes. Find the snooze button. Fall to your feet. What day is it? Sunday. One more day of freedom. Wait – the group ride.
Stumble to the caffeine, fumble through the wrinkled laundry: jersey, bibs, socks — where is the other one? Chug the caffeine, climb into your second skin, stuff your pockets with food, fill two bottles with fluid, press your thumb against the tires — good enough — fasten your feet to your shoes, tighten your helmet, follow your bike to the door and exhale the conditioned air.
Push your heavy legs in circles and glide across the oily road. Feel the ground shake beneath you as a person, somewhere inside a massive machine, which protects them from the wind and hills and cold and heat, rushes by your sweat-stained body. Watch them shrink into the distance they have cheated.
Wait — what time is it?
Push your chain down the cassette and lower your head into the invisible resistance. Jovial voices and the scent of brewed coffee beans greet you when you open the door. Heads turn and watch the oddly dressed person with skin-tight clothing and loud clicking shoes waddle across the lobby of the coffee shop, toward a small congregation of brazen individuals, both young and old, who chat among themselves like land-weary sailors. The cyclists.
“It’s about that time,” one of them declares, and one by one, they gather their strange items, stow away their smartphones, and march out the door, their hardened soles clashing against the concrete floor.
The procession floats along the busy streets. Their bodies play with gravity and lean into sharp-angled turns. Their hands reach out from their sides and point where to go and where not to go, a fluid mass that contorts itself to the surrounding environment.
The sane people watch. Some look with wonder, some with scorn. Some follow with their heads, some with their eyes. But they all look at least once, even just a glance, because how can one not look at such a disruptive activity.
A group of grown adults, riding bicycles on public roads, roads designed for massive automobiles and high-speed transportation, and there they go, laughing into the face of industrial progress, willfully subjecting themselves to the toils of an antiquated machine, and slowing down the ones who seem to think life goes on forever.
Languid cattle heads rise from the grass and turn in unison to process the unfamiliar intruders; the voices push the cattle up into
a state of tense anticipation — not quite standing, not quite prone, their big round eyes and wide open ears searching for the slightest excuse to run.
But the excuse never comes; the intruders move between two long strings of barbed wire and dissolve into the distance as the wind carries away their laughter and lively voices. The cattle stoop back down to the grass and rest their heavy heads.
Like a flock of geese fleeing to warmer air, the
cyclists take turns battling the strong headwind. But instead of a V formation, they adopt a sort of W — two at the front, giving shelter to two long lines behind. In regular intervals, set into motion by the outward flick of an elbow, the two riders at the front part in opposite directions and allow the wind to drag them backward, past the conversations and labored breaths, until at last, a space opens for them.
On and on this dance goes, down unfamiliar roads and foreign landscapes. The
riders shuffle up and down their formation like pews, exchanging signs of peace with those around them: friends, acquaintances, strangers — anyone who longs to endure.
Hearts pump blood at a rate constantly above rest; legs fall in a perpetual loop; the riders cannot afford to waste their energy on worldly worries; their eyes point to the road ahead and the land around it. They share their voices without reservation, letting thoughts escape with little resistance.
The cyclists descend upon a rural gas station store, release their feet and rest their bikes against the nearest flat surface.
They swarm through the door and permeate the cramped aisles in search of nourishment, hauling their discoveries back to the front counter where a woman — head tilted down, feigning disinterest of the sudden disruption to her quiet office — peers above the frames of her glasses.
“Will that be all for ya?” slips from her mouth like “bless you” after a sneeze.
She scans the trove of product, one after another. Coke, Red Bull, liters of water, a honey bun, chips, a corndog. She doesn’t ask questions. She just scans and repeats her song to each odd traveler until the bell above the door finally subsides.
Through tinted windows she watches them: laughing and conversing with each other, excusing themselves to confused locals, recreating experiences through their hands. And she wonders.
A six-pack of Miller Lite clings against the counter.
“Will that be all for ya?”
