Gran Fondo Hincapie celebrates road cycling in Bentonville with inaugural two-day event

This past weekend, more than 1,300 riders experienced the scenic and challenging roads of Northwest Arkansas and Missouri

Bentonville, Ark. (Sept. 10, 2024) - Gran Fondo Hincapie has created spectacular cycling experiences for over 12 years, and its newest event took place in Bentonville, Ark. this past weekend. Sunny 75-degree temperatures welcomed more than 1,300 riders aged five to 78, residing from 35 states and two countries to Northwest Arkansas for Hincapie’s Ultimate Cycling Experience. There were more than 280 riders from the greater Bentonville and Bella Vista areas. 

“We are excited about all things cycling here; we are the mountain bike capital of the world, we have amazing gravel, and we believe road cycling is the next step for us,” said Kalene Griffith, CEO and President of Visit Bentonville. “The Hincapie partnership and the level of expertise the team has, allow us to bring a very up-leveled, wonderful cycling experience to our community.”

Gran Fondo Hincapie events captivate riders of all ages and skill levels thanks to its unique blend of challenging routes, various distance options, stunning landscapes, course safety, and friendly cyclists. Tor Bennstrom from Greenville, S.C. who rode the Medio course on Saturday and Sunday said:

“I loved it. The weather has been perfect. The terrain has been amazing, [there was] more climbing than I thought there would be, a couple of kickers, but I’ll definitely be back. Bentonville as a city has been awesome, and the food and people have been amazing.”

Community Shake Out rides kicked off the weekend led by former professional road cyclist and Olympian, George Hincapie and his son, Enzo, Junior National Road Race and Time Trial Championship. On Saturday and Sunday, cyclists chose to ride the paved roads of Arkansas and Missouri, choosing from multiple distance options, and different courses each day—a shorter approximately 20-mile Piccolo, a mid-length approximately 50-mile Medio, or a longer approximately 80-mile Gran ride.

The race weekend also included Speed Zones along the course designed to challenge riders and showcase their speed and skill. These timed segments allowed participants to push their limits and vie for top honors in a friendly competition.

Following each day’s ride, cyclists, their families, and friends gathered at Thaden School where the Family Fun Festival took place. The festival was open to all, with free beverages, food, music, an expo, giveaways (including a Ventum bike won by Bentonville-local, 13-year-old Madeline Anderson), an inflatable bounce house and slide, and awards. On Sunday, there was also a Pedal Kids USA criterium race, in which kids competed in lap races through fun obstacles on a kid-friendly race course.

On Day 1 in the women’s Gran category, Ariel Wyant (age 34) from Tulsa, Oklahoma finished first with a time of 3:26:03 followed by Morgan Chaffin (age 41) from Bella Vista, Ark. with a time of 3:27:03. In third, Leah Thorvilson (age 45) from Little Rock, Ark. finished in 3:45:21.

For the men’s Gran category, Andrew Kutach (age 50) from Flint, Texas took home first place with a time of 3:26:13. Brent Grist (age 44) of Fort Smith, Ark. took home second place with a time of 3:36:34, and Gabriel Canal (age 38) of Tyler, Texas took home third with a time of 3:26:01.

On Day 2 in the women’s Gran category, Ariel Wyant took home first place again with a time of 3:28:55. Rounding out the podium, Bentonville locals Nat Ross (age 52) finished with a time of 3:35:08, and Jackie Sadler (age 25), took home third with a time of 4:25:35

For the men’s Day 2 Gran category, Andrew Kutach (age 50) from Flint, Texas took home first place again with a time of 3:25:40. In second, Aaron Messer (age 23) from Winneconne, Wis. finished in 3:25:40.9, and Bentonville local Samuel Pickman (age 43) took home third with a time of 3:25:41. View all of the Hincapie Gran Fondo-Bentonville results here.

The Bentonville event adds to Gran Fondo Hincapie’s world-class events; the next and final event of the year will take place in the Hincapie family’s hometown of Greenville, S.C. (Oct. 18-19), where the Gran Fondo Hincapie events all started back in 2012.

The full Gran Fondo Hincapie 2025 calendar of event dates and locations will include Merced, Calif. (March 15 - registration open); Chattanooga, Tenn. (May 3 - registration open); Lehigh Valley, Penn. (May 31 - registration open); Bentonville, Ark (date coming soon); and Greenville, S.C. (Oct. 18).

To learn more about Gran Fondo Hincapie please visit https://hincapie.com/ or follow along on social media on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.