We’re making biking better in Arkansas through funding local bike projects, supporting pro-bike policies and legislation at the local and state levels and highlighting great hometown routes on Ride Spot. In summer of 2020, we partnered with the Walton Family Foundation to help Benton County businesses become national leaders in bicycling, realize the return on investment from an active workforce that embraces bicycling, both for transportation and recreation, and position Northwest Arkansas as the national model for getting more people riding bikes through broad-scale cultural change. 

Every year, PeopleForBikes advocates on behalf of the bike industry and bike riders across the country to support the construction of fun, safe, and connected places to ride that welcome more people to the joys of bicycling. 


From championing e-mobility lithium-ion battery safety, to mandating Complete Streets for improved road safety, to advancing the construction of bike infrastructure through climate legislation, PeopleForBikes successfully advocated for a multitude of policies at the state and local levels during the 2024 legislative session that will support bike businesses and riders of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds nationwide.

The safety of e-mobility lithium-ion batteries was a top priority for many states and communities across the U.S. this legislative session.

Following the guidance of PeopleForBikes and other industry experts, New York passed legislation to ensure the quality and safety of e-mobility products while maintaining accessibility to equitable transportation options. The legislation requires that e-bike and other e-mobility lithium-ion batteries be tested to standards that ensure the safety of the products the batteries power. It also enables the enforcement of products that do not meet these standards and contribute to unsafe conditions, including battery fires. 


Read more about this important legislation.

In June, the Chicago City Council committed to working with the bicycle industry and other stakeholders to amend a proposed battery safety ordinance to align with similar safety legislation in New York so individuals, retailers, and manufacturers can rely on consistent e-bike battery testing requirements across the country.

PeopleForBikes looks forward to continuing our work with states and municipalities across the country to promote uniform and effective battery testing regulations that ensure that e-bike batteries sold and used in the U.S. meet the highest safety standards.


PeopleForBikes recognizes the three-class system as the framework to categorize and regulate low-speed electric bicycles (e-bikes). Currently, 43 states officially recognize our model legislation. In 2024, Oregon and Rhode Island signed the three-class system into law. This system promotes a uniform definition of e-bikes across the country to mitigate confusion for riders, retailers, manufacturers, and regulators. 

PeopleForBikes will continue supporting the classification of electric bicycles as bicycles (not motorized vehicles) and will work with legislators to showcase the need for clear definitions and strong enforcement so that bicycles, and bicycling infrastructure, are protected. 


Out-of-Class Electric Vehicle Legislation 

Due to the constantly evolving range of electrically powered devices entering the marketplace and the growth of their use nationwide, PeopleForBikes led efforts to define products that exceed the speed and power limitations of the three-class system and federal law as out-of-class electric vehicles (OCEVs). 


Utah and Minnesota passed landmark OCEV legislation to promote safety and protect hard-won access for bicycles on state trails and paths. You can read more both here and here about why this legislation is so critical. 


PeopleForBikes will continue helping states and municipalities better define and enforce the difference between electric bicycles and overpowered, higher-speed, out-of-class electric vehicles (including electric dirt bikes) to protect the rights of bike riders across the country.

Cities and states nationwide continue to prioritize sustainable, equitable, and accessible forms of transportation through e-bike purchase incentives and rebate programs. This year, the Atlanta City Council approved a $1 million incentive for the purchase of e-bikes and the Bentonville City Council in Arkansas approved $2.25 million in grant funding for an e-bike rebate program.


With $20 million in funding approved in 2023, Portland City Council approved an implementation plan for the city’s e-bike incentive program set to launch in 2025. Michigan legislators also approved $2.95 million in funding for an e-bike purchase incentive program in their state budget to implement a statewide e-bike transportation incentive program. 

The 2024 legislative session included many recreation policy wins that PeopleForBikes helped secure to continue building momentum for eMTB access on natural surface trails. 

In Oregon and Colorado, PeopleForBikes supported the passage of recreational immunity bills that protect landowners from liability resulting from the use of their lands by other individuals for recreational purposes, including mountain biking.

The Tahoe National Forest prepared a Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact (DN/FONSI) and final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Pines to Mines Trail Project. The project, totaling 72 miles of new, natural surface trails, will provide expanded recreation opportunities on National Forest System lands. It also authorizes the use of Class 1 electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) on all new and existing trails where traditional mountain bikes are already allowed within the project area.

A National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment is also underway in the Tahoe National Forest, utilizing a forest-wide approach. This first-of-its-kind approach could yield historic results that allow entire forest districts to allow Class 1 eMTBs on natural surface trails, as opposed to laws differing by individual trail systems. 


Look out for more recreation and eMTB policy wins as we continue engagement with state and local land managers to open access for Class 1 eMTBs on multi-use singletrack trails in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah. Additionally, PeopleForBikes is working on recreational trail access for mountain biking within the implementation of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. 


A lack of safe places to ride is one of the most significant barriers preventing Americans from biking. Dedicated funding streams for the construction of bike infrastructure creates more safe and connected places to bike, which in turn increases bicycling participation. The construction of bike infrastructure also contributes to other co-benefits, including positive public health outcomes, economic vitality, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and transportation equity.  


As of July, PeopleForBikes has helped secure nearly $1.5 billion for the construction of bike infrastructure that increases safe places to ride bikes through our 2024 VoteForBikes campaign. With a potential $2 billion more on the November general election ballot, 2024 is shaping up to be a big year for bike infrastructure funding. Stay tuned for our post-election VoteForBikes recap to see how much funding PeopleForBikes helped secure for local communities across the country! 


In addition to our work advocating for bikes at the ballot box, PeopleForBikes supported additional legislation to fund bike infrastructure, including Minnesota’s Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund that invests more than $11 million in the expansion and enhancement of recreational trails, active transportation infrastructure, and mountain bike access across the state. 


Passing dedicated funding streams for bikes and bike infrastructure at the state and local levels is the most important policy priority for PeopleForBikes. We will continue paving the way for the construction of infrastructure that allows more people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds across the country to safely and efficiently travel around their communities and access more opportunities to ride a bike.


PeopleForBikes continues to advocate for legislation that reduces serious injuries, saves lives, and allows people to travel safely throughout their community with confidence. Reducing speed limits and actual vehicle speeds is one of the most effective ways to improve road safety and save lives.

After four years of hard work, PeopleForBikes was honored to support local advocates in New York as Governor Kathy Hochul signed Sammy’s Law into law in May. The new law allows New York City to implement a 20 mile per hour speed limit with additional 10 and 15 mile per hour zones. This legislation will dramatically increase safety for people walking and biking on roads with a high volume of motor vehicles. 


Michigan and Virginia also passed legislation that makes it easier for local municipalities to lower speed limits that are appropriate for the context and needs of those communities. 

