New Brand Celebrates Fastest-Growing Segment of Cycling
“Building off the amazing success of OZ Trails for mountain biking, OZ Gravel will provide a place for gravel riders to learn about new routes, build their skillsets, and share their experiences,” says J.T. Geren, who leads the marketing efforts behind the brand. “Northwest Arkansas, and Benton County in particular, has some of the most scenic, accessible gravel riding anywhere.”
The OZ Gravel website includes curated routes that take riders on beginner, intermediate and advances courses throughout the area, with several routes crossing into Missouri and Oklahoma. The routes were hand-picked and tested by Andy Chasteen, a well-known persona among the cycling community and employee of the Runway Group, which owns and operates OZ Brands. Chasteen created The Rule of Three, Horseshoe Hell, and other iconic cycling events.
“Gravel riding is appealing to all kinds of cyclists,” Chasteen says. “You can be a competitive rider, a recreational rider, or a solo bikepacker. The gravel scene here is set to explode as we continue to discover these incredible scenic, rural roads.”
Many of the curated routes were mapped as part of the Arkansas Rural Recreational Roads (Arkansas R3) project. Arkansas R3 is a public-private partnership that identifies and designates rural roads as recreational opportunities across the state. Arkansas R3 was created by Tom Walton, co-founder of the Runway Group.
“Gravel cycling is yet another way to connect our rural communities to the economic potential of outdoor recreation in our state,” Walton says. “Many of these cycling routes are accessible right from people’s front porches, so it’s more than a tourism initiative. Our hope is that our rural communities will participate and enjoy all the benefits that cycling brings.”
OZ Gravel Media Assets can be found here.
OZ Brands is home to unique outdoor, cultural, and art experiences in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas. Runway Group believes in connecting people to experiences and places where individuals, communities, and the natural world can thrive. We believe joyful living should be an outcome of economic sustainability and opportunity, and that social inclusivity and belonging should be a part of growth.