Trail Town Challenge

This summer, cyclist Payson McElveen traveled to the Mountain Biking Capital of the World™ to ride all its trails in one day. A part of his YouTube channel, Payson and his team filmed Trail Town: Bentonville, in which they checked out the various OZ Trails systems that both Bentonville and Bella Vista have to offer.

There are more than 140 miles of mountain biking trails in Bentonville and Bella Vista, Arkansas, with miles being added every week. To tackle every trail in one day took months of preparations for Payson. In 2019, Payson accomplished riding all of Durango, Colorado’s mountain biking trails in one day.

“It gave me a completely new appreciation for my backyard and gave me a totally new understanding of my hometown.” – Payson McElveen

With this new perspective, Payson started thinking of other mountain biking towns in the country and whether he could conquer riding those in one day. Proclaimed as the Mountain Biking Capital of the World™️, Bentonville, Arkansas, immediately came to Payson’s mind.

“To me, riding a bike is the single best way to actually get to know a place.” – Payson McElveen

After seventeen and a half hours, Payson completed riding all 140+ miles of mountain biking trails.

Now, it’s your turn.

Payson invites ambitious cyclists to ride all of Bentonville and Bella Vista’s trails on their own time. While you are more than welcome to, you do not have to complete the course all in one day.

At the end of the year, two winners will be selected to take home a $1,500 shopping spree at Osprey Packs, a three-year supply of Orange Seal tire sealant, a Smith Trace helmet and Shift Mag glasses, Hammerhead Karoo 2 bike computer, GU Energy ride food, and a $100 gift card to The HUB Bike Lounge in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The Rules:

1. Ride all the Mountain Biking Capital of the World’s™️ trails by the end of the year.
2. Document your journey on Instagram with the hashtag #BentonvilleTrailChallenge or email theadventure@paysonmcelveen.com about your experience. The most creative and compelling story will win.
3. Finally, join the Bentonville Trail Challenge STRAVA Club to prove your progress. Ride as much of every trail as you can, even new ones that are being added.

“Now the joke is, as you ride all these trails, they’re going to be building trails. Before you stop for the day, you got to go ride the new stuff. There’s two to three miles a week, depending what time of year it is, that’s how many trails are being built.” – Gary Vernon, Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation

To watch Payson’s full journey through the Mountain Biking Capital of the World™️, you can view his YouTube video, Trail Town: Bentonville