AR Ladies Spring Century

01/24/2023

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

The rebranding of AR Ladies Spring Century has been in the works, and I am excited to announce our new name!

FEMMES GRAVEL 100

Along with this rebranding, we are making the move to Instagram so we can stay better connected with you.

Keep Following us here👇 https://instagram.com/femmesgravel?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

We are amped for an exciting 2023 century adventure!!

01/09/2023

Century training starts in 5 weeks! Are you joining us?

This year, we have made some changes to better support you, and our participants, and to continue to make this event and training program possible.
Here is what to expect;

• Event date is May 13th. We are teaming up with Girls Gone Gravel to make Mother’s Day weekend even bigger for women on gravel.
• THIS IS NOT A RACE. This is a group ride for women to support each other on an adventure to conquer 100 miles of gravel.
• New century route!
• Registration: $35. Why is there a fee this year? There are inevitable costs to hosting “free” events and, unfortunately, they come out of the pockets of the organizers and volunteers. We have generous sponsors that help with our bigger needs, but the little things add up, and the financial responsibility should not fall on those who are giving their time and energy.
• What do you get with registration?
 Event day entry and support
 Registration and training swag
 Full access to the training plan, pace-led rides, Q&A’s, and classes. Once registration is completed, an email will be sent with information on how to access the training communication platform.
 Finish line celebration

• Training kicks off on February 11th. There will be 13 rides; 8 pace-led, 3 self-led, and two fun rides, with mileage building from 33 and peaking at 70 on April 22nd.
• Training incentive: We are bringing the training raffle back! You will get a raffle entry for every training ride completed. More rides = more chances to win swag. Putting in the time to train for 100 miles is a big commitment and hard work! Rewards make the miles sweeter.

We will be hosting 2, 20-mile, try-it-out rides on January 21st and 28th. Come ride with us and get your century and training questions answered. Details will be posted soon.

Be on the lookout for the registration launch announcement!

12/19/2022

2023 is the year to check that gravel century off your list!
Training kicks off 2/11 Registration to be announced soon

12/19/2022

SAVE THE DATE
5/13/23

05/10/2022

Another AR Ladies Spring Century in the books!!

Congratulations to all the finishers and first time century riders!! I am so proud of all these badass women. The route took extra grit after all the storms. Every rider finished!!
I am honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing journey with them♡

Completing a century is so much more then just riding 100 miles. It builds grit, confidence, mental and physical strength. You discover what you are made and capable of! All these things transfer to life off the bike. Nothing can stop you now! You are stronger then you think♡

Thank you to all the sponsors that supported us along the way.
Mojo Cycling
The Meteor
Chamois Butt'r
Handup Gloves
Athleta


Buddy Pegs
Phat Tire Bike Shop - Arkansas

Last but not least, a BIG "Thank You" to all of ladies who gave their time and energy to make all of this possible! Without them, none of this would have been dreamed. They have ( and continue to) put their heart into creating a supportive, welcoming and inclusive women's cycling community in NWA. We are immensely blessed to have them here.

05/07/2022

Upper Mill Creek

05/07/2022

05/07/2022

Ok Friends,

Our storm route is complete. Here’s what to expect…

Stop #1 has been relocated to Highlands Blvd, just before Edinburg Road. map pin
Edinburg is not easily accessible by car. This road is a descent with a gully cutting across it. There are also some pretty chunky sections.

Our one major reroute is 3.5 miles on highway 90. Upper Mill Creek has a deep and fast moving water crossing (see attached clip). There is no chance of crossing it. Highway 90 isn’t the busiest of roads, but its fast moving traffic. Please keep your group together on this road. Each group will be followed by a SAG vehicle for extra safety.

Mill Creek Rd, Colony Dr, and Butler Creek Rd, all have water crossing but are passable. A few are faster moving water that may require walking.
Everything is rideable or hike-a-bike. Use extra caution and ride within your abilities. Even the paved roads have storm debris. Groups need to stick together and ride double on ALL paved roads.

here is our updated route https://www.strava.com/routes/2957340696839270338

I look forward to tomorrows adventures!