We know that in addition to lower speed limits, safer road designs reduce motor vehicle speeds, one of the most significant causes of serious injuries and deaths on roads. As a result, Complete Streets mandates — which require the construction of bike infrastructure when roads are reconstructed or repaved — are one of the most effective policies communities can implement for improved road safety. Complete Streets also close gaps in transportation networks and enable all road users, regardless of their mode of transportation, to easily access places that they need to go. PeopleForBikes will continue to fight for legislation that mandates Complete Streets to promote safe and thriving communities. 

In March, voters in Los Angeles, California, one of the nation’s most car-centric cities, approved Measure HLA. This requires the implementation of the city’s Mobility Plan, including bike and pedestrian infrastructure when road construction or repaving occurs. PeopleForBikes endorsed this measure to increase transportation opportunities and accessibility, improve road safety, promote health, and reduce transportation-related GHG emissions. 


As part of historic legislation, Minnesota also strengthened the state’s Complete Streets policy by adding PeopleForBikes-supported amendments that require the integration of Complete Streets design principles and offer implementation guidance.

Advancing Bike Infrastructure Through Climate Legislation 

There is significant momentum across the country to fund active transportation infrastructure through climate legislation in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and GHG emissions. Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing annual GHG and VMT reduction targets for his state’s transportation sector, requiring the Maryland Department of Transportation to implement a process for evaluating and reducing GHG emissions attributable to transportation projects, and investing in projects that reduce VMT and enhance transportation choices. 

Looking ahead to the 2025 legislative session, PeopleForBikes is actively involved in several local coalitions supporting climate legislation to curb transportation-related GHG emissions. Stay tuned for more bike infrastructure and climate legislation wins next year! 

There is already huge momentum for bikes and 2024 is not finished yet! At all levels of government and at the ballot box, PeopleForBikes is championing policies that create safer and more connected places to ride alongside supporting legislation that maintains safe, reliable, and quality products to get more people on bikes more often. 


You can help us achieve even more! By making a donation to PeopleForBikes, we can make an even greater impact in communities like yours all across the country. You can also sign up to receive our advocacy alerts to learn how you can support similar policy wins where you live.

PeopleForBikes’ 2024 Policy Wins Advance Bicycling Safety and Access Nationwide

In 1984, when Will Chavez was 17, he signed on to participate in a month-long, multi-state, 950-mile bike ride. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Chavez grew up in Eastern Oklahoma where he’d spend summer days riding a one-speed motocross bike with his cousins, exploring nearby Marble City and the local creek, where they’d go swimming. By the time he was finishing high school, Chavez was invited to participate in the inaugural Remember the Removal Bike Ride.

Founded by Mike Morris and Mose Killer, the Remember the Removal ride was envisioned as a way to better involve youth in their Cherokee culture. The school in Marble City only goes through eighth grade and about a third of kids often drop out when it comes time to transition to high school. Morris and Killer saw a need to cultivate leadership qualities in Cherokee youth, as well as help them build self-esteem and confidence to face life’s challenges. The pair settled on a bike ride that would not only test the youth mentally and physically but also allow them to honor their shared history.

The Remember the Removal Bike Ride retraces the Trail of Tears, a forced displacement campaign from the U.S. government that doubled as a form of ethnic cleansing. Between 1830 and 1850, some 60,000 people from the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations were forcibly removed from their homes in the southeastern United States and relocated west of the Mississippi River. The relocation to less fertile land took months, and more than 4,000 people died from exposure, disease, and starvation.

The Trail of Tears is actually a network of different routes  — Remember the Removal riders stick to the northern route.

By recreating the original route as a bike ride, Cherokee leadership hoped to expose youth to the hardships their ancestors faced when they made the same trek on foot decades before. That first year, Chavez joined 19 other students and ride coordinators on bikes, while support vans and a school bus followed with tents, food, and other necessary supplies. The group visited historical sites as they followed in their ancestor’s footsteps, averaging 60 miles a day. For Chaves, the trip was life-changing. 

“Before the ride, my self-esteem was not good and I didn’t have much confidence — that all changed after the ride,” says Chavez. “I credit the ride for giving me the confidence to take on numerous challenges like joining the army, finishing college, and having a career in journalism. The ride changed me because it forced me to go past my limits – physically and mentally. So, afterward, I had the fortitude to not give up when things got tough or when it seemed like a task was impossible.”

For the last 27 years, Chavez has been an assistant editor for the Cherokee Phoenix, which was first published in Cherokee and English in 1828 in New Echota (present-day Georgia), then the capital of the Cherokee Nation (the paper’s offices are now headquartered in the new capital, Tahlequah, Oklahoma). In addition to his full-time position, Chavez has worked as the coordinator and trainer for the Remember the Removal Bike Ride for the last four years. 

In addition to the inaugural ride in 1984, Chavez also participated as a mentor in the second iteration of the ride, 25 years later.

“In 2009, the chief at the time decided to bring the ride back and he consulted some of the original riders, asking how we did things,” says Chavez. “Except for 2020, it’s been going consistently since then.”

Today, the ride remains a youth leadership program for tribal members aged 16-24, with applications opening each year in September (there are also two mentor riders each year, for those 35 and older). The program interviews are comparable to a formal job interview — applicants are scored and selected by a panel at the end of October, before attending orientation in November. 

"When I was chosen to be on the ride, I felt a sense of pride grow within me," says Whitney Roach, who completed the ride in 2021. "I not only get to represent myself and my family, but I get to represent my ancestors who were forced on the Removal…I [had] the opportunity to retrace their steps in remembrance of their strength and resilience."

Selected participants sign a contract, committing to six months of rigorous physical training, clocking miles but also learning how to clip in and use a bike with drop handlebars and lots of gears. There’s also a cultural training component that includes Cherokee lessons.

“Most of our youth don’t speak Cherokee these days so that’s part of the training,” says Chavez, adding that the cohort’s formal introductions to the tribal council are always in Cherokee. “They learn the language, the culture, and the history of the Trail of Tears. They end up with a really good background of what happened so that they’re prepared when they go out on the road and people start asking them questions.”

Along the ride, which starts in Georgia, riders visit significant sites, including New Echota, the former Cherokee capital; Kituwah Mound, the original Cherokee homeland; Blythe Ferry, where Cherokees gathered during their forced removal; Mantle Rock in Kentucky, where the former Trail of Tears route is a hiking trail; and many, many unmarked grave sites. 

“There are so many points in history when the Cherokee people could have disappeared like some other tribes,” says Chavez, noting that in addition to surviving the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee survived a smallpox epidemic that decimated the tribe in the 1700s, the American Civil War in the 1800s, and the seizure of lands and destruction of tribal government the pushed the tribe into poverty in the 1900s. “Yet, we are still here today. From the standpoint of being a Cherokee person, the ride made me even more proud of who I am and even more proud of my ancestors for what they endured and survived,”

A body of research, published from 2020 to 2022, highlights the benefits of the Remember the Removal Bike Ride for participants’ physical, emotional, social, and cultural well-being. Past riders that were surveyed showed improvements in their diet and exercise habits, as well as their mental health, with reductions in things like stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. Perhaps most importantly, those surveyed also demonstrated improved social and cultural connection to one another, their Cherokee identity, and fundamental Cherokee values.

