‘One of the weirdest places I’ve ever been’: Welcome to Bentonville, the American city where bikes rule

Bentonville, Arkansas, is one of the weirdest places that I have ever been. When you think of New York City, Tokyo, Paris, or Rome, you can picture those cities clearly. You know what to expect and what you will see, and that it will be packed with millions of tourists. You know that you will see the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Statue of Liberty in NYC, and the leaning tower in Pisa. But what will you see in Bentonville, Arkansas?

Bikes. Thousands and thousands of bikes.

In 2007, the Walton family (heirs to Walmart’s fortune) began leading the charge toward building biking trails around Bentonville. Why? Because Tom and Steuart Walton loved mountain biking, and they wanted to bring it to their hometown.

Bentonville, nestled in the rolling hills of Northwest Arkansas, has undergone a dramatic transformation since 2000, growing from roughly 38,000 residents to more than 63,000 today, a number that increases even higher during cycling season.

It is an odd place with quite a few dichotomies, but it is also one of – if not the – best cycling cities that I have ever been to.

When you hear “Arkansas,” what springs to mind? Southern comfort food, Razorback football or maybe the Netflix seriesm Ozark? Until recently, that was the extent of the state’s identity for many outsiders. But today, a fast-growing share of visitors associate Arkansas with something entirely different: world-class mountain bike trails and a thriving cycling culture, amplified by Bentonville’s bold claim as the “mountain bike capital of the world.”

We’ll get to the cycling culture in a second, but let’s first talk about the town itself. What once was a southern farming community is now a rapidly modernising hub with an unexpectedly rich culture. And I don’t just mean culturally rich—I mean financially rich, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars.

The city’s reinvention, funded by Walmart’s heirs, is anything but organic growth. It's a corporate masterplan. Millions of dollars have been poured into the city in recent years, transforming a once-sleepy Arkansas town into a hub for multi-millionaires and international corporations.

Of course, not everyone in Bentonville welcomes the influx of wealth and the rapid reinvention. While the cycling boom has brought energy and opportunity, it’s also reshaping the community in ways that make some residents uneasy. There's a faint Truman Show feel to the city: so curated and suspiciously flawless.

Bentonville is also a very expensive place to live. I conducted a quick search on Zillow and found more than 25 homes listed for over $1 million within a two-mile radius of downtown Bentonville. The most expensive homes were north of $3 million, not what you might expect from a medium-sized town in Northwest Arkansas. But there are plenty of reasons why property commands a premium here, and the active lifestyle and bike-friendly culture sit at the top of that list.

Bentonville is everything you could ask for from a bike-friendly city. An entire economy has grown around biking, from its expansive trail networks to the events, restaurants and shops that cater directly to riders.

Cyclists are respected on the roads and drivers are kind and patient, leaving plenty of room for cyclists. In my two weeks in and around Bentonville, I never got buzzed or scolded by a driver. That kind of courtesy stands out in the U.S., where many cities still struggle with bike safety.

Many parts of the city are built for cyclists. Let me say that again: They’re built for cyclists, not merely designed to accommodate them.

Around Bentonville, you can find coffee shops and restaurants with a ride-up window, almost like a drive-thru for bikes. You can just roll up and order an espresso to go, never having to unclip or lock up your bike in order to grab a coffee.

Hotels around the city offer free bike valets, and some even provide a bike washing station. And then, there's The Ledger, a beautifully designed, five-story office building with a bike track circumnavigating each floor. The track spirals around the building from the ground floor to the penthouse, allowing cyclists to ride straight to their office door. But what’s even better is that the loop feels a bit like a race track for kids (or out-of-towners, like me), who ride up and down and up and down and up and down for hours on end.

Life Time hosts not one but two stops of the Grand Prix series in Bentonville, highlighting the region’s vast gravel roads and world-class mountain bike trail systems. Capitalising on that access, USA Cycling recently moved its off-road operations to Arkansas. And they’re not alone: Vittoria, Rapha and Allied Cycle Works are just a few of the major companies that have relocated operations to Bentonville in recent years.

For many, it may seem surprising that global cycling brands have set down roots in Northwest Arkansas—at least until you hear about the food scene.

Like the mansion-filled housing market, the Bentonville food scene is equally bougie. Upscale restaurants sit alongside local diners and barbecue joints, creating a mix of high-end and homey establishments. Dream up any food you can think of, and you can find an award-winning chef who is cooking it up in Bentonville. In just a few short weeks, I was able to find top-tier Mexican food, Italian pasta, fresh sushi, and of course, southern barbecue.

While fine dining is nice, it can lack the charm and authenticity that comes with most southern cities. Thankfully, there is still a good balance of food and people in Bentonville. Pulled pork from the corner store was just as good as the mole enchiladas by an award-winning chef.

Bentonville is built for cyclists of every age and ability. Trails range from beginner-friendly to expert-level, with abundant options for gravel riders and road cyclists alike. Even the youngest riders have dedicated bike parks with miniature features designed to build skills and confidence.

While it isn’t perfect, Bentonville stands as an impressive example of how a small city can reimagine itself around outdoor recreation. It may never rival the cycling culture of the Netherlands or the year-round sunshine of Southern California, but Bentonville offers something those places don’t.

Where else can you pedal up to a ride-up window for an espresso to-go on your way to 150 miles of trails, ride up the side of an office building, and experience fine dining curated by a Michelin-starred chef, all within a mile of downtown?

It’s rare to find a small American city that has invested so heavily in cycling infrastructure, and even rarer to see how clearly that investment shapes daily life. And the momentum isn’t slowing down either. More projects are already underway, including the first dedicated chairlift-access mountain bike trail in North America.

Bentonville continues to grow at a remarkable pace. Cities like Boulder, Portland, and Bend offer great cycling scenes, but they’re increasingly overcrowded and unaffordable. I've heard of riders needing six roommates just to make Boulder rent.

Bentonville, meanwhile, still has fewer than 65,000 residents. Hundreds of new buildings rise each year, alongside more trails, shops, restaurants and bike-focused amenities. Bentonville might just be the next big thing, and those who got in early might be able to count themselves lucky.