The tired procession crests a hill that hides their home, a wide cityscape that seems so small and insignificant in the distance. Pedal stroke upon pedal stroke they push their weary bodies back into the painting, to their places among the tall buildings and weaving automobiles. But they move slow, in long labored circles, crawling up steep grades, coasting down hills, immune to the rush of time.
As they sink further into town, the herd thins. One by one, riders veer into the wind and lean into streets that return them to their worlds, to families, careers, school work, car payments and mortgages, dreams and expectations, dirty dishes and wrinkled laundry.
Release your foot. Squeeze the brake. Swing your leg around the saddle. Fill your lungs with unconditioned air. Open the door.
CRUISER: This AMF Roadmaster Nimble from the 1970s is one of the last styles of bike manufactured in Little Rock before the company moved.
By Stephen Koch
T oday, Arkansas is known as a haven for cycling, an oasis of trails and bike-friendly roads. But when AMF bicycle moved to the capital city in the mid-20th century because of a labor dispute in Cleveland, Ohio, the “Land of Opportunity” was better known for its acquiescent workforce.
In the mid-1950s, Beth Cripps, now 87, was part of that factory workforce. She was born in Murfreesboro, and grew up in Little Rock.
“I guess I was about 17, and I left school to work,” she said. “I didn’t go back for senior year — my family needed the money.”
She attended what’s now known as Central High School — and later did get her high school diploma.
Her then-boyfriend/future husband Jim Cripps had heard about the AMF company’s impending move to Little Rock, and he convinced Beth — then known as Beth Stuart — that this would be a good job for her.
“It was considered a sought-after job,” she said. “I started downtown. I was there on the very day they opened in East Little Rock, before they even moved to 65th Street.”
She soon got the impression that AMF brass from out-of-state regarded the workforce as rubes.
“They were coming to the South for the cheap labor, and there we were,” she said.
Teenage Cripps worked at AMF from 1955 to 1957.
For a period, the AMF Roadmaster bikes were a hot property, and the original location expanded a couple of times, Cripps recalls. But it soon moved to 4300 W. 65th St., with the company building a facility that could make 3,000 bikes a day. The new Southwest Little Rock factory was said to have held more than a mile of conveyor belts.
“At that time, there were a number of basic factories downtown, like Tuf Nut,” she said.
located in the Southern United States, AMF President Morehead Patterson assured a reporter for a Chamber of Commerce-style city booster booklet that the new site “will in all respects be the most modern bicycle factory in the United States both in design and production methods.” Employment was expected to reach 1,000 people when the $1.25 million-dollar plant was in full operation – with 95% of the jobs going to locals. “We regard Little Rock as the ideal spot,” Patterson said.
“Yes, this AMF Roadmaster is really a lot of bike,” an era print advertisement for the Little Rock-made 3-speed “Flying Falcon” touts, noting its “racy” front luggage carrier and standard front searchlight. “Cornering … cruising … or ‘dragging,’ nothing can beat an AMF Roadmaster. Why? Because only AMF Roadmaster is ‘Action-Engineered.’
“When [AMF] moved to 65th Street, it was one of the first, if not the first one, out there.”
There was a ‘cafeteria’ – just vending machines, really – “but a lot of us brought our sack lunch, and we would buy chips or a Coke there.”
Said to be the first major ‘cycle unit’ ever
” Potential riders were encouraged to send off for a free 36-page comic book called “Buddy Wins His Wings” that included bike safety tips and bicycle games.
Some 65% of all parts for the bicycles were made on-site; the rest were shipped in. Cripps ended up in what was called the paint shop. Workers in the paint shop were mostly women, she said, but their supervisors were
For a period, the AMF Roadmaster bikes were a hot property, and the original location expanded a couple of times.PHOTO BY KAI CADDY FOR THE LADIES: Another AMF Roadmaster from the 1970s, this one is a women's model.
exclusively white men.
“Other departments had more men workers,” she noted.
She says the paint shop “was probably the easiest and the cleanest job” at the factory. “But it was hot!”