Participants from the 2019 Remember the Removal Bike Ride walk down a preserved section of trail used by Cherokees in Tennessee during their forced removal some 180 years ago.

Over the course of three weeks, the youth ride anywhere from 40 to 70 miles a day, some much more difficult than others (particularly those in Missouri, nicknamed “Misery” due to its constant heat, hills, and rough roads).

In 2021, the riders switched from using road bikes to gravel bikes, which makes traversing the mountains and backroads much easier. The Cherokee Education Department pays for rider’s helmets, shoes, sunglasses, a bike computer, custom cycling kits, and bikes, which are Fuji this year but have covered the gamut of quality brands over the last decade. To receive the kit, riders are required to pass a grueling 60-mile road test — friends and family are then invited to watch them receive their kits, an event with a strong ceremonial element. When participants complete the ride itself, they get to keep their bikes.

In an average year, Chavez takes 8-10 riders, although this year it’ll be a group of six, having lost two to injury. Interestingly, since 2018, the Remember the Removal riders have been trending female, and since 2021, the cohort has been completely female. 

This years Remember the Removal cohort, which will begin their ride on June 5.

“Elders and council members have been asking, where are all the boys?” says Chavez, noting that male youth just aren’t applying. “Obviously, the girls aren’t afraid to do it — it’s tough and these girls want to take on the challenge.”

At the end of May, Chavez accompanied the riders to North Carolina, where they met up with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who also has a team of six riders. While the two tribes share a lineage, there are still a few differences in language, which can become apparent in the call signs used, all of which are in Cherokee. After a training ride together to get on the same page, the group will travel to Georgia, where they’ll begin the Remember the Removal Bike Ride on June 5, traveling nearly 1,000 miles through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Upon completion, the riders will join more than 200 alumni, many of whom are still as committed to the ride as Chavez is, showing up to help with training, mentorship, or on-route support. It makes sense — after all, Remember the Removal is first and foremost a spiritual journey. Not only does it test the endurance and emotions of those who participate, but it directly connects them to their ancestors. In riding, they remember where they came from and find the strength to go on.

If you’re interested in following the riders’ journey along the northern Trail of Tears route, tune in to the official Remember the Removal Bike Ride Facebook page. 

This Annual Bike Ride Connects Cherokee Youth to Their History

Twenty years ago, the small, Northwest Arkansas city was relatively unknown. Today, it’s the mountain biking capital of the world.

Bentonville, Arkansas, tucked in the heart of the Ozarks in the northwest corner of the state, is probably most well known as the birthplace of Walmart. Over the last 15 years, however, thanks in large part to investments made by the Walmart-founding Walton family, the city has dubbed itself the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.”

Some die-hard mountain bike enthusiasts may throw up their arms at that statement and say, “What about Moab, Whistler or (insert said enthusiast’s favorite local trails here)?!,” but those who have visited Bentonville can attest that the city has truly done an incredible job of growing a strong community of dedicated cyclists, all within recent memory.

For 2022, Bentonville ranked #1 in Community Score in PeopleForBikes’ annual City Ratings. The program, which evaluates, identifies and compares great places for biking, determines a city’s score by combining its Network Score, measuring the quality of a city’s bike network, and its Community Score, measuring how people feel about biking in their city. While the Network Score may be worth 80% of a city’s overall rating, the Community Score offers an important look into understanding local resident’s perceptions of bicycling where they live, work and play.

With a Bicycle Network Analysis score of 43 and an overall score of 48, Bentonville sits right on the cusp of being considered a great place to bike by City Ratings standards, with an overall score of 50 being that gateway to greatness. However, touting a Community Score of 70, the Northwest Arkansas hub offers many potent lessons on fostering a community of bike-minded residents. 

Bentonville’s journey began relatively recently, with the city’s first five miles of singletrack opening in 2007 on the north end of town. By 2010, those five miles grew to 17 miles, and the Slaughter Pen network of trails stretched further south, connecting to the heart of downtown Bentonville. Over the next 10 years, the region’s network of trails continued to expand, with 100 more miles of trails opening in Bella Vista, Bentonville’s northerly neighbor. Today, Northwest Arkansas is home to more than 500 miles of trails, stretching from Bella Vista to Eureka Springs.

But Bentonville’s success lies in more than just building miles and miles of trails — according to Gary Vernon, senior program officer for the Walton Family Foundation, the organization responsible for funding a majority of the trails across Northwest Arkansas, the key is building trails for all types of riders. 

“When the first few miles of trail were built, it wasn’t just a check written by a family foundation. Tom and Steuart [Walton] were out riding the trails in the community and building the trails that most benefited those who lived in the community,” said Vernon. “We wanted to build trails that connected communities, both physically and socially, and that are able to be enjoyed by riders of all skill levels. We wanted to get families out riding together that normally wouldn’t. Instead of packing up the car and driving a few hours to ride, you can roll out of your driveway in Bentonville and be at a trail in minutes. We like to say that the best trailhead in Bentonville is your garage.”

For Vernon, accessibility, connectivity and progression are the key pillars to introducing new riders and welcoming more people to the fun of mountain biking. “Just start with that first 10 miles of trail and build them in a way that there’s trails that are fun for all skill levels,” he said. “Build trails that parallel greenways so parents can ride on pavement alongside their kids riding dirt for the first time. You don’t need 150+ miles to be successful; if you have 10-15 miles of fun, connected trails, you can be successful.”

While Bentonville trails may lack the one-way distances of other mountain biking meccas out West or in the Northeast, Vernon also points to the “lapability” of local trails as another benefit to Bentonville’s success in growing riders’ confidence and love of biking. 

“Growing up, we would build one jump and hit it 1,000 times. That’s how we got better,” said Vernon, noting how Bentonville’s dedicated climbing tracks sprinkled throughout its trail networks make it easy to hit the same lines again and again and again. “You don’t get better by hitting a different jump every time you ride. Beginners can benefit so much from repetition, and when you can hit the same line five times in a row, you’re going to be a lot more confident on the bike because of it.”

Don’t just take Vernon’s word for it either — Bentonville’s investment in biking has proven to be instrumental in growing the number of residents who love to ride. Based on a 2021 survey conducted by PeopleForBikes, 26% of Benton County residents reported riding more than 35 days a year, placing them in the “enthusiastic rider” category. The study also found that a resounding 79% of residents either agree or strongly agree that bicycling is good for the community and 70% think that bicycling in their area has gotten better in the past three years. For any cities on the fence about community response to an investment in biking — hard work pays off. 

While Bentonville is still breaking ground on new off-road trails every year, the city’s biggest push now is turning all of that community support for recreational riding into support for more safety for on-road riding and biking for transportation.  

“We want to be the safest place in the Heartland to ride a bike,” said Hunter Garrison, Bentonville’s bike and pedestrian planner. “We want people to be able to access the entire city — trails, restaurants, bars, you name it — without ever having to get in their car.”

Bentonville’s first on-street protected bike lane is slated for completion later in 2022, and Garrison says changing the image of non-recreation biking is essential to continuing similar projects in the future. 

“In Bentonville, schools don’t provide access to a bus if you live within a mile of a school system. That means we have hundreds of kids biking to school,” said Garrison. “When all people see are adults in lycra, they don’t really care as much about those on-road facilities. When they see kids biking, they feel the need to support the creation of facilities that get them to school safely.”

Garrison also says that even if people don’t care about bikes, everyone cares about economic boosters, and it’s hard to look past what bikes have done for economic growth in Northwest Arkansas. In 2017, a study showed that bicycling brought $137 million in economic benefits to the region. Bicycling put Bentonville on the map, and with how cheap bike investments are compared to similar infrastructure projects, Garrison says you can’t prove a better civic investment when it comes to ROI than bikes. 

Building on the city’s efforts to improve biking for transportation, PeopleForBikes founded its Northwest Arkansas Bike Business Innovation program in 2020 to coordinate workplace programming, incentives and infrastructure changes to grow the number of employees riding bikes for commuting and transportation in Benton County. 

“This is an opportunity to build on the public sector and philanthropic investments in biking in the region as well as put a new lens on our work,” said John Paul Shaffer, PeopleForBikes’ Northwest Arkansas business innovation director. “We’re looking at the private sector with major employers in the area and how they can meet their own goals around sustainability and employee health while also supporting PeopleForBikes’ own mission of getting more people on bikes more often.”

PeopleForBikes is assisting Walmart, the largest employer in the region, in their goal of getting 10% of Home Office associates to commute to work by bike by 2023, and Shaffer thinks that’s just the beginning. “If we can expand that mission and get 10% of all Benton County residents to commute by bike, we can start rivaling the Portlands and other U.S. leaders in that space. That community of dedicated recreation riders already exists, now it’s working to build the infrastructure and culture to incentivize them to ride for transportation.”

There are many reasons why Bentonville is a great place to bike, but they all have one thing in common: community. By prioritizing investments that build and center a sense of community and lower barriers to entry, any city can welcome new riders and grow public support for bicycling.

Join PeopleForBikes in Bentonville October 18-20, 2022, for SHIFT'22 — a dynamic, peer-to-peer gathering surrounded by a can’t-miss week of bicycling events. By bringing current and future leaders together, we're moving the bicycle industry forward. Register and book your hotel today.

The Secret Behind Bentonville’s Success

From world-class mountain biking to wine tasting tours on two wheels, don’t forget to bring your helmet the next time you pack your bags.

For most Americans, the pandemic forced leisure travel to the back burner throughout 2020. Instead, people began to explore the outdoors closer to home: A survey of American adults conducted by PeopleForBikes found that, in 2020, 10% of American adults engaged in bicycling in a new way and that 87% of those new riders plan to keep riding in a post-pandemic world.

For those looking to combine their newfound (or longtime favorite) hobby with their next getaway, here are five vacation cities to experience by bike. 

In a region known for great mountain biking, Fayetteville stands out, although that hasn’t always been the case. “Trying to ride a bike across town as a kid and even into my teenage years, we didn’t have any bike lanes and there wasn’t even a sharrow until the early 2000s,” said Fayetteville Mobility Coordinator Dane Eifling. “Then, our mayor got support to fund a trails program. No one knew quite what it was at the time, but it led to the creation of the backbone of our trail system today.”

Since the installation of its first trails, Fayetteville’s bike network has grown exponentially. Eifling nods to smart planning by the city being a major factor behind the network’s success. “We built trails that would get the most use — not ones that would be the cheapest or most convenient to build,” said Eifling. “Focusing on trails that would get the most activity first helped us get funding and support to build more.”

Today, Fayetteville is one of the best cities to visit for hardcore bike enthusiasts and general outdoor recreationalists alike, reflected in its top Community Score among all medium-sized cities in our 2021 City Ratings. For mountain bikers, 50 miles of paved multi-use paths throughout town mean you never have to load up the car to access a great ride. Dozens of trails, including brand new Centennial Park, are within a short pedal from town, offering up enticing terrain for riders of all abilities. And if you’re looking for an epic road ride, Fayetteville’s unique topography allows for some all-time rides. 

“We host a lot of world-renowned stage races,” Eifling said. “The rolling hills of the Ozarks are the perfect terrain for those looking for something advanced.” 

Trying to spend more time around town? Eifling says there’s a laundry list of hotels that cater to bicyclists throughout Fayetteville’s downtown area. “You can stay at a bike-friendly hotel and easily ride to a coffee shop or take a leisurely ride on the paved trails,” said Eifling. “Our recreational trails follow along the creeks to avoid major hills and the trees lining the water keep things shaded and cool during the summer months. You can truly see all of Fayetteville from a bicycle.”

Going forward, Fayetteville is working to build a shared-use paved trail within a 10-minute walk of every resident, a goal that’s 80% complete. Once it’s done, it’ll benefit visitors too.

Looking to add a little pedal power to your next relaxing tropical vacation? Look no further than Key West, Florida, one of the top 10 small cities in our 2021 City Ratings. Perched at the southernmost tip of the U.S., just 90 miles north of Cuba, the island is known for its bright, pastel-colored architecture, lively nightlife, beaches and historic sites. It’s also best experienced on two wheels. 

Sizing up at just under five square miles, Key West is incredibly bikeable — it takes less than half an hour to bike from one end of the island to the other. Car-Free Key West, a program developed by the city’s planning department dedicated to promoting a smart and attainable future for the island, champions a “Park It and Forget It” approach to visiting by car. Once you arrive, everything you’ll need is an easy walk or bike ride away.

Key West’s tourist destinations include everything from the Southernmost Point, an Instagram-worthy spot marking the lowest latitudinal point in the continental U.S., to the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, which offers daily tours of the famous writer’s estate. Pedaling around southern Florida all day is sure to work up an appetite, and the island’s main drag — Duval Street — is flush with restaurants and bars serving up local specialties like fried conch.

Round out your trip with a truly unique bicycling experience: the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. Paralleling U.S. Highway 1, a designated National Scenic Highway, this paved, multi-use trail stretches nearly 100 miles between Key Largo and Key West. Crossing 23 historic Flagler Railroad bridges built at the turn of the 20th century, the trail passes through some of the most scenic nature southern Florida has to offer. It also offers access to two national parks, four wildlife refuges and 10 Florida State Parks, making it a must-pedal for nature and bicycling lovers alike.

Solvang, California, nestled in a lush valley about 125 miles north of Los Angeles, is easily one of the most unique destinations on this list. Part wine country, part Danish, this southern California treasure is truly one of a kind. 

