Midlife Crisis Tour - 2018
Bentonville, Arkansas “The OZ”
This is the start of it all - 4 guys born in 1974 making a trip to a friend who lives in one of the fastest growing mountain bike communities in the United States. How it all came together…
2 Cousins - Rolled 12 hours straight in a 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan
1 Old Friend - Combined a business trip to run through Missouri with a weekend pitstop in Arkansas
1 Old Friend - Making a run across Texas to meet up a day later
1 Best Friend - Nice house in the Suburbs of Bentonville, AR
…hopefully we will help you learn from our mistakes.
Mistake ONE - Cracked Ribs : Okay so I still play hockey. You can call it beer league, old timers but when you were a competitive athlete for years and most of the competition is 10-20 years younger than you the animal sometimes comes out. So I was working pretty hard on my conditioning prior to the trip feeling great. Doing Elliptical (bad knee) really increased my speed on the ice and I started moving a lot quicker which puts me into the situation above. What you have to learn on your own is once you reach about 35 your reaction time slows and the athletic gods add about 10lbs of concrete to your ankles so imagine what 45 years looks like. I was making a break to the goal realized I was going to blast the goalie and thought I was 20 again and could just jump over him. That concluded in a collision with a 2 in. diameter goal post. In turn, this equals cracked ribs. NATi Rule : if you want to continue to play sports at an older age you can’t let your wife know of every injury (especially cracked ribs) otherwise she will force you to new activities. Now, if you already have a mountain biking trip scheduled in a month you definitely have to keep those ribs to yourself.
Mistake TWO - Cockpit Time : Make sure your timing is good for whatever activity you are trying. Example; I have ran the Upper Gauley white water more than most. I didn't jump in a four person raft the first time - I started with an eight, then six and finally four. I will for sure add a story on to how to Midlife the Gauley river.
Mistake THREE - When you visit your best friend please ensure the first day of rides is light. Why you ask? Because when you say your going to bed early that shouldn’t mean 3:45 AM (Central Time). This always counteracts any Cockpit Time you may have worked on prior. Sleep is always the great equalizer.
Now to the story
We arrive on Wednesday around 9PM after a long drive mountain bikes loaded on the top of my 2015 Sienna Minivan which is definitely Mistake FOUR : there is a reason why you see hitch bike racks - putting bikes on top of a minivan for 4 days sucks - no it really sucks - especially when you are less than 5’9”.
Ride One : Coler - Everyone sees this on youtube and okay it looks really cool but if your not willing to do 10 foot drops then just skip it. You put in some good quick elevation but the reward is for the young at heart.
Ride Two : Slaughter Pen | Lincoln Flow Park - Now this is what I came for (youtube All American MTB Trail) gradual climbs and flowing descents. We must have road Lincoln Flow Park 10 times. Mistake FIVE : Old gear is just old gear - when you ride clipless make sure your 20 year old shoes still have the ability to release, I still have the scar from that rock wall.
Ride Three “…you said 3 miles more 2 miles ago” : The BACK 40 - I am glad I got to put this on a shirt and write about it but just don’t ask me to do it again. This is the crown jewel of the OZ’s XC riding. I just suck at switch backs and lose all my momentum every time which made for a very long day. Now I will say “Flow Ride” was fantastic and the rock formations were spectacular. But Mistake SIX : When your guide is new to town and never road the trail before odds are pretty high you are going to get lost.
This was the restart of my mountain bike adventure some 25+ years later but trust me its going to hopefully be a great ride for all of us to enjoy. The next trip to Bentonville I break down how to do it right on a budget.
Places Stayed : 2 guys stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn other two stayed with BF
Best places to eat : Pedaler’s Pub.
Best place for a drink : Larson’s 3 car bar.
The good - motivated me to create NATi Threads “Midlife Crisis Tours”. The bad - really only thing bad is not trying at all.