05/06/2022

STORM UPDATE

The storms we've had these past few days have thrashed our gravel roads. There is still too much water to really assess what the roads will look like on Saturday.
We did some recon today and we're doing our best to reroute the worst. Please be prepared to hike-a-bike in a few sections. Bring your sense of adventure this weekend!

Check back here tomorrow for the new route plan.

05/04/2022

Event parking..

We have designated parking at the pavilion and across from the tennis courts (see attached picture). Please do not park at the tennis courts, soccer field or playground. Let’s be respectful of patrons using these facilities. Carpooling is strongly encouraged or being dropped off, if possible.

05/04/2022

ITS CENTURY WEEK!!

Are you ready to get this show on the road?
Here are your event day reminders…

Location: Bentonville community Center Pavillion. 1101 SW Citizens Cir, Bentonville, AR 72712. The pavilion is located behind the Community center, past the tennis courts.

Time: Check in starts at 6:15am. Pre ride meeting is 7:10am. You should be geared up and ready to roll for the meeting. Wheels hot at 7:30.

Parking: We have designated parking at the pavilion and across from the tennis courts. Please do not park at the tennis courts, soccer field or playground. Let’s be respectful of patrons using these facilities. I strongly encourage carpooling or being dropped off if possible.

Checking in: When you check in you will be asked to confirm your emergency contact (this person must be available to pick you up if needed), sign the insurance waiver, pay the $5 fee, choose your pace group, and pick up your registration schwag.
If you have not paid the $5 insurance fee yet, I highly recommend doing so before century day. This will speed up the check in process. You can pay it via Venmo -Nelson-1. If you wish to pay cash, day of, please bring exact change. There will not be change available at check-in. Large bills will be accepted as donations towards the cause.

Support stops:

1. Sponsored by Blue Crane - ETA 9-10am. Mile 25, Edinburg Road, under the Bella Vista Bypass. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/36.3257266,-94.2378125/36.4974682,-94.3813132/@36.4969306,-94.3818962,17z/data=!4m4!4m3!1m1!4e1!1m0

2. Self-supported - ETA 10:30-11:30am. Mile 40, Pineville Conoco gas station, 5232 US-71, Pineville, MO 64856.

3. Sponsored by Mojo Cycling - ETA 1:30-2:30pm. Mile 65, corner of Fruitwood Road and Dickson Road. There is a 3pm cut off time for this stop to ensure an appropriate finishing time. After the cut off time, riders will no longer be lead and will be expected to finish on their own or be picked up. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/36.3257266,-94.2378125/36.3982349,-94.3614838/@36.3995993,-94.3647025,15z/data=!4m4!4m3!1m1!4e1!1m0

4. Self-supported - ETA 3:30-4:30pm. Mile 80,Highfill Mart. 14939 AR-12, Gentry, AR 72734. THIS IS THE HOME STRETCH!

*Note that the above times are only an estimate. These times can change depending how riders are feeling, terrain, and mechanical issues.*
Your support team is welcome to meet you at these designated stops, but we ask that they do not meet you along the route unless it’s an emergency. Creating more stops along the route will slow down the ride and push out the finishing time.

Finish line: ETA 6-7pm. We will have a celebratory toast at the finish, courtesy of The Meteor Café.

Route: The original century route has been updated. Please be sure you have this one https://www.strava.com/routes/2954842311300821690
An e-mail has been sent to all registrants with more important details. If you have not received it, please reach out and I will resend it.

Lets do this friends!

Heide
[email protected]

AR Ladies Spring Century is a 162.7 km Road Cycling Route created by Heide Nelson on April 28, 2022. It has a total elevation gain of 1,856 meters. Sign up for Strava to save this route and share it with your friends.

04/26/2022

Training ride #14 & century social ✔️

Century training is done! Congrations to all the weekend warriors who battled the heat and wind to conquer 70miles. 💪🚴‍♀️

Thank you Buddy Pegs for hosting us!
A shout out to all of the century training raffle winners📣 We had amazing schwag, for our trainees, volunteers, and century participants, thanks to our generous sponsors.
Mojo Cycling

The Meteor
Chamois Butt'r
Athleta
Phat Tire Bike Shop - Arkansas
Rapha
Handup Gloves

Thank you for supporting women's cycling, our vision, and century goals.

We're ready for 100!
Let's do this!