“There was no air conditioning — but there wasn’t any air conditioning at home, either,” she said. “There was a conveyor belt; it made a long circle through my part that went through these baking ovens that dried the paint. Everything was hanging on chains.”
Cripps did decaling and silk screening on bike parts.
“I squeegeed on the decals, and there was a vat, or basin, to wash the silk screens in,” she said. “I only remember us doing two colors of bike — red and blue.”
Others in the paint shop actually did hand painting.
“One lady, with her hand and with a tiny brush, did pin-striping on all the fenders,” Cripps said. “She’d paint one side, then flip it over and paint the other side.”
The facility made bikes for other companies, too, she recalled, like Western Auto. Same bike, different decals.
Besides the relative cleanliness and ease of her department, another positive aspect
of the paint shop was a lessened opportunity for dismemberment.
“I would say the paint shop was among the safest,” she said. “Other people were there working dangerous machines. People in other departments lost fingers and hands.”
Cripps recalled one chilling incident where “one guy, who we all loved, was overcome with fumes while working in a pit and died. He was about 19 years old. His job was to move the materials around, so most of us knew him. Many of us went to his funeral. [Working
before. I thought everybody was like that.”
Cripps got married to Jim during her time at AMF, and moved away.
“I lived in Indiana for six months til I got homesick and we came back to Arkansas,” she said.
But when she returned to Little Rock, she didn’t return to the bike factory.
Despite the rough working conditions at both Little Rock sites — which included actual death and dismemberment — Cripps remembers her time at the bike factory fondly.
“Actually, I loved it,” she said. “I was young enough and dumb enough that I didn’t know what hard work was; and that was hard work.”
However, Cripps never owned her own made-in-Little Rock Roadmaster bike.
Despite its size and capacity, during her time there, the bike plant did not operate year-round — by design.
“We worked hard all year for Christmas delivery,” she said, “then we shut down for three months after, and had a Christmas party.”
Everyone went on unemployment until spring, she said.
“So we had a nice vacation around Christmas,” she said. “I’d never worked in a big factory
“I had a bike in elementary school that I got for making straight As,” she said. “And I didn’t drive then. But I didn’t have a Roadmaster.”
There were factory employee reunions over the years, Cripps said, but she only went to one.
“I would guess there aren’t many of us left now,” she said.
AMF bikes did not remain a legacy manufacturing brand for the city of Little Rock. Seeking to expand again — and, ironically, having labor disputes again, but now in Little
“One lady, with her hand and with a tiny brush, did pin-striping on all the fenders. She’d paint one side, then flip it over and paint the other side.”COURTESY OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM ACTION-ENGINEERED!: An AMF Roadmaster Flying Falcon ad targeting children from the 1950s. (COURTESY OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM)
Rock, where it had moved to avoid them — the company subsequently moved its “wheeled goods” operations to a larger site in Olney, Ill. However, AMF Roadmaster bikes manufactured in Olney were said to be of such poor workmanship and substandard quality that some bike shops allegedly wouldn’t work on them. Eventually, the company
AMF is a retro conglomerate brand with plenty of history, but its often harsh capitalistic tendencies — including how its bicycle division even landed in Arkansas in the first place — can seem all too modern. First known as American Machine and Foundry, the company was doing hostile takeovers and brand acquisitions decades before it became commonplace. Besides bikes, U.S. consumers in the 1970s could find the AMF brand on sporting goods ranging from tennis rackets to boats.
AMF even once owned Harley-Davidson, buying the vaunted Milwaukee motorcycle company as it faced a hostile takeover from a different conglomerate. At first seen as Harley’s savior, AMF became widely despised among American motorcycle enthusiasts of the era for nearly destroying the H-D brand. AMF’s Harley reign saw removal of original management, quality issues, production bottlenecks — and, in a recurring AMF theme, disputes with labor. After more than a decade of turbulent tenure, Harley-Davidson was purchased back from the company in 1981.
shifted focus to bikes for younger children.
