While this is a non-technical route, this is Arkansas gravel. Most of our gravel roads are smooth and fast-tracking, but there are sections where the climbs get very steep, and the descents get chunky. We recommend a minimum gravel bike tire width of 42c but think you’ll be happiest for a multi-day journey in the 45-50c range. Be sure your bike fit is dialed. This is no small feat, and you need to be happy in the saddle before you arrive! Please don’t bring your aero road bike to this rodeo.

E-bikes are totally welcome, and we will have recharging stations available at each stopover host city.

While we aim to be as inclusive as possible, we cannot stress enough, this is not a beginner ride. If you have not completed a single-day gravel event of at least 60 miles, think long and hard about the demands before signing up! You’ll do an average of 50-60 miles per day for 6 days straight.

The Arkansas Graveler is best suited for gravel enthusiasts and people who train at least 2-3 times per week on the bike. If this is something you’d like to work up to over the spring, we recommend doing long weekend back-to-back rides consistently to make sure that’s something you enjoy. You’ll be on your bike anywhere from 4-7 hours per day. The elevation gain is no joke and creates slower-than-expected MPH averages.

If you have questions about whether or not you can do it, rest assured we have safety nets and pickup points throughout each day’s experience. Keep on reading!

You could be fit as a fiddle and still have a bad day. The Arkansas Graveler will be fully supported with athlete services. If you need to skip a day, or need to bail on a ride mid-way through, we’ll be there for you.

We want to set everyone up with proper expectations of the route demands. But at the same time, we know everyone has a bad day from time to time. We have support ready for struggles, mechanical mishaps, or health issues.

There will be designated pickup points midway along each day of the route.