Solvang prides itself on being “a little slice of Denmark in Southern California,” and when you walk through the quaint downtown, it’s easy to see why. Old-world Danish architecture lines the streets and Solvang’s rich cultural heritage is evident around every corner. Like many of the customs borrowed from its lineage, Solvang is also an amazing place for bicycling, ranking fifth out of 307 small U.S. cities in our 2021 City Ratings.

The surrounding rolling hills are home to some of the best road riding in the United States. Solvang is the spring basecamp for many pro cycling teams training in the U.S. and there’s an abundance of wine country cycling tours available to riders of all abilities. Upwards of 125 wineries speckle the Santa Ynez Valley, serving as pit stops for private tastings. Whether you come for the biking and stay for the wine, or vice versa, Solvang is the perfect destination for folks looking for the very best of both. 

Back in town, more than 35 restaurants within an easy biking distance of 18 hotels offer up international cuisine (and more wine) for the appetite you surely worked up while out in the saddle. Plus, it’s California — even in the coldest winter months, daytime highs average around 66 degrees.

Park City is primarily known for its skiing, but Trails and Open Space Manager Heinrich Deters says the rise of mountain biking during the early ‘90s helped transform it into a year-round destination. “It used to just be people that would come to ski during the winter and leave during the summer,” said Deter. “Mountain biking was something that caught on with 10 or 20 of us who would build trails on the old mining company property. In my opinion, that was the first shift from winter-only resort to full-year resort.”

Today, those ski-bums-turned-trail builders who stuck around are the reason Park City has a family-friendly bike culture and earned one of the highest Community Scores among small U.S. cities in the 2021 City Ratings. “Everyone that lives here now are the ones that stayed for the summers, and now they’re raising kids,” said Deters. “The core group of locals have been here 25 to 30 years, and that's a lot of who you’ll see out on trails — a mom, a dad and some kids.”

Deters also notes that Park City’s immediate access to trails makes the town perfect for bike enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. “In Park City, we like to say that your garage is your trailhead: You can ride out of any neighborhood around town and be at a trail in two to three minutes,” said Deters, adding that there’s plenty of options to keep even the most avid riders busy. “You can visit Park City every summer and not ride the same trail for at least five years.”

Less than an hour drive from downtown Salt Lake City, Park City’s high mountain locale blesses it with favorable weather during the summer months. “The elevation change is a couple of thousand feet between the valley and here, and with that, we get great weather,” said Deters. “It’s not too hot, there are no bugs and it’s fairly temperate during the biking season.” 

While Park City’s bike culture definitely leans more off-road, Deters says there’s still plenty to do around town on two wheels. “Our public bike share system in town is a cheap, economical way to experience everything Park City has to offer — whether it’s stopping by a free concert happening every other block or just pedaling out to one of our many parks and open spaces,” said Deters. “You can come up and have a great, entry-level cycling experience with little investment.”

A small college town bordering Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Marquette is an ideal off-the-radar vacation spot. The city of 21,000 sits adjacent to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Isle Royale National Park along with scores of lakes, rivers and forests, and hosts a vibrant, easily bikeable downtown — full of restaurants, art shops and breweries. 

Marquette’s been investing in active transportation since the 1970s, building routes along former railway corridors and other scenic spaces. According to David Stensaas, planner and zoning administrator for Marquette, the city has a winning combination of easily accessible singletrack combined with paved trails along the Lake Superior shoreline and through the downtown corridor. 

While lake-effect weather systems blanket Marquette in snow from October to May, the long winter season has fostered a diehard community of fat bikers. The fat-tire trails are maintained by the Noquemanon Trail Network (NTN) organization, who grooms dozens of miles of trails within biking distance of downtown for use throughout the winter. 

“For those who believe in ‘cyclotherapy,’ biking through the dark days of winter is a much better option than Prozac,” joked Stensaas, noting the colder months of the year not only see a lot of snow, but also little sunlight for the northern latitude city.

In the milder summer months, NTN has hundreds of local members who help maintain 40-plus miles of singletrack mountain biking trails surrounding Marquette. In the fall, those same trails boast some of the best leaf-peeping in the Upper Peninsula, with the entire forested region covered in stunning hues of yellow, orange and red.

Marquette prides itself on an extensive history of mining in the region, highlighted through the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. The 47-mile, multi-use paved trail follows corridors that brought lumber and iron ore to the Lake Superior Harbor. Equal parts recreation and education, the heritage trail connects communities across Marquette County and allows visitors to experience historical sites while winding through a stunning natural landscape. Marquette’s diverse biking amenities, which earned the city ninth place among small U.S. cities in our 2021 City Ratings, make it an easy choice for repeat visits.

Every summer, Provincetown, a coastal town with 3,000 year-round residents on the tip of Cape Cod, floods with tourists drawn to the scenic beaches, small-town charm and abundance of LGBTQ+ festivities. Provincetown has long been a queer vacation destination, with gay culture in the town dating back to as early as the start of the 20th century. Celebrations like Carnival, a weeklong celebration of LGBTQ+ life, see upwards of 90,000 visitors every August, and Provincetown’s gay and lesbian events stretch all summer long.

Ranking number one overall for U.S. cities in our 2021 City Ratings, Provincetown’s open, accepting culture combined with its ease of bikeability make it the perfect destination for anyone looking for a relaxing summer vacation. Whether it’s whale watching along Race Point Beach, letting the pup off the leash at the Pilgrim Bark Park or catching one of the countless parties and parades that stretch down Provincetown’s main drag — Commercial Street — every destination is no more than a 15-minute bike ride away from the heart of town.

No matter your reason for visiting, everyone is welcome in Provincetown. While it may be small in size, the town is filled to the brim with places to see and things to do — so much so that many visitors have been returning every summer, year after year, for decades.

How does your city rank? Check out our 2021 City Ratings and learn how to improve your score.

In 2020, Bentonville, Arkansas, declared itself the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.” While a somewhat arbitrary designation, the move was well-warranted: For the past 15 years, the city has made large investments in bicycling, much of it backed by the Waltons, Walmart’s founding family. In Northwest Arkansas (NWA) — a metropolitan area clustered in the Ozark Mountains that includes the cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale — there are more than 500 miles of bike trails. 

The regional focus is now on expanding beyond mountain biking to create a more robust cycling culture, emphasizing accessibility and connectivity and bringing in folks from a diversity of backgrounds. That strategy includes making mountain bike trails more inclusive, teaching adults how to ride, and graduating more advanced bike technicians. No holistic cycling strategy would be complete, however, without also putting an emphasis on youth. From bicycling units in physical education classes to professional development opportunities for teachers, NWA schools are going all in on bikes.

Starting in 2010, there was a big regional push for bicycling in Northwest Arkansas schools. Over the next four years, every school in Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Springdale, as well as some of the schools in Rogers, received a fleet of bikes and helmets. By all accounts, the new bikes were a welcome windfall, although not all schools were well-positioned to take advantage of them in the same way. In the years since, what’s become obvious is that simply having bikes isn’t enough to make biking ubiquitous — schools need a strategy for how to best put them to use. 

