Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1390196
or 20,000 feet flying over. Cycling is clearly inclusive. It can start with ages 3 and 4 and go to 91, the oldest cyclist I know. You see all kinds of people on the trails in terms of ethnicity and lifestyle. They're just people on a bike, so they're just exactly like you. Cycling is a way of life in Northwest Arkansas." That way of life is part of a large movement to encourage and normalize cycling in the community. The millions of dollars invested in trails and bike infrastructure, the proliferation of avid cyclists, both individually and as groups, and the innovative thinking of leaders from corporate and nonprofit arenas have helped launch Fayetteville and the region into national and even global prominence as a biking epicenter. During business trips to Tel Aviv and Bogota, Colombia, Clark said when he told his hosts that he was from Fayetteville in Northwest Arkansas, they immediately piped up with, 'Oh yeah, wow, that's mountain biking country.' In February, Fayetteville's commitment to cycling and its development at all levels – from elite competitive racing to biking for leisure and transportation – earned it UCI's prestigious title, Bike City. It's the first city in the U.S. to receive the label. Recognition continues to mount. In May, Places For Bikes, a national bike advocacy organization, "recently gave Fayetteville an 'acceleration score' of 4.6 out of 5, meaning the city is improving its bike infrastructure faster than any other ranked cities," according to an Toward the end of the 70s, the only people I knew that rode on bikes were either kids or college professors. There's been a sea change since then where cycling has become so much more inclusive – and Fayetteville is at the center. Steve Clark Fayetteville Chamber of commerce President " " Ballard Coffey, 6, of Kingsport, Tenn., rounds a final turn Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, while riding with friends and family on the trails at Gregory Park in Fayetteville. The Coffey family is vacationing in Northwest Arkansas to allow Ballard to ride with friends he met on while on previous visits to the area and because of the area's dedication to cycling. NWA Democrat-Gazette ANDY SHUPE Cycling Article from the April 7, 1984 Arkansas Democrat. (1984, April 7). Arkansas Democrat, p. 24. 15 Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce