21/03/2026
Community Update: Tour de NWA
We’ve had a lot of people ask whether we’re bringing back Tour de Tacos and Tour de BBQ this year, especially as we approach what would have been our seventh year.
First, we just want to say how grateful we are for the past several years. These rides have been such a fun and meaningful way to bring our community together. From biking the Razorback Greenway to enjoying incredible food from our local partners, it has truly been something special.
After thoughtful consideration, we’ve made the decision to take 2026 off.
When we first launched these rides, they were one of the only non-competitive, all-skill-level cycling events in Northwest Arkansas. Since then, especially after COVID and with the growth of our incredible trail system, there are now bike fundraisers happening almost every weekend. While that’s a beautiful reflection of our community, it has also created a level of saturation that has impacted participation. In our early years, we welcomed nearly 1,500 riders. Over time, those numbers have gradually declined.
We also want to be transparent. Producing an event like this is a significant lift for a small nonprofit. Each year, expectations have grown, and we have worked hard to evolve the experience by offering different food formats, accommodating dietary needs, and keeping the event accessible and affordable. At the same time, this event is 100% a fundraiser. Balancing community access, rising costs, vendor coordination, and impact has become increasingly complex.
At this point, we feel it is important to step back, reassess, and reimagine what this event can and should look like moving forward.
Our hope is to bring the ride back in 2027 in a way that is sustainable, impactful, and aligned with our mission. We want to ensure that when it returns, it delivers the strongest possible benefit to Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas and ultimately allows us to serve even more individuals in our community.
In the meantime, we have pivoted to a new fall fundraising event, Drive for Success, a four-person golf scramble designed to continue supporting our mission in a different way. You can find more information about the event at DFSNWA.org.
If you are passionate about Tour de NWA and would like to be part of shaping its future, we would love to have you involved. We’ll be hosting planning conversations in the coming months as we begin to reimagine what’s next.
At the heart of this has always been good food, strong community, and accessible cycling for all skill levels. That hasn’t changed. We’re simply taking the time to make sure we do it right.
Thank you for continuing to support this work and the mission behind it.
With a love for good food, strong community, and the open trail,
Rachel Cox
Founder, Tour de NWA
Executive Director/CEO, Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas
At Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas, we help women secure employment, retain their jobs, grow their careers and transform their lives.