Today, Cleveland- and Little Rock-made Roadmaster bikes are prized by some collectors for their nostalgic caliber. And two Little Rock-manufactured models are even part of the permanent collection at the city’s Old State House Museum.
Meanwhile, the bicycling world was also passing heavy-framed AMF bikes by — and well before the company divested itself from its bicycle division in the late 1990s. However, AMF Roadmaster bikes continue to be remembered fondly by a segment of mid-century nostalgists, while the company’s BMX bikes are mistily recalled by a subsequent generation. Today, the last remaining AMF brand is associated with ten-pin bowling. In fact, due to its postwar embrace of automated pin-setting technology at bowling alleys across the U.S., AMF additionally is known by sports historians as the company that killed the once-widespread profession of bowling pin setter — additionally helping set the tone for the company’s scorched-earth corporate reputation.
WILDCAT MARATHON
MARCH 18
$50-$85
Hot Springs
A mountain bike marathon race that will combine the Cedar Glades trails and Northwoods trails. The full marathon will be around 50 miles and the half marathon will be 25. Register at bikereg.com/wildcat.
NORTHWOODS ENDURO
MARCH 19
Hot Springs
Fourth stop on the 2023 Southern Enduro Tour. Visit southernendurotour.com for more details.
THE SANDTOWN SHUFFLE
MARCH 25-26
Batesville
An experience in rural Arkansas that includes two days of challenging gravel rides, live music, and food. Saturday features 30- and 62-mile route options, while Sunday there is one 55-mile route. More information can be found at bikereg.com/ the-sandtown-shuffle.
HAZEL VALLEY RALLY
APRIL 1
$40
Fayetteville
Gravel race with routes of 45 and 64 miles that starts and ends at Hazel Valley Ranch in Fayetteville After party features Bike Rack
Brewery beer, food from Devin Cole and Chamois Butt’r with stories shared by the fire. Visit www.ruleofthree.bike for more information.
IRON MOUNTAIN XC
APRIL 2
$20-$40
Caddo Valley
The first race of the Arkansas Championship Mountain Bike Series contested on the legendary trail system of Iron Mountain which is located on DeGray Lake. Race features three courses of varying distances depending on race category. More information available at ironmountainxc. com
APRIL 8-12
$66.60
Oark
A 375-mile self-supported bikepacking race in the Ozarks. Averaging more than 100 feet of elevation gain/loss per mile, riders are either buckling up for a rowdy descent or gritting teeth for a torturous climb. The loop consists of 80% gravel and 20% pavement with surface types ranging from hard-packed gravel to unmaintained OHV trails. Creek crossings, cutty connectors, and a few Arkansas High Country classics — this route has it all. The resupply run-outs are huge and cell service is mostly nonexistent. More information at ozarkgravelcyclists.com/doom
U.S. PRO CUP
APRIL 12-16
$40-$115
Centennial Park, Fayetteville
A packed week of mountain bike racing, kicking off with UCI elite men/women, U23 men/women and junior men/ women on Wednesday. There will be short-track racing for amateurs and elites Friday. Saturday is a UCI Hors Category classification for all UCI categories and is a junior XCO series designated race. The week wraps up with a full day of amateur XC racing Sunday. Visit uscupmtb.com for details.
OUACHITA GRAN FONDO FOR FAMILIES
APRIL 15
$45-$55
Hot Springs
The Ouachita Gran Fondo for Families is a 50-mile fun ride to benefit Ouachita Children, Youth, & Family Services starting and ending in downtown Hot Springs. More information is available at ouachitagranfondoforfamilies.com.
REDEMPTION ENDURO
APRIL 15-16
Eureka Springs
Final stop on the 2023 Southern Enduro Tour. Visit southernendurotour.com for more details.
