Where do you emigrate to when you're Dutch and one of the world's best female bike athletes? Innsbruck perhaps? To Switzerland, or to Finale? Or of course: California. Anneke Beerten - BMX and four-cross world champion, enduro and downhill racer, Queen of Crankworx and third at the first E-MTB World Championships in 2019 ("Probably the toughest race I've ever ridden.") - moved to Orange County in 2015. For the top conditions with "dream weather, tacos and trails". California dreaming, the classic way. On 28 January, she posts a picture of her heavily loaded truck on Instagram: "Bentonville, Arkansas here I come".
Bentonville? Bentonville! In her European homeland, Anneke gets a question mark when she hears the name. In the US bike scene, a thumbs-up. One more who is drawn to Bentonville. To the self-proclaimed Mountain Bike Capital of the World. "Sure," nods Anneke, "people in the States aren't afraid of superlatives. But it's also true." 60,000 inhabitants and 500 MTB miles, monumental features, huge, illuminated pump tracks, the world's first "bikeable building" and much more ...
Arkansas has forest, water and lots of trails
She didn't tell many people about her move, says Anneke, "and I only knew one or two people here. But I was in Bentonville for the first time in 2019, and when I wanted a change, it was at the top of my list." The Netherlands fits into Arkansas a relaxed three times in terms of area. But Anneke's home state has six times as many inhabitants. Arkansas, the "Natural State" in the centre of the USA, has a lot of forest and a lot of water. And many, many trails here in the north-west.
Routes that start directly in the centre, around schools and museums. Routes for beginners, for players and for technicians. Side by side. Even the uphills are perfectly shaped - a dream for e-mountain bikers. And there are always creative features, spectacular buildings and hubs where people can meet, exchange ideas and chat. There are no isolated bike parks in Bentonville, there are parks where you can bike and where everything and everyone comes together.
In Bentonville, everyone is on a bike
Bentonville is unlike anything you know. Not a tourist destination, not a bike bum town. "It's a different dimension," explains Anneke, "and the special thing here is that everyone is on a bike." On the trails and in the city, you see people "of all shapes and sizes", on gravel and cargo bikes, on wheels, old hardtails, the latest fullys and the most expensive e-MTBs. Even the latter is by no means a matter of course: in the USA, e-MTBs are often not tolerated on the trails. In Arkansas, they are even welcome in the state parks.
Named after the Ozark Mountains in the hinterland (no, not the Ozark from the Netflix series!), the OZ Trails have now become a brand. What has been created here in north-west Arkansas over the last ten or fifteen years is incredible. Just like the story behind it. A story shaped by two men.
The makers of Bike-Town Bentonville
Tom Walton and Gary Vernon meet by chance in 2006. Gary - an ex-BMX pro and fanatical mountain biker - is travelling in the hills north of Bentonville with his young son. He meets Tom, who is just explaining to his aunt what he is up to here. His family owns the land. "I heard about the bike trails and immediately approached him. I had already heard that a few people wanted to get together to build trails and I told him that I really wanted to be part of it." The three of them introduce themselves to each other. And Gary realises who he has in front of him.
Tom discovers biking while studying in Flagstaff, Arizona. And while Gary moved to Bentonville for his job at Walmart, Tom's family is from here. Walmart, the company with the highest turnover in the world, has its headquarters here. That's how it is with Tom: his family owns Walmart. Grandad Sam Walton founded the world's largest retail chain here in 1962, making the Waltons the richest family in the world. So Tom and Gary start with five trail miles - and form a vision ...
"Tom's over there in the meeting," says Gary, pointing down the narrow corridor. He leads us through the small premises of the Runway Group, his employer since 2016. Back then, Tom founded the company with his brother Steuart with the aim of making north-west Arkansas the "best place to live" - by promoting outdoor activities, especially mountain biking. Gary helped build OZ Trails on a volunteer basis for a decade, but now it has become so large and time-consuming that it's time to take on the project full-time.
Runway's premises are located in the centre of Bentonville in a small stone building above a bike shop and a bar. Every Munich advertising agency has a more grandiose residence. The 39-year-old billionaire generally likes things to be low-key and inconspicuous. He moves around his home city as normal. Preferably on his bike. At his side: bike buddies instead of personal security.
The OZ project
It takes time to get to grips with the web of foundations, organisations, clubs and associations. Half of Bentonville seems to play a role in the OZ project in one way or another. Gary smiles: "The network is probably even denser than our trail network."
There is the Women of Oz, which grew explosively to hundreds of women in 2019, the year it was founded - and for one or two of them, the bike also changed their professional lives: Founder Allyson de la Houssaye now works for the nationwide advocacy organisation People for Bikes. Kyla Templeton founded the Bike School in 2021, where she trains local kids. Ashley Patterson runs the free mobility programme at Walmart. And Jess Hanna is known to many as @Jessthemaker on Instagram.
