Life Time, the producer of 30 athletic events for the Active Outdoor Industry, will launch its Little Sugar MTB presented by Mazda mountain bike event on October 15 in Northwest Arkansas.

The weekend before, Life Time will hold its Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda, setting the stage for a week-long Big Sugar Classic Cycling Festival to run from October 14-24. Registration opens on March 1, the same day as registration for Big Sugar Gravel.

Little Sugar MTB is expected to attract a world-class field to Arkansas singletrack mountain bike terrain and will offer participants the opportunity to qualify for the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB. 

Little Sugar MTB is produced by the same team behind Life Time’s Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda, the Leadville Race Series and Garmin Unbound Gravel presented by Craft Sportswear, and includes the support of Bentonville locals and industry leaders Aimee and Nat Ross, as community liaisons.

The Little Sugar MTB race will feature a one-day expo on October 14, with participants taking on the singletrack trails that roughly follow the course through Bentonville and Bella Vista, AK, on October 15. 

Three course distances include 100k with 6,610′ of elevation gain, 50k with 3,461′ of elevation gain and 20k with 1,125′ of elevation gain. Exact courses are subject to final approval. 

“The singletrack mountain bike terrain and development that has taken place in Northwest Arkansas is undeniably world-class, and we are very excited to bring a new Life Time MTB event to the region,” said Kimo Seymour, president of Life Time Events. “The Sea Otter Classic kicks off the cycling season for many, and we love the opportunity to bring the cycling community back together at the end of the season for a week-long celebration of all things cycling.”

For more information, go here

Photo courtesy Life Time