MARCH 25-26
$60-$130
Oden
Now in its second decade, this unique event provides a 60-plus mile gravel race on Saturday followed by a mountain bike race on two classic Arkansas trails on Sunday. The Ouachita Trail is known for its challenging climbs, vast technical sections, and scenic views of the Ouachita River. The Womble Trail is known for its fast trails and scenic views of the Ouachita Mountains and valleys. Find more info at ouachitachallenge.com
APRIL 22
Fayetteville
$30-$40
The Iron Pig Time Trial is part of a fourevent festival which consists of a duathlon, 5K run, 1-mile fun run and the time trial. The time trial course is an out and back course on flat to slightly rolling terrain. A great early-season test. This year’s event will include a post-event food and beverages festival. Nonparticipating friends and family will have the option to purchase food and drinks. For more, visit ironpigduathlon. com
APRIL 29
Bentonville
$50-$85
A 45-mile marathon mountain bike event. The post-event party features drinks, food and music. Register at bikereg.com/ pedalers-bash.
RIDE
APRIL 29
Rogers
$20-$50
Choose from two routes on scenic Northwest Arkansas paved trails: a 15-mile family-friendly route following the Railyard Loop Trail or a 40-mile route on the Railyard Loop and Razorback Greenway to downtown Springdale and back to Rogers. All proceeds from this ride will support a Rotary Global Project to improve education in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. For more information visit rescuedesigns.org/ bike.html
APRIL 29
Prairie Grove
$50
First race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Riders will experience all sorts of gravel — smooth to more rocky as well as paved/chip and seal hard surface roads. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
BENTONVILLE GRAVEL CAMP
MAY 4-7
$675-$850
Bentonville
Join Crystal Anthony and Craig Wohlschlaeger for a long weekend gravel camp with Anthony’s whole food cooking. Mornings will entail 3-4-hour supported rides on the expansive network of beautiful
gravel roads in and around Bentonville. Afternoons will focus on educational workshops covering topics such as fueling long rides and events, making equipment choices, navigating gravel event logistics, and more. Visit crystaljanthony.com/ bentonvillecamps for more information.
MAY 6
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, Bentonville
$75-$500
An endurance mountain bike race with 6- and 12-hour options. All funds raised go back to the trail development and accessible programming at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. Visit peelcompton.org/events/ noon2moon for more information.
MAY 13
De Queen
$50
Second race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Riders will experience only slight elevation gain on this course of smooth gravel which may be a bit more chunky closer to the Cossatot River There will be sections of paved/chip and seal road as well. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
RACE
MAY 18-21
$175-$235
Fayetteville
A four-day, four-stage professional men and women’s cycling race on the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour (PRT) and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Americas Tour calendar. More information at joemartinstagerace.com.
BENTONVILLE BIKE FEST
MAY 25-28
Expo Admission is Free
Bentonville
A mountain bike expo featuring a mountain bike eliminator race, trials competition, enduro and kids enduro, gravel ride, BMX flatland race and workshops from pro cyclists. Visit bentonvillebikefest.com for more information.
BENTONVILLE BIKE FEST
MAY 25-28
Expo Admission is Free Bentonville
A mountain bike expo featuring a mountain bike eliminator race, trials competition, enduro and kids enduro, gravel ride, BMX flatland race and workshops from pro
cyclists. Visit bentonvillebikefest.com for more information.
TOUR DE BBQ
MAY 27
$45-75
Bentonville
Features 7-, 30-, and 60-mile bike rides with BBQ stops on the Razorback Greenway. Tour de BBQ benefits Dress for Success NWA, a nonprofit that empowers women toward economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and programs to help them thrive in work and in life. Register at tourdenwa.com
FAYETTEVILLE RAMBLE
MAY 30-JUNE 2
$900
Fayetteville
Ramble Rides are catered and fully supported events. The Fayetteville Ramble will be four days of riding and three nights of camping. All meals, drinks and snacks are provided the morning of departure through arrival back to our start location. Riders are allowed an 80-liter camp bag for gear and clothing. Staff will carry bags to camps. Register at bikereg.com/fayettville-rambleride
NATURAL STATE CRITERIUM SERIES
MAY 31
$10-$25
Springdale
Criterium racing in the heart of downtown Springdale. Five race options, including a race for first-time crit racers. Register at bikereg.com/natural-state-criterium-seriesspringdale.
