Big Sugar is an ultra-endurance bicycling challenge held on the gravel roads through the Northwest region of Arkansas and Southeast region of Missouri. The start in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, which has turned into a biking mecca in recent years. The inaugural Big Sugar is produced by Life Time Fitness, a premier operator of first tier endurance events including the Leadville Race Series and Unbound Gravel (AKA Dirty Kanza). The event takes place the same weekend as the Outer Bike Festival which is a huge bike demo event.
Expect this to be one of the most challenging gravel courses featuring picturesque, rarely maintained, canopy-covered gravel roads with loose, rocky gravel, a few pavement sections and a few water crossings and bridges. If you like to ride in the dirt, venture off into stunning landscapes and share an experience with fellow cyclists, Big Sugar Gravel is a race reserved for you. There are two route options to choose from: (1) A 100-mile gravel race with 8,000 ft elevation gain in the remote and rugged highlands of the Ozark Mountains: (2) A 50-mile gravel race located in the highlands but designed for recreational cyclists. All riders will utilize a single-loop format and although some blacktop roads will be necessary from time to time, the majority of the course will be on gravel and dirt roads. Some of these roads receive little to no maintenance throughout the year and can be quite primitive in nature. There are also many blind corners while traversing the course.
Make your trip into a weekend getaway. Nestled in the Northwest Corner of Arkansas, Bentonville offers a world-class art scene, a thriving bike culture, aviation adventures and a vibrant city square right in the heart of the Ozarks.
Saddle up for a Texas mountain biking favorite at the Austin Rattler MTB. The event takes place in the Texas hill country at Reveille Peak Ranch, a 1,300-acre mecca of amazing trails, about 1 hour west of Austin. The course is a 20 mile loop covering a mix single track and fast fire roads. Rocks and technical sections keep things interesting and short punchy climbs add up to 2,000 feet of elevation gain for the loop. Riders can choose between a single 20 mile lap, a 2 lap 40 mile double, or 60 mile triple. The course starts on the main ranch road for the first 4 miles to allow riders to sort themselves out before hitting the trails. For those partaking in the double or triple, there is some course deviation to extend the main route, but with similar terrain.
The Austin Rattler is a Leadville Race Series event, a national collection of premier MTB and Trail Running events. Courses are carefully selected to mix route quality, challenge, and scenic beauty. Participation is open to anyone, however the longest and most challenging routes tend to attract the strongest enthusiasts, amateur’s, and even some professionals. The longest route in each event are qualification events for the series culminating Leadville 100 MTB and Leadville 100 Trail held in August each year in Leadville Colorado. Both are truly iconic events that represent the pinnacle of athletic challenge and achievement for finishers.
The Austin Rattler Trail run takes place simultaneously with the MTB event creating a great festival atmosphere. As with all Leadville Race Series events, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate your finish in local style with live music, BBQ and beer at the lakeside post-race party.
Taking place in the backdrop of the beautiful Tennesee mountains, the Lula Lake 5 points is a peak south-central American mountain bike endurance race. The racecourse is held at none other than the renowned Five Points mountain bike trail system, which has become a popular mountain bike destination known for its beauty and spectacular singletrack. While formerly being a sole endurance race with only a 50-mile option, 2021 brings a half-length, 25-mile version making it a great addition in being able to include more riders than ever. The event is organized and run by Roost Racing, and the last time the Lula Lake 50 happened pre-covid in 2019, there were nearly 250 riders making it one of Tennessee’s most popular races on wheels. The 50-mile course boasts nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain, and the 25-mile route variant covers much of the same terrain and holds around 2,700 feet of climbing. Besides the suffering that will likely take place if you attend, there are some good perks at this well-stocked event, including multiple aid stations, a free t-shirt, post-race drinks, and a meal, as well as free camping that weekend close to the racecourse. The Lula Lake 5 points 50/25 is an extremely well-attended endurance mountain bike race on top-notch trails mixed with stunning scenery and tremendous organization, making it one of Tennessee’s best Mountain Bike events.
Hosted at the Reveille Peak Ranch in Austin, TX this course features a challenging and fun combination of terrain with gorgeous views of the Texas Hill Country. Offering 10k, 33k, or 66k race options focused around a 33k course, you can complete the 33k loop twice to qualify for the Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva. The coveted Leadville Qualifying badge makes this run special having the opportunity to compete for a highly wanted spot in the famous Leadville race. the The 33k loop includes some awesome singletrack sections, open fire roads, and granite shelves with enough technicality and variation to keep things interesting. The course is nothing ordinary with the course taking place on a stunning 1,300 acre Reveille Peak Ranch with well-stocked aid stations occurring every 10 miles. It would not be an event in Austin without some well-earned fun post-race so there is live music, BBQ, and beer all taking place lakeside.
