Driftless Dirt - "Bentonville Special #5 - Gary Vernon - The Man Behind the Trails" (April 30, 2020 | #1259 | Host: Josh Blum)

April 30, 2020 

Driftless Dirt Show Page

ABOUT THE EPISODE

Josh sits down with Gary to discuss mountain biking and Bentonville, and how the expansion of trails has happened in Arkansas.  

Topics Covered:

• Gary's backstory
• How Bentonville started with a 5-mile trail system and got to where it is today
• OZ Trails and the backstory behind the brand / region known as OZ Trails
• Women of OZ 
• State Parks and Monument Trails
• 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships
• The Future of OZ Trails and their goal of being the epicenter of cycling in the world 
• Community Development through Trails and Cycling by creating the lifestyle

The Bentonville Series has been brought to you by Evolution Trail Services. For more information about Evolution Trail Services check out www.evotrails.com

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RELATED SHOW LINKS

Gary Vernon: https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/stories/gary-vernon
OZ Trails: https://www.oztrailsnwa.com/
Friends of Arkansas Single Track: http://fasttrails.org/
Women of OZ: https://www.arkansasoutside.com/oz-trails-off-road-dedicated-to-women-of-oz/
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve: https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/coler-mountain-bike-preserve
Jones Center Pump Track: https://www.thejonescenter.net/bike-park
Eureka Springs / Lake Leatherwood: https://eurekaparks.com/trails/
Great Passion Play Trails: http://www.greatpassionplay.org/trails.html#.XoyvEohKiM8
Arkansas State Parks – Monument Trails: https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/trails/monument-trails
2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships: https://fayetteville2022.com/
Bike NWA: https://www.bikenwa.org/
Trail Forks Mapping: https://www.trailforks.com/region/ozarks/
Crystal Bridges Art Museum: https://crystalbridges.org/
Momentary Art Museum: https://themomentary.org/

IMBA Trail Lab was created to help communities do what Bentonville has done. For more information on IMBA Trail Lab go to: https://www.imba.com/trails-for-all/trail-labs

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ABOUT DRIFTLESS DIRT

Driftless Dirt is based out of La Crosse, WI which is nearly centered in the Driftless Area. The Driftless Area is a region of the Upper Midwest comprised of SW Wisconsin, NE Iowa, NW Illinois and SE Minnesota. Known for its steep jagged blufftops, massive rock outcroppings, rivers, and spring-fed streams, this area provides excellent topography for nearly all things outdoors. Spared from the glaciers of the last Ice Age, the steep peaks and valleys were formed.

While mostly unknown, the Driftless Region has a rich history in Mountain Biking spanning back to the mid 80’s. Paired with seemingly endless miles of paved and gravel roads, this area is a cyclists dream.

While cycling may be a large part of this show, we will also bring you the various aspects that make this area great.

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ABOUT THE HOST

Josh Blum is a father, husband, and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.