Anya Bruhin, the former bike education program manager at Trailblazers, a regional nonprofit dedicated to bicycle advocacy, has been working with Northwest Arkansas schools to break down barriers to bike use among teachers. 

“There’s no Arkansas state standard in physical education to teach bikes, so those teachers that do it, do it because their administrator asks them to or because they want to,” says Bruhin, noting that some schools with bikes have no bike curriculum. “You’re not going to teach something you’re not already passionate about, especially in P.E.”

Bruhin, who spent a decade working as a public school art teacher, has been working to get more educators passionate about bicycling. Well aware that professional development opportunities for teachers are often geared towards academics, she dreamed up a course that would appeal specifically to P.E. teachers. Bruhin adapted her method for teaching National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) coaches and on October 13, 2021, she hired 14 coaches of her own and introduced about 75 Bentonville P.E. teachers and several administrators to mountain biking.

“It poured all day, which actually ended up being great because we got to show them that there are ways to be adaptable,” says Bruhin. “You can find different covered areas, you can do a couple of games in the rain, or you can work in your gym — you don't have to cancel your biking session and your P.E. class just because the weather isn't cooperating.”

All of the teachers started at different skill levels and were sorted according to a survey they took beforehand. The groups played games, participated in challenges, and learned many ways in which a biking curriculum doesn’t need to require access to trails. After receiving stellar feedback from participants, Bruhin realized the program couldn’t just be a one-and-done. She decided to continue it as a selective thread for professional development and has offered several iterations since, the most recent of which put an emphasis on well-being. 

“We ask so much of our teachers, and I built these bike days as a way to give back,” says Bruhin. “It’s an opportunity for teachers to get on a bike, explore the network for themselves, figure out how they can incorporate biking into their daily lives, get some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, and just fill their cup up.”

Bruhin’s method is based on the idea that the more fun teachers have on a bike, the more likely they are to spread that joy in the classroom. In addition to working with Bentonville public schools, Bruhin did some work in Rogers and hopes to expand as more regional schools show an interest. Bruhin also worked in partnership with Emma Armendariz, who was hired last year as the sustainability and bike education coordinator at Fayetteville Public Schools. Armendariz’s position was created in order to make bicycling a priority and oversee Fayetteville’s fleet of youth bikes and helmets. The school district saw that in order to maintain robust elementary, middle, and high school bike programs, there needed to be a main point of contact. 

In 2014, when Fayetteville Public Schools received its bikes, it also received a curriculum for P.E. teachers to use with them. Over the years, some Fayetteville elementary schools have also incorporated Strider’s All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program, while a few middle schools use Outride’s Riding for Focus curriculum (both are essentially plug-and-play offerings, available to schools across the U.S.). In her role, Armendariz has been able to identify things that need to change and maintain streamlined teaching materials that are suited to Fayetteville specifically. Because her role also handles sustainability for the district, she’s also working to get more students and teachers commuting by bike or foot.

“In 2019, Fayetteville set the goal of expanding its bike network to be within a quarter mile of all residents,” says Armendariz, noting that the city is currently at about 75-85% completion. “So all of our students are almost able to access a safe, non-motorized way to get to school but the majority of people are commuting by bus or cars. We need to support students and staff with the knowledge and resources to safely use our trail system.”

Occasionally, Armendariz will organize bike trains to make riding to school more accessible but that’s not something schools can realistically offer daily. In Fayetteville, students bike in elementary and middle school through P.E. and are able to continue it throughout high school as an outdoor education elective. The district also offers adaptive bikes for students with disabilities and for students that transfer schools or just need more instruction, one-on-one help is available. 

“It's a fine line between saying, ‘Well, this is part of our curriculum and you have to try this activity,’ and saying, ‘This is something that is going to be a lifelong skill that we think would really benefit you if you can just give it a shot,’” says Armendariz. “We always try and encourage kids to give biking a try and then if it's not really clicking with them, then we’ll move to one-on-one support.”

Armendariz sees the district-wide emphasis on bicycling as key to building a more robust cycling community in the region. By including bikes as part of the school curriculum, students are able to experience the known benefits of bicycling no matter their family’s economic status. Roughly 40% of Fayetteville students are low-income and many are people of color. Oftentimes, those students don’t have bikes at home or are unable to attend after-school activities. By including bicycling as a taxpayer benefit, they’re given the same opportunities as everyone else.

“We're always looking for ways to break down those barriers and make things more equitable for everyone, regardless of ability or background or income or whatever,” says Armendariz.

Of course, there’s still room to grow. Armendariz hopes to introduce an elective “Biking for Transportation” class, which will emphasize bicycling for everyday use rather than just for sport. She also acknowledges that there’s more room for mechanics instruction (it’s currently only offered in one school, which maintains the district’s bike fleet), as well as a public after-school bike program (right now, NICA remains a student’s best option). 

Through her work with Northwest Arkansas public schools, as well as with the nonprofit Trailblazers, Bruhin has likewise identified a few things any school can do to increase bicycling amongst its teachers and students:

Issue fun bike challenges, which can offer incentives for people to change their habits.

Create a stipend for someone that wants to lead a bike bus to school — it’s a lot to ask teachers to volunteer their time to do this.

Make sure there’s good bike parking (ideally covered, convenient, and accessible to a large number of riders).

Create a ride group for teachers. In Fayetteville, an administrator’s ride group was started by the superintendent himself, John L. Colbert.

Incorporate field day activities that include bikes. Let advocates in the community and family members that want to volunteer help with a bike rodeo, a bicycle course, or a fall bike festival.

Perhaps most importantly, if your school happens to already have a bicycle program, Bruhin encourages folks to write a letter, to their teacher, administrator, or even district administration, saying, ‘Thank you.’ Send a picture alongside your words of appreciation — showing the real-world benefits these programs have on students only strengthens them. After all, the more schools get intentional about bicycling, the better. 

Northwest Arkansas Schools Go Big on Bikes

A new educational series from nonprofit Trailblazers + ETHIC seeks to ensure every adult in Northwest Arkansas can ride if they want to.

Northwest Arkansas is on a mission to become a world-class region for bicycling and active transportation. That ambitious undertaking shows up in a lot of different efforts, from the work of nonprofits like Pedal It Forward, which fixes up donated bikes for community members in need, to the first-of-its-kind program at Northwest Arkansas Community College, which allows students to get certified in bicycle assembly and repair. The Walton Family Foundation, based in Bentonville, has also made funding innovative bike projects a priority, including efforts to improve access for adaptive riders and PeopleForBikes’ work to build a culture of bicycling at businesses throughout Benton County.

