Rowdy Racing
Enduro riders right at home in Arkansas.
By Brannon Pack | Photography b Kate Austin Photography
GOING DOWN: Enduro stages are mostly downhill.
Enduro mountain bike racing merges cross-country and downhill mountain biking into a unique time-trial format that continues to grow in popularity in Arkansas. During an enduro, participants pedal with their pals along untimed sections of a racecourse to move or transfer between multiple timed stages — before racing solo against the clock in hopes of finishing each stage the fastest. Like downhill racing, enduro stages favor mostly descending terrain as riders use gravity to rip down singletrack trails littered with rocks, drops and jumps. Times for each stage are then combined, with the rider clocking the shortest overall time taking the top podium step in their respective category.
GOING UP: There’s also plenty of time spent in the air during Enduro races.
This laidback group ride atmosphere, combined with a rowdy race experience, attracts professional athletes and adventurous amateurs looking for both camaraderie and competition. A wide range of categories favors riders of varying skill levels, including professional, amateur, junior and an increasing number of participants racing electric mountain bikes. With the need to point participants downhill, enduro competitions are commonly hosted in mountainous regions across the country, and Arkansas’s terrain is ripe for racing.
Extending eastward from the northwest region of Arkansas, the Boston Mountain range of the Ozark Mountains is characterized by rocky topography shaped by millions of years of erosion — forming a rugged landscape ideal for enduro racing. From accessible downhill trails like the Huntley Gravity Zone in Bella Vista to shuttle runs at the Lake Leatherwood Gravity Project in Eureka Springs, world-class mountain bike trail systems are spread across the Ozarks.
South of the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains stretch east from Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain just west of Little Rock. Unlike the Ozarks, the Ouachita Mountains feature a consistent east-west topography where sprawling ridgelines overlook vast river valleys. And while the Ouachita Mountains have historically been known for not one, not two, but three International Mountain Bicycling Association EPIC backcountry trail systems, recent investments like the Northwoods Trail system in Hot Springs continue to gain notoriety amongst riders — with Northwoods voted the best trails in Arkansas by riders two years in a row.
Nestled between the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains, the Arkansas River Valley actually claims the state’s highest peak — with Mount Magazine towering 2,753 feet. And although Mount Magazine hasn’t seen an investment in singletrack (yet), its neighbor next door has. With one of four Arkansas Monument Trail systems, the flat-topped Mount Nebo features 25 miles of some of the best mountain biking in the country and has become a regular stop for enduro racing each year.
In Arkansas, an event-rich competition calendar regularly features enduro events, including races in the Southern Enduro Tour, Big Mountain Enduro, Ozark Enduro Lite and Arkansas Enduro Series. Designed to showcase popular mountain bike destinations across Arkansas, the Arkansas Enduro Series (AES) spans the state’s diverse landscapes. For 2024, the AES includes stops in Bella Vista, Eureka Springs and Little Rock before heading to Bentonville for the fourth and final round. This variety in location ensures each race in the series provides a memorable experience for participants, from lively one-day competitions to full weekends of racing.
Racing gets underway this Labor Day with the one-day Bella Vista Enduro, where an array of adrenaline-fueled stages will serve as a proper kickoff to the series calendar. From the technical limestone ledges along the Back 40 to the steep slopes of Little Sugar, riders can expect a variety of exciting stages with bluff line views of the numerous lakes found throughout this popular playground for mountain bikers.
In late September, racers will spend a weekend of enduro racing through the Victorian-style resort town of Eureka Springs for the Eureka Enduro. In addition to the largest gravity park in the state, Eureka Springs offers a huge variety of trails systems, including the 1,600-acre Lake Leatherwood City Park, The Great Passion Play and Marble Flats — where professionally developed singletrack leads to natural sandstone formations incorporated into the trails design.
The series heads to Little Rock in late October for the Capital City Enduro and a day of racing throughout Arkansas’s state capital. Featuring a collection of world-class trails crafted by some of the world’s best trail builders, this year’s Capital City Enduro will be the first enduro competition to include the Monument Trail system at Pinnacle Mountain State Park and the mountain’s ancient sandstone slopes.
A fall full of enduro racing culminates in November with the Bentonville Enduro, a weekend-long competition designed to highlight the best enduro racing in the Mountain Biking Capital of the World. This year’s Bentonville Enduro heavily features the hand-built trails of Hand Cut Hollow — a rewarding backcountry riding experience peppered with rock gardens and gravity lines and a fitting finale to the series.
Produced by the Ozark Foundation, AES continues to foster the enduro mountain bike culture in Arkansas by highlighting the state’s natural landscapes with a rousing race format that welcomes riders of all abilities. From the Ozarks to the Ouachita Mountains, it’s easy to see why enduro riders should feel right at home in Arkansas.
