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This works with AT&T TV streaming service as well. Use it all the time with basketball games so that I don't have to watch all of the commercials. Of course that means jumping in an hour in vs. just 20 min in.

Wear blue and don't bathe. Maybe that will help you get hit!

I'm not going to say I outrode them but I definitely avoided getting bitten, possibly just lucky. I felt one bumping up against my arm a few times. Do they tend to disappear around dusk? That might have helped since it was starting to get dark around the time I finished.

Been watching this mini-series on HBO Max. Never been a huge surfing fan, but I'm finding it very intriguing. Seems in this game they are playing, it is almost impossible to calculate risks.

Went out around 7:15pm for a spin tonight. Ordinarily I don't try to go fast in this oppressive summer heat / humidity, but it was a matter of survival tonight as the horse flies were swarming. Ended up with my third fastest time on 1/4 Notch.

I have some old Renthal carbon bars that have some rise and some sweep, albeit minimal (7 degrees maybe). They are cut down to 730mm though. You're welcome to have them. I did use them for a couple of years and of course can't guarantee the integrity. I do remember you saying you had a good dentist though!

Any locals visited Bentonville during Outerbike in past years? Seems late Oct would be a great time of year to visit, and I suppose the event itself would serve as a form of entertainment when not riding. Seems any races that are part of the event are only on one day - so closure of trails shouldn't be a big issue if staying multiple days. Given the abundance of trails, I wouldn't think that overcrowding would be an issue either. Any thoughts from folks that have been or are familiar with the event?

Damnnnnnn! These guys flat out fly - unreal speed and air time.

Some nice bikes there! Seems the Trek Store on Parmer had a couple of those Fuel EX 9.8s on the floor listed at $4999 a couple of months ago. I'm sure they didn't last long.

Not quite an Everest, but certainly an interesting challenge to consider for some of you studs out there. Anyway, nicely done video and worth a watch even if you just want to see how it's done by someone else. At the end of the video there are details on how to document your own #BentonvilleTrailChallenge and possibly win cool prizes. Contest is not limited to riders who finish in one day - just need to tell a compelling story and follow the rules as noted below. C'mon it's only 17K of climbing! 1) Ride all of Bentonville's trails by the end of year. You can do it all at once as Payson did, or take it in smaller chunks at whatever pace you like. 2) Document and share your progress on Instagram with the hashtag #BentonvilleTrailChallenge, and save your posts as a highlight on your profile. The most compelling/inspiring/creative stories win. If you're a retro grouch and don't have Instagram, you can write us a beautiful essay and/or submit your video(s) to theadventure@paysonmcelveen.com 3) Join the Bentonville Trail Challenge STRAVA club to prove your progress.

At least you're smiling .... relatively speaking. Heal up man and let's get back out there once the temps cool off.

Thanks - met up with Andrew and Marcel behind the shop that evening to head out for a ride. Believe we rode some of the upper part of Chicken Dinner that same night, but a couple of days later we picked up that final Chicken Dinner descent you are referring to, as shown here right before hitting the river, I believe. Definitely a nice spot to own land!

Good to hear! Sounds like you'll be back on the trail by the time the cooler temps roll in. Rest up my friend and let's ride once you're back in the saddle.

Few more pics from the Salida, CO trip.

Yep it was tagged! On our initial drive into Salida we saw a bunch of them cross the road in front of us and then scale the vertical cliffs on the on other side. I was in complete awe!

Came across this big feller right off the edge of the trail outside of Salida during an evening ride. Luckily one of the guys I was riding with looked down and spotted him as the rest of us would have just kept going.

Damn dude - so sorry to hear this! Is surgery going to be required? Hopefully that sternoclavicular dislocation is popping outward and not inward!

I've ridden locally now 4 days in a row since returning from riding in Colorado, and honestly it hasn't been that bad. I rode Thu-Fri evenings and rode Sat-Sun mornings. Much easier to stay cool in the morning I think - just have to remember to bring a small towel to wipe my goggles every now and then. Also when riding in the morning I generally stop mid-ride to wring out my shirt, gloves, and sweat cap. For evening rides, I just avoid areas that are exposed to the harsh sun, like 1/4 notch at Brushy. All of my summer rides have been under 2 hours.

Yeah the descending was righteous man! Some of those downs were so long that I'd end up raising my saddle a bit just to cop an occasional seat going down. Inevitably I'd suddenly come across something janky and take a direct hit in the stones from that slightly raised saddle.

I ended up taking the cheap way out and just replaced my 30t chainring with a 28t oval ring. Very first ride we did in Colorado was this! Managed mile one OK but the grade on that second mile dirt road climb was insane. I pedaled all the way up, but had to stop multiple times to catch my breath, and my legs were toast when we finally got to the top. My buddies were riding either 2x11 or Eagle and didn't struggle too much. Did another ride later that day and my legs were still hurting. When we rode the Monarch Crest trail the following day, I ended up just walking some of the really punchy climbs at the beginning to save my legs for the full 35 miles. That strategy worked well and kept me from falling behind my buddies by too much.

Yeah definitely. They probably did that mostly to benefit me, knowing that it would take me an extra 20 minutes or so to get up that road. In retrospect, I should have just offered to head out half-an-hour earlier than the studs I was riding with, while they enjoyed their treats from Little Red Hen Bakery.

We only skipped the 7-mile dirt road climb up CR 175. Definitely plenty of choices for beer in town but we never got over to Benson's. Will put that on my list for next time!

Spent only 4 nights in Salida Jul 8-12, and wish now I had made it a full week stay. So much to do and see there! There were only two of us from Austin making the trip, and we ended up renting a decent 2 bedroom bungalow just a few blocks from the main strip downtown. Worked out well since a couple of my buddies from the Denver-Boulder area came down and camped out on the couch / floor. The backyard patio was awesome with plenty of seating and a large rack for parking the bikes. When we weren't riding, we were pretty much hanging out downtown and alongside (and in) the river. Our top spots for dining were the Boathouse and Amica's. Rides went as follows: Day 1 - Bear Creek-Rainbow-Columbine Loop (8 mi) late morning, followed by a guided tour that same evening of a few of the local favorite trails on Methodist Mtn (8mi). Day 2 - Monarch Crest w/Rainbow Trail from Silver Creek to Hwy 285 to Poncha Springs (35 mi). Day 3 - Abbreviated Cottonwood Loop that included Beasway-Rumba-Cottonwood-SweetDreams-ChickenDinner (13 mi). Each ride was spectacular and I really wished I had tried to squeeze in one more ride on Day 3. With two vehicles, we were able to run our own shuttles, which was a huge plus. The Crest was everything I expected and more! The weather was fantastic the whole time we were there, even at 12K ft of elevation. Already thinking about my next trip back, which will likely include one day for rafting or tubing and another day to make the drive over to Gunnison to ride Hartman Rocks.

Last night in Salida. Awesome 3 days of Alpine riding!

Rode Brushy between 9-11 yesterday and it wasn't too terrible. Looking forward to riding in CO next week though, and may have to plan another trip in Aug.