One of the most important things we can do to make bicycling ubiquitous, however, is also the most basic: Ensure everyone knows how to ride a bike. Some of us learned to ride as children, but that's a privilege many don't have, particularly those who were raised in low-income families or certain cultures where biking is less prevalent. These days, there are more and more organizations that teach kids how to ride, but there’s a noticeable gap in basic bike education when it comes to adults. Noting the lack of programming, the nonprofit Trailblazers + ETHIC has developed a curriculum exclusively for older riders.

“Through my work teaching children, I noticed there were a lot of adults who also needed guidance,” said Anya Bruhin, education programs manager at Trailblazers + ETHIC. “One of the strategic goals of our organization is to expand opportunity and give people who haven’t had the support, equipment, or time — whatever the barrier is — to learn to ride.”

In 2021, Trailblazers + ETHIC was formed through the merger of NWA Trailblazers, which developed 300+ miles of multi-use regional trails, and BikeNWA, which focused on active transportation advocacy and education. The new organization speaks to a desire to create a healthy, vibrant bicycling community in Northwest Arkansas while also ensuring that no one gets left out in the process.

The idea and curriculum for ETHIC’s educational series — dubbed Adult First Ride — was inspired by a Bike New York program that also teaches adults how to bike. The first two classes are scheduled for April 4 and 18 and will utilize a balance-first technique. That method is an updated version of how we tend to teach children: showing the brakes and pedals before taking the latter off, allowing people to get comfortable balancing. Pedaling, shifting and an introduction to all of the bike’s other components come later.

“It’s the balancing that’s difficult, pedaling is easy,” said Bruhin. “As they get more comfortable and can lift their feet off the ground, we add the pedals back.”

Each class will be intimate, capped at just 10 people, and ETHIC has been working with a target list of communities and organizations in order to recruit students. Most of these organizations serve low-income and BIPOC populations, and many aren’t in the cycling space at all. The idea is to reach people who haven’t had access to a bike network previously and let them know this new option exists. 

“The intimidated, the curious, the excited — we want anyone who wants to learn to ride a bike and we’re doing our best to cast a wide net,” said Bruhin.

The initial classes will take place in the Pedal It Forward warehouse, where participants will be able to leave with their own bikes. A cohort of volunteer mechanics will also be on hand to assist and match people with an appropriate bike. Burhin and the entire ETHIC team have been intentional about working to ensure that every student’s first experience with a bike is safe and comfortable so that they’ll want to do it again.

“If you think about it, a person that has gotten to adulthood without learning to ride a bike has experienced that otherness their whole lives,” said Bruhin. “To come to a class as an adult and say, ‘I want to learn to ride a bike’ is a really vulnerable place to be and we are trying to do everything we can to make that experience a good one.”

The volunteer instructors will be key to creating an inclusive environment. Bruhin says that it’s less important that someone has extensive knowledge or experience biking. What’s more important is that they have heart and the ability to make space for everyone. Eventually, ETHIC plans on doing additional training for its instructors on things like land acknowledgments and microaggressions. There are also plans for a Spanish-speaking class and a Marshallese-speaking class, designed to cater to large ethnic communities in the region. 

Although PeopleForBikes’ NWA Bike Business Innovation program is covering the cost of the first two classes, there’s a need for additional funding to ensure the Adult First Ride program is sustainable long term. ETHIC hopes to one day have a consistent pool of teachers, as well as a fleet of its own bikes and a trailer to store them in — for maintenance purposes as well as educational ones. The ultimate dream is to have the program ripple outwards through partnerships with church groups, foundations and other nonprofits. 

Seeing an immediate community need, however, pushed ETHIC to launch first with the goal of growing down the road.  

“There’s such an active bike culture in Northwest Arkansas, and lots of events for the super ‘into it’ crowd,” said Bruhin. “But just like when you create a trail system and you've got to have multiple levels of trails, from technical to the approachable green trails, we need to develop more accessible things for people to do.” A region that only caters to a certain kind of advanced cyclist isn’t world-class, nor is it well-positioned to create a larger culture shift around bicycling. “We want to bring people into this culture and help them find space for themselves.”

A first-of-its-kind program is launching in Bentonville with scholarships available for BIPOC and LGBTQ students.

This fall, students at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) and Minneapolis Community & Technical College can study bikes. The Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician Certificate program — being offered at both schools for the first time — is an accelerated, two-semester program designed to prepare students for employment in the bicycle retail industry. Over the course of a year, students will learn a wealth of new skills, including extensive bicycle repair and service work, bicycle assembly, service department management and business.

“The world increasingly needs more qualified bicycle technicians, in our area but in many others as well,” said Ty Beringer, marketing and outreach support specialist for the new NWACC program. “A lot of times there's been a disconnect between one bike shop and another about what way something should be done — we're going to have a curriculum that helps standardize processes.”

NWACC is based in Bentonville, Arkansas, a mecca for mountain biking, and the hope is the new program will help create a talent pipeline for the region. In an industry that’s predominantly white and male, the college is also trying to encourage diversity from the get-go by offering scholarships for accepted students who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or a person of color (BIPOC) and/or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ). The hope is that the scholarships, which are funded by the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group, will break down some of the barriers associated with the program and encourage students from historically marginalized groups to consider the bicycle industry as a career path. 

The program itself will be half lecture-based and half hands-on, with students taking classes on everything from “Business Organization and Management” to “Public Speaking” to “Electric Bikes.” In charge of Bentonville’s program is Sean Owen, an industry veteran who’s been a service trainer with Trek for more than three years (Casey Coughlin will head the program in Minneapolis). By offering classes that tackle basic business acumen alongside mechanics, both technician programs hope to ingrain students with a degree of professionalism in what’s often perceived as a more casual industry.  

Due to the full-time, relatively intensive nature of the program, Beringer sees those leaving high school with a passion for bikes as the best fit, although he’s quick to add that folks of all ages and from all backgrounds should apply. In addition to the option to transition the certificate into a two-year associate’s degree, graduates will gain access to a password-protected job board with gigs from bike shops, companies and manufacturers alike. No matter the job, the minimum salary will be set at $32,000 a year, a reasonable jump over typical bicycle technician pay, which often starts at minimum wage.

“The idea is that [this job board] will have a ripple effect across the bicycle industry, which a lot of times under pays their technicians,” said Beringer. “We're hoping that this can be a bit of a culture shift so that not only our graduates, but all technicians, are able to get paid better wages.”

The job board will be maintained by the Bicycle Industry Employers Association (BIEA), the brainchild behind the accredited bicycle technician program. BIEA is a volunteer-run nonprofit that launched in 2019 with the goal of creating a diverse pipeline of talented students and professionals to help the bicycle industry thrive. Composed of longtime industry professionals, BIEA has spent the last year raising funds and partnering with organizations to develop the accredited programs in Arkansas and Minnesota this fall (PeopleForBikes supported BIEA with a grant in 2020). 

“It was clear that there was an opportunity for a much more robust educational experience for the bike industry, as well as a diversity strategy that could create success,” said David Olson, chair of the BIEA board.

