Community Norms.
These principles are offered as shared commitments for anyone riding in and through Northwest Arkansas. Whether you’re part of a club, an informal crew, or riding solo, these norms are an invitation to belong to something deeper than a route or a pace line.
1. We Ride with Purpose.
Bicycles carry more than riders. They carry stories, commitments, and a vision for a more just, connected world. Our rides prioritize presence over performance. Whether gravel, single-track, or paved, fast or slow, we move to better understand this place and one another.
2. We Acknowledge the Land and Its History.
We ride on lands that carry the histories of both beauty and harm. These are the ancestral homelands of the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw nations—peoples who were forcibly removed through settler colonial policy. Much of the prosperity of this region was built through the exploitation of enslaved labor. We ride with this awareness and commit to honoring the fullness of these histories through our actions.
3. We Protect the Places We Ride.
Streams, gravel roads, forests, and fields are not just scenery. They are ecosystems that sustain life. We ride lightly, leave no trace, avoid damaging trails, and speak up for the protection of public lands and natural spaces. Every ride is a chance to care for the land.
4. We Respect Rural Communities Along the Way.
The Ozarks are not a playground—they are a home. These hills hold stories, labor, and lives. We ride not to consume this place, but to come to know it. We slow down. We buy local. We listen. We wave. We respect fences, fields, and front yards. We pack out what we bring in. We do not extract—we arrive with care.
5. We Build Intentional, Diverse Community.
Belonging isn’t assumed—it’s built. Inclusion is not an invitation—it’s a shared responsibility. Across race, gender, class, and ability, we work to reflect the fullness of the communities we ride through.
6. We Don’t Just Invite. We Show Up.
We ask not just, “How can we invite people to ride with us?” but “How can we show up for others?” That includes supporting community rides, justice-centered efforts, and listening to historically marginalized voices.
7. We Ride Safely, Together.
We ride with care and cohesion:
Communicate clearly and kindly.
Respect different paces—rides are for connection, not competition.
Readiness is respect: come prepared, physically and mentally.
“We start together, we finish together.”
This is our ride agreement. Whether ten miles or fifty, we begin with a shared commitment: no one gets left behind. If challenges arise—mechanical issues, pace differences, or time constraints—we communicate, regroup, and make decisions together. If someone needs to peel off or we have an “intentional split,” we check that they have what they need: the route, support, and safety. It’s not just about the destination—it’s about the kind of community we’re becoming along the way.
8. We Create Space for Repair.
When harm happens, even unintentionally, we respond with care, not defensiveness. We invite honest conversation, accountability, and the possibility of healing. We all carry the responsibility to notice, name, and respond to exclusion. Growth only happens when we stay in relationship.
Bentonville Ride Club Community Norms
As a place-rooted community in Bentonville, these are norms we hold for ourselves and invite others to witness as part of our unique identity.
9. We Practice Advocacy through Relationship.
We engage with the wider cycling and civic ecosystem in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas with humility and resolve. We aim to build trust, collaborate across difference, and speak up when public narratives or infrastructure exclude.
10. We Make Room for Rest.
We believe rest is resistance. We honor sabbath, recovery, and slow rides. There’s no shame in catching your breath. You belong, even when you’re tired.
11. We Gather in Shared Experiences.
Group rides, community events, and long rides like the Arkansas Traverse aren’t just mileage—they’re rituals of reconnection. These moments are how we root in story, place, and people.
12. We Stay Curious, Humble, and Teachable.
We ride with open hands. We ask questions. We welcome discomfort and change. Transformation doesn’t just happen in distance—it happens in dialogue.
Land & Legacy Acknowledgement
Bentonville Ride Club acknowledges and honors the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw peoples as the original stewards of the land on which we now ride, ancestral homelands cared for since time immemorial. We pay respect to their elders past, present, and future. We also acknowledge the Cherokee Nation, forcibly removed from their homelands and made to walk the Trail of Tears whose path still runs beneath many of the roads we ride today.
But the legacy of this land does not end there.
Much of Northwest Arkansas’s early prosperity was built through the forced labor of enslaved Black people, whose stories are often erased from these hills, yet remain rooted in the soil. And today, many of the roads we travel and meals we eat are made possible by the labor of Latino and Marshallese families, who have come to this region seeking opportunity, often finding themselves in difficult and dangerous working conditions.
As we ride through this land, we recognize it has been shaped by displacement, forced migration, and the tireless work of people whose names rarely appear in the official histories. Their contributions, resilience, and humanity deserve our attention, respect, and solidarity.