THE DELTA DASH
JUNE 17
$50
Wynne
Third race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
TRUE GRIT RIDE
JUNE 17
$55
Fort Smith
Road event with route options of 30, 45, 62 and 105 miles of beautiful rural and rolling Arkansas scenery. Visit truegritride.com for more info.
HIGHLANDS
JUNE 24
$70-$80
Fayetteville
The Highlands Gravel Classic is the only USA qualifier for the Trek UCI Gravel
Monument Trails are a collection of world-class mountain biking destinations in Arkansas State Parks. These multi-use trails are open at Devil’s Den State Park, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, Mount Nebo State Park and Pinnacle Mountain State Park, offering enduring outdoor experiences to trail riders of all skill levels. Visit MonumentTrails.com for more information.
Cyclists from all over the world come to Fayetteville, Arkansas to experience some of the best gravel cycling trails you can explore on two wheels.
Situated in the foothills of the Boston Mountains and the Ozark National Forest, Fayetteville’s landscape and terrain make it a gateway to authentic gravel adventures big and small.
The Fayetteville area boasts one of the largest county road systems in Arkansas, including more than 500 miles of gravel roads.
Accessible from Fayetteville is an unspoiled area of the Boston Mountain range of the Ozark Mountains. For cyclists, the region is rich with remote gravel road riding opportunities where hardwood tree canopies cover the roads and rolling ridgelines tower over the rivers and farmlands that dot the countryside below.
Courses range in difficulty and distance, so there is something for every skill level.
After your ride, you’ll find an abundance of bicycle-friendly restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries rich with local flavor and area hotels prepared to welcome cyclists to Fayetteville.
Fayetteville also hosts premiere gravel cycling events. The Highlands Gravel Classic in June is the only opportunity to qualify for the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in the United States, and registration is open to gravel cyclists of all levels.
For more information, including gravel cycling routes and event information, visit experiencefayetteville.com or scan the QR code .
World Series, the qualifying series for the UCI world championships in October. The top 25% finishers of ages 19-34 and then every 5-year age groups (ex 35-39) with age groups separated by gender will qualify. More information at highlandsgravelclassic.com
JUNE 28
$10-$25
Springdale
Criterium racing in the heart of downtown Springdale. Five race options, including a race for first-time crit racers. Register at bikereg.com/natural-state-criterium-seriesspringdale.
PINEY CREEK
JUNE 22
$50
Dover
Fourth race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
FLINT CREEK ENDURANCE GRINDURO
AUG. 5
$35-$50
Siloam Springs
Experience some of the best gravel roads in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. The ride features route options of 25 or 50
miles of hard-packed, fast-rolling gravel backroads. Visit flintcreekendurance.com for more information.
THE CHOCOLATE ROLL
AUG. 12
$50
Leslie
Fifth race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
TOUR DE SALVATION
SEPT. 3
$15-$60
Hot Springs
A family-friendly, multi-bike ride. Riders have the option to ride road bike only, mountain bike only or both. Several route options, including ones that include both road and mountain. Shuttle for bikes are provided at the exchange location. Visit bikereg.com/tour-de-salvation for more information.
TOUR DE TACOS
SEPT. 9
$45-75
Bentonville
Features 7-, 30-, and 60-mile bike rides with taco stops on the Razorback Greenway. Tour de Tacos benefits Dress for Success NWA, a nonprofit that empowers women toward economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and programs to help them thrive in work and in life. Register at tourdenwa.com
SEPT. 9
$50
Conway
JULY 26
$10-$25 Springdale
Criterium racing in the heart of downtown Springdale. Five race options, including a race for first-time crit racers. Register at bikereg.com/natural-state-criterium-seriesspringdale.
sending a student to summer camp. Visit theriverclassic.com for more information.
SEPT. 23
$35-$110
Little Rock
Arkansas’s largest cycling tour offers several routes between 15 and 105 miles, with beautiful mountain and river scenery, as well as a few challenging hills on the longer routes. Visit thebigdambridge100.com for more information.