There are the Trailblazers, who look after the maintenance of the trails. Or the seven firefighters who have trained with the Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association and are now called out by the bikers in an emergency. Whether in the event of an accident or a broken chain ... There is Josh, the boss of the six-storey coworking hub called Ledger - the building in question that is accessible by bike. Not only does he cycle to the office, he also drops into the trail with AirPods in his ear. A call in the wallride? No problem. Specialized was the first tenant to move into the Ledger with an Experience Centre. Store Manager Brandon Vaughan says he sells 80 per cent e-mountain bikes...
Then there's David Wright, who is responsible for the city parks and enthusiastically talks about the next green space to be criss-crossed with trails. And then there's Gary's boss, Chris Seay (a half-Heidelberger), who, as an urban commuter, is particularly interested in the city's cycling infrastructure - while his wife Kim initiated the People of Colour Bike Rides.
It wasn't just Walmart money that created the bike dream
That's exactly the point, says Gary. "Of course people think: it's easy if you have a billionaire writing the cheques. But that's not the case. The financial basis is of course extremely important, but you can't buy something like this with money. It needs more. It needs people."
Anneke nods. "I know the accusation that Walmart money creates a bike dream. But when they come here, people soon say nothing at all. Then they come back, and the third time they look around for a house." The 41-year-old world champion has become an integral part of Bike Town. She has firmly anchored her crank-it-up MTB business in Bentonville and coaches anyone and everyone - including the USA Cycling Team this year as a skills coach. As of this year, the team has a branch in Bentonville with an office (of course) in the Ledger.
In the USA, the trail regulations for MTBs and e-MTBs still diverge. In many regions, e-MTBs are taboo. On the OZ trails and even in the state parks, however, it is legal and widely available.
Around half of her "students" sit on the E-MTB. "I love the E-MTB. Maybe also because I have a weakness for motocross. But honestly, it's hard not to love the e-MTB." For someone like Anneke, who likes it playful and lives out the whole variety of the sport like no other, Bentonville is a dream terrain. "I could ride the rolling jumplines all day. If I fancy another lap in the evening, I grab my e-MTB and ride Choo Choo or Leopard's Loop for half an hour. There are monster gaps, and there is a lot of wild terrain - narrow, technical singletrack country."
It's hard to imagine that Bentonville looked very different just over a decade ago. "It was a company town," says Gary. "When I moved here in 2003, there was a burger shop on the square and nothing else." Walmart had to pay its people well to lure them here. Today, the cityscape is characterised by roasteries and restaurants, small shops and great art, which is mainly brought to the city by Tom's aunt Alice Walton. Crystal Bridges is one of the most important museums of contemporary art. And is just as free as the trails - which of course circle directly around the museum. Bentonville has transformed itself from a company town to a boomtown - "and bikes got the ball rolling," says Gary. "We are the best example of how the bike can completely transform a town. And it's also part of our vision to inspire others," he says, adding with a wink: "It doesn't have to be our dimensions..."
Info Bentonville
Arrival & travelling time
Bentonville is located in the north-west of Arkansas. The Northwest Arkansas National Airport XNA is located a few kilometres from the city. Within the city and for the central trail networks, you do not need a car. We recommend travelling in May/June (many events) and September/October. Summers can be very hot.
Bentonville precinct
The current nine OZ trail networks in northwest Arkansas are located in and around Bentonville, extending into the neighbouring southern city of Fayetteville and the state parks. There are no e-MTB restrictions. The highlights in Bentonville:
Slaughter Pen
The start of the 70 kilometres of trail is right in the centre of Bentonville. The All American leads north through Compton Park - past the Crystal Bridges Museum - and opens up into a wild network of trails with fun jumplines as well as rough, natural singletrack. The crowning glory is the Castle, a spectacular wooden building that serves as a hub from which you start on four lines.
Coler
The 35 kilometres in Coler are a mix of everything: the wood and steel lift in Coler rises up six metres, and the monster gaps on Drop the Hammer are no less massive. You can compete against each other on the dual slalom course, get a good shake on Rock Solid and Rock Salad, and of course there are plenty of flowy fun lines here too. You can meet up in the Airship Café in the centre of the park.
Back 40 & Handcut Hollow
The further north you go, the denser the network of natural trails becomes: technically demanding in Handcut Hollow; long and varied in Bella Vista, such as the Back 40 Loop.
Railyard Bike Park
To the east of the city lies one of the largest facilities that pump track specialist Velosolutions has ever built: five tarmac tracks on different levels peppered with obstacles and spectacular features. It is floodlit and open until 10 p.m. in summer.
Nature trail loops
In the north-west, Handcut Hollow is technical singletrack country with challenging natural trails, and Bella Vista is home to a network of narrow paths where you can ride endless miles.
Further information is available from OZ Trails and the Bentonville tourist office.
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