Hello Everyone! As we roll into Spring, you will notice a difference in our branding. Our team decided to lead with the brand Trailblazers and utilize ETHIC as a sub-brand housing our community outreach programs.

We wanted to make it easier on our audience and lessen the communication outlets. Our mission, vision, and values remain the same, and our core areas of work are trail development, trail maintenance, active transportation advocacy, bike education, and outreach. As our team grows into this merger, we are excited to share the work we are doing with you! To keep up, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin. We are currently in in the process of merging the social platforms as well so stay tuned!

May is coming, and we couldn’t be more excited about the start of the National Bike Challenge during May is Bike Month! 

The annual National Bike Challenge is our primary program to engage and encourage residents around Northwest Arkansas to ride bikes. Whether for health, recreation, or transportation, we encourage individuals, families, teams, and workplaces to join us for May is Bike Month and Cycle September. 

Participants can stay connected virtually, set goals, and view their stats while contributing to team rankings and competing for local and national prizes. The challenge welcomes adults, families, and youth ages 13 and up to participate. 

Looking for events to ride in? Check out the NWA Cycling Events Calendar.
 

This May, participants can create teams and challenge others! Grab coworkers, family, neighbors, bike club, book club, or whatever friends you have to form a team of up to 10 people. 

This is a great way to split up a large bike club group into smaller teams, challenge another family in your neighborhood, or pull together your work buddies to compete with another department. You are not required to join or create a team in May, but teams and individuals will be the only visible leaderboards. 

You will still be able to see club and workplace profiles, just as usual, but they will not appear on a leaderboard. The workplace challenge returns in September! For more information on how the Teams Challenge works, visit Love to Ride.
 

Inspire others to ride by sponsoring National Bike Challenge
Do your company values align those of the National Bike Challenge? Consider becoming a sponsor and let everyone know. Contact Gordon@WeAreTrailblazers.org. 

Shout out to Shimano for supporting our community and sharing KC's lived experience. KC's story illustrates the power of bikes and how they can be a tool for transformative community. "Filmed in 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Beyond the Binary sheds light on the rigidness of gender, being black in America, mental health, and the ways that the bicycle has helped them find community and healing." - Shimano.

Visit @shimanoroad @rideshimano's Blog page, where you'll find a list of resources and ways to support non-binary and transgender people!!

We’ll be in Fayetteville, Southeast of the downtown square, connecting the neighborhood around the Yvonne Richardson Community Center to Jefferson and Walker parks.  Slow Streets highlights areas lacking complete sidewalks, bike infrastructure, and connectivity to area resources through temporary installations of traffic-calming materials. 

As Slow Streets has evolved, the City of Fayetteville has been a great partner in working towards long-term solutions for areas in need of improvement. For May we will be implementing Slow Streets for  two weeks and the traffic calming materials remain  24 hours a day/7 days a week. Moving away from weekend-only implementations refocuses the program on the importance of supporting infrastructure for transportation, not just recreation. It also allows for better use of resources while collecting more realistic data and feedback. 

We’re looking forward to the opportunity to continue making positive changes in how our communities move! If you have questions or feedback, email Lauren@WeAreTrailblazers.org.
 

The first classes for Adult First Ride are being held this month at Pedal It Forward in Rogers! This program is the only one of its kind in the region and aims to teach adults who never learned to ride a bike or had not ridden since they were children to learn in a safe, supportive, and comfortable environment.  
Thanks to People for Bikes for underwriting both sessions of classes this month, making them free for the public! If you're interested in the May sessions, click the link below! These sessions will be at Citizens Park in Bentonville on Sunday, May 15th. Many thanks to CEI Engineering for underwriting these classes and making them free to the public. 

Click below to register or copy and share these links with your peers!
May 15 1:30pm - 3:00pm
May 15 3:30pm - 5:00pm
 

Trailblazers have been hard at work making storm damage repairs and getting the course ready for the 2022 Moosejaw US Pro Cup p/b OZ Trails in Fayetteville, Arkansas! For more information about the upcoming race, click here.

'Hardway to Cafe' and 'Meh Way From Cafe' are now nearing completion at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. Thanks to Rock Solid Trails and our team for making it easier to get from one side to the other! Stay tuned; there's more to come from Coler. 

With the spring storms coming, it's an excellent time to get outside and rake and weed eat trails. If you're looking to volunteer, check with neighboring trail stewards such as FAST TAP and OORC.

*Photo courtesy of Rock Solid Trails