OCT. 14
$50
Paragould
Seventh race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
BIG SUGAR
OCT. 21
Bentonville
The final race of the Lifetime Grand Prix. Big Sugar is a 107-mile course that follows Sugar Creek and through the bluffs and hollows of Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. A 50-mile Little Sugar route option is also available. Registration opens at 6 p.m. on March 1. Visit bigsugargravel.com for more information.
GRINDER
OCT. 28
$55-$75
Fayetteville
Sixth race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries. com for more information.
SEPT. 16
$45-$600
Little Rock
Four route options (20, 40, 55 and 64 miles) benefiting YoungLife’s Little Rock Southside ministry. All registration fees go directly toward
Three route options of 42, 63 and 109 miles starting and finishing at the Lake Wedington Recreation Area just outside of Fayetteville. The 63- and 109-mile routes will also dip into Oklahoma. Payouts are five deep for men and women in the 109-mile race. Food and drink will be available at the finish. Visit chinkapinhollow.com to register and for more information.
GÜDRUN MTB FESTIVAL
NOV. 10-12
Hot Springs
The fifth annual three-day Northwoods mountain bike festival. Events include a downtown slow roll, full and mini enduros, a jump jam and the Atilla the Hun XC race. Visit northwoodstrails.org for more information.
THE SILOAM SHUFFLE
NOV. 18
$50
Siloam Springs
Eighth race in the Arkansas Gravel Series. Visit arkansasgravelseries.com for more information.
ARKANSAS CYCLING & FITNESS
315 N. Bowman, Suites 6-9 501-221-BIKE (2453) arkansascycling.com
THE COMMUNITY BICYCLIST
7509 Cantrell Road, Suite 118 501-663-7300 thecommunitybicyclist.com
PEDEGO ELECTRIC BIKES
2017 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-747-1633
pedegoelectricbikes.com
ROCK TOWN RIVER
OUTFITTERS (RENTAL)
Little Maumelle River Boat
Launch
501-831-0548 rocktownriveroutfitters.com
SHIFT MODERN CYCLERY
1101 W. Markham St. 501-683-8400 shiftmoderncyclery.com
SOUTHWEST BIKE SHOP
7121 Baseline Road 501-562-1866
SPOKES GIANT LITTLE ROCK
11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 607 501-508-5566 spokesgiant.com
TREK BICYCLE OF LITTLE
ROCK 10300 Rodney Parham Road 501-224-7651 trekbikes.com
ANGRY DAVE’S BICYCLES
3217 John F. Kennedy Blvd. 501-753-4990 angrydavesbicycles.com
RECYCLE BIKES FOR KIDS
717 E. 10th St. 501-563-8264 recyclebikesforkids.org
HOLY ROLLER UNITED
108 N. East St. 501-672-4110 hollyrollerunited.com
ARKANSAS CYCLING & FITNESS
3010 E. Kiehl Ave. 501-834-5787 arkansascycling.com
J&P BIKE SHOP
7910 Hwy. 107 501-835-4814 jandpbikeshop.com
THE RIDE
2100 Meadowlake Road, No. 2 501-764-4500 therideonline.net
HOT SPRINGS
HOT SPRINGS BICYCLE
TOURING COMPANY
436 Broadway St. 501-276-2175
facebook.com/hotspringsbicycletouringcompany
PARKSIDE CYCLE
719 Whittington Ave. 501-623-6188 parksidecycle.com
SPA CITY CYCLING
873 Park Ave. 501-463-9364 spacitycycling.com
SEARCY
THE BIKE LANE
2116 W. Beebe-Capps Expressway 501-305-3915 thebikelane.cc
HEBER SPRINGS
SULPHUR CREEK OUTFITTERS 1520 Highway 25B 501-691-0138 screekoutfitters.com