For the nonprofit, partnering with community colleges offers the best fit: Not only does it allow for a more diverse reach — according to nonprofit the College Board, 51% of community college students identify as non-white — but tuition is also much more affordable than at traditional four-year institutions. In contrast to private bicycle technician schools, such as the U of Q Institute or the United Bicycle Institute, community college students are eligible for financial aid and federally backed student loans. By fall 2024, BIEA plans on having the same program up and running in five additional states, representing all of its seven U.S. regions. 

“We’re looking at areas that can pull students in from a broader geographic range,” said Olson. “We’ve had different places reach out to us representing schools, so there’s a lot of excitement.”

The BIPOC and LGBTQ scholarship opportunity for students at NWACC is just one aspect of BIEA’s plan to help bring people of all backgrounds and identities into the industry’s fold. The organization is also partnering with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to eventually offer a diversity scholarship for young women and people of color. 

“The traditional entry point in the bike industry — whether it’s on the professional, vendor, distribution or manufacturing side — is bike shops,” said Olson. “I think that’s led to an exclusiveness of the bike industry, and that’s why we see such a lack of diversity. Close your eyes and picture the person working in the bike shop. Who is that?”

For women, minorities and other groups not typically represented in bike shops across the country, education offers a neutral entry point. Olson emphasized that BIEA seeks to empower these groups with confidence and a hard skill set, shaping the future of the bike industry and creating long term change. Since all of BIEA’s technician programs will be brand new, they have the unique opportunity to diversify from the outset — the flip side is that targeted outreach is essential. 

In Bentonville, Beringer has been reaching out to both bicycling and non-bicycling community organizations that serve historically underrepresented demographics. For example, he recently took a cohort from Arkansas Latinas En Bici, a local group that’s all about empowering Latinx women through bikes, on a tour of the new program facility. Even if the outreach doesn’t solicit more applicants, the goal is to extend an open invitation and signal to groups that their presence and input is welcome. 

“In a lot of places cycling looks just one way and we want our program to reflect the community that it’s in,” says Beringer. “We're really interested in making cycling and the bike industry a bit more accessible and approachable.”

In Northwest Arkansas, You Can Go to College for Bikes

PeopleForBikes’ eMTB map is your one-stop shop to find eMTB-friendly trails near you. We’re highlighting the best eMTB trails from coast to coast to make planning your next mountain biking adventure easy and accessible.

In this edition of our eMTB Adventures: Where to Ride blog series, we’ll be visiting Bella Vista in Northwest Arkansas. Bella Vista is home to a growing system of world-class, eMTB friendly trails with varying levels of difficulty. One of the most popular trails is the Back 40 Loop. This system features nearly 40 miles of trails with steep climbs and scenic waterfalls that make it a go-to destination for all mountain biking enthusiasts.

Five different trail building groups collaborated on the Bella Vista mountain bike trail system, which allowed for the trails to be completed in less than a calendar year. Caring for the land and creating high-quality trails are cornerstones of the Bella Vista community, making this trip more than just an everyday ride, it’s a bucket list worthy mountain biking experience.

Check out all of Bella Vista’s mountain biking trails, including the Back 40 Loop, by using our eMTB map. Want to learn about other great rides outside of Arkansas? Be on the lookout for our next eMTB Adventures: Where to Ride blog and be sure to share your eMTB adventures with your friends on Ride Spot.

Find Your Next eMTB Adventure – Arkansas

PeopleForBikes’ latest round of Industry Community Grants funded $55,000 for seven different bike projects across the U.S.

Every year, PeopleForBikes’ Industry Community Grant program provides funding for important projects that make bicycling better in communities across the U.S., including new bike paths, lanes and trails; bike parks and pump tracks; bike racks and repair stations and large-scale advocacy initiatives.

Since 1999, we have awarded more than 400 grants to nonprofit organizations and local governments in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Our investments total more than $3.5 million and have leveraged $775 million in public and private funding for bike-related projects nationwide. 

This program is funded by our partners in the bicycle industry. We thank Batch Bicycles, Cannondale, Giant Bicycles, Niner, Shimano, Tern, Trail Trust, Trek and Vaast Bikes for their continued participation and support. 

For fall 2021, we awarded $55,000 to seven different bike projects, making bicycling better for everyone from El Paso, Texas to Seattle, Washington. We would like to extend a special thank you to Tern, who went above and beyond to fund an additional project. 

“It means a lot to our team to be able to support PeopleForBikes and the great work they do advocating for all things bicycling,” said Josh Hon, team captain at Tern Bicycles. “It's also our goal to help make the bike industry a more diverse and equitable place so we're happy that PeopleForBikes is funding projects for kids in underserved communities. We're really excited to see a great organization like Kids On Bikes receiving an Industry Community Grant, and we look forward to the completion of the pump track project in 2022.”

Fall 2021 Industry Community Grants — $62,500

Cresta Pump Track, Kids On Bikes, Colorado Springs, CO: $10,000, supported by a generous grant from Tern

Laramie Middle School Bike Path, Laramie Bicycling Network Inc., Laramie, WY: $10,000

Ungap the Map, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Seattle, WA: $10,000

Desert Downs Bike Park, Desert Downs BMX, El Paso, TX: $7,500

Wirth Park Pump Track and Skills Park, Loppet Foundation, Minneapolis, MN: $7,500

Beverly Multi-Use Trail, Village of Beverly, OH, Beverly, OH: $5,000

Rich City Rides Hub Improvement Project, Rich City Rides, Richmond, CA: $5,000

Want to learn more about our Industry Community Grant program? Click here.

Announcing Our Fall 2021 Industry Community Grant Awards

In Northwest Arkansas, employees at J.B. Hunt and Walmart are volunteering to fix up bikes for community members in need.

On a Monday evening in November, in a nondescript warehouse in Bentonville, four bike repair stations were filled with seven volunteers. There were tools, extra bike parts, snacks and seasoned helpers doling out words of advice. Some people had bike mechanic knowledge but most started the night as passionate riders. The bikes being worked on ranged from a Frozen-themed kids’ bike with training wheels and streamers to a racing red dirt jumper, and there was lots of talk about everyone’s first time riding. With each bike built, the volunteers got faster and more comfortable using unfamiliar tools. 

The group was gathered in support of Pedal It Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to refurbishing donated bikes for riders in need. Founded by Justin Tubb, Gary Vernon and David Tovey in 2014, the organization is predicated on the power of the bicycle to transform lives and create healthier communities. Over the years, it's grown from a small operation to hosting monthly workshops throughout Northwest Arkansas. Although the organization is run by two full-time staff members and a board of directors, volunteers are the heart and soul of the program, putting in the many hours and elbow grease required to refurbish old bikes. 

“If we cannot turn the bikes we receive into bikes we can donate, we cannot continue to grow and meet our goals of getting more people on bikes,” said Pedal It Forward Programs Coordinator, Stuart Gower-Jackson. “They are the engine room!” 

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