BATESVILLE
LYON COLLEGE BIKE SHOP 301 23rd St. 870-307-7529 lyon.edu/bikes
JONESBORO
GEARHEAD CYCLE HOUSE 231 S. Main St. 870-336-2453 facebook.com/gearheadcycling
RUSSELLVILLE
JACKALOPE CYCLING
103 N. Commerce Ave. 479-890-4950 facebook.com/jackalopecycling
FORT SMITH
CHAMPION CYCLING & FITNESS
5500 Massard Road 479-484-7500
championcycling.com
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
1700 Rogers Ave. 479-222-6796 phattirebikeshop.com
ROLL ON BMX AND SKATE 1907 Cavanaugh Road 479-974-1235 rollonbmx.business.site
THE WOODSMAN COMPANY
5609 Rogers Ave, Suite D 479-452-3-559 thewoodsmancompany.com
SILOAM SPRINGS
DOGWOOD JUNCTION
4650 Hwy 412 East 479-524-6605 dogwoodjunction.biz
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
101 S. Broadway St. 479-373-1458 phattirebikeshop.com
EUREKA SPRINGS
ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS
152 West Van Buren St. 479-253-0900
FAYETTEVILLE
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
3775 N. Mall Ave. 479-966-4308 phattirebikeshop.com
THE BIKE ROUTE
3660 N. Front St., Suite 2 479-966-4050 facebook.com/thebikeroute
THE HIGHROLLER CYCLERY
322 W. Spring St. 479-442-9311 highrollercyclery.com
SPRINGDALE
LEWIS & CLARK OUTFITTERS
4915 S. Thompson St. 479-756-1344 gooutandplay.com
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
101 W. Johnson Ave., Suite B. 479-717-2073 phattirebikeshop.com
ROGERS
BEAVER LAKE OUTDOOR CENTER (RENTALS)
14434 E. State Hwy. 12 479-877-4984 beaverlakeoutdoorcenter.com
MAGNOLIA CYCLES
216 E. Chestnut St. 479-278-2249 magnoliacycles.com
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
321 S. Arkansas St. 479-899-6188 phattirebikeshop.com
THE HIGHROLLER CYCLERY 402 S. Metro Parkway 479-254-9800 highrollercyclery.com
BENTONVILLE
BENTONVILLE BICYCLE CO.
813 W. Central Ave. 479-268-3870 bentonvillebicyclecompany.com
BIKE SHOP JOE’S 1206 SE Moberly Lane, Suite 6 479-709-2242 bikeshopjoes.com
BUDDY PEGS FAMILY BICYCLE HQ
3605 NW Wishing Springs Road 479-268-4030
buggypegs.com
CUSTOM CRUZERS PREMIUM
E-BIKES
10636 Hwy. 72 W., Suite 102 479-367-4694
facebook.com/customcruzersnwa
THE HUB BIKE LOUNGE 410 SW A St., Suite 2 479-364-0394
thehubbikelounge.com
THE METEOR 401 SE D St. 479-268-4747 meteorbikes.com
MOOSEJAW
111 South Main St. 479-265-9245 moosejaw.com
MOJO CYCLING
1100 N. Walton Blvd. 479-271-7201 mojocycling.com
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP 125 W. Central Ave. 479-715-6170 phattirebikeshop.com
PLUG POWER BICYCLES
3905 NW Wishing Spring Road 479-273-9229
facebook.com/plugpowerbikes
STRIDER BIKES
109 N. Main Street 479-367-2335
facebook.com/StriderStoreBentonville
BELLA VISTA
PHAT TIRE BIKE SHOP
3803 NW Wishing Springs Drive 479-268-3800
phattirebikeshop.com
BICYCLE REPAIR & SERVICE ONLY
OZARK BICYCLE SERVICE
W. Deane St., Fayetteville 479-715-1496
ozarkbicycleservice.business.site
REVOLUTION MOBILE BIKE REPAIR 512-968-7600 revrepair.com
GUIDES/SHUTTLE SERVICES
OZARK BIKE GUIDES, LLC 479-644-8893
ozarkbikeguides.com
CUSTOM JERSEYS
FLO Bikewear 901-896-5979
