2019 Highway 71 Pastry Tour | Event Recap
The Highway 71 Pastry Tour is the main fundraiser and event for Breakaway Cycling Team. All proceeds go directly towards the non-profit, so they can continue to serve more kids, young adults, and women by advocating, educating, and making a positive impact within the community. If you’d like to read more about Breakaway and their national race schedule, click here.
The sponsors discussed donated products or a service to ensure the Highway 71 was an amazing event for participants and was successful. The businesses and organizations support Breakaway’s cause, so in return they promoted them to create a full-circle event, where local community, business, and charity join together to create a full-circle event.
The Pastry Tour showcases three of the most epic routes Northwest Arkansas has to offer along the classic Highway 71, while fully supporting riders with themed rest stops stocked with pastries made by local master bakers!
We asked Nick Griffin what he thought of the event:
“It was a great event! This was the first time I was in town and able to attend. It was great to see a big turnout and I love that the event supports the Breakaway Cycling Teams and local businesses. I really appreciate what Breakaway is doing to support Juniors, Women, and cycling culture in general. I hope someday we can get similar programs going in Crawford County/River Valley.”
Before Ride Departure
Breakaway riders were there bright and shiny setting up and preparing the starting line for pre-ride fun. Before the ride began, check in for all riders opened up at 7:30 am and those who didn’t pre-register could sign up.
Image via Breakaway's Instagram
Riders were able to carb up before their big ride from a Bread-n-Spread bar stocked with locally baked bread from Rockin’ Baker. The various breads made for a wonderful breakfast. On top of that, Jammin’ Java supplied freshly brewed coffee for those who couldn’t read their cycling computers yet! It was like a rest stop for the starting line!
Breakaway created a great morning that got off to an oh-so delicious start before venturing out into NWA’s wonders. All riders for the 2019 Highway 71 Pastry Tour departed from Walker Park in Fayetteville at 9 am.
During The Tour
Participants of the Highway 71 Pastry Tour got to choose between three different routes that showcased the stunning views of NWA. The Pastry Tour supported riders along the routes with themed rest stops and feature local businesses to provide good times alongside the pastries!
“All of them! I slammed as many as I could at both of the rest stops. I remember commenting, ‘I think I ate too much’ as we were leaving the Brentwood rest stop!” -Nick Griffin
Each rest stop was stalked with pastries made by local bakeries, fruit, and hydration. Ozark Natural Foods supplied the organic bananas, oranges, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches found at each of the rest stops.
Heres a video put together by a couple participants who rode the full 71 Mile course. A big thanks to Civil Cyclists for putting this together!
Video by Civil Cyclists via YouTube
Routes For Everyone
The Highway 71 Pastry Tour was setup along the oh-so classic Highway 71. Riders had the choice of three different out-and-back routes. This meant you could turn simply turn around if you ate too many pastries!
Image via Breakaway's and The Joy of Swimming's Instagrams
Volunteers setup signs along the routes to direct and encourage riders on their tour.
20 Mile
The first route was a flat, twenty mile course. It was a perfect option for the beginner rider or anyone looking to have a calm and relaxing day on the bike. The 20 mile course traveled to the first rest stop and back.
The first rest stop was located in West Fork, AR, next to the White River. Ten miles into the full 71 Mile course option, participants rode up to the party tent. The first rest stop was a party provided by Experience Fayetteville. They brought games, good times, a goofy atmosphere, and a local vibe!
32 Mile
The second route was thirty-two miles long. The terrain was mostly flat roads but had the occasion moderate hill. Once again, the scenery did not fail to take your breath away. Here’s what one participant had to say:
“I enjoyed the 71 Pastry Tour. It was my second year to do it. I’m a novice cyclist, so it’s nice to be able to do this ride and not feel pressure. People of all skill levels ride in it.
(I rode the) 32 mile route. It’s challenging for a rider like me, but it didn’t completely kick my butt till it wasn’t enjoyable.” -Hunter Greene
This route led riders to the peaceful second rest stop sixteen miles out. The 32 Mile course turnaround, the second rest stop, was in Brentwood, AR. The rest stop featured an open park area as well as numerous White River overlooks. 71 Mile course participant Chris Morris had this to say about the second rest stop:
“The Mountainburg rest stop was wonderful, but the Brentwood stop was in the perfect spot. I was in desperate need of hydration when we arrived.”
The Joys of Swimming was in charge of running the second rest stop. They brought their newest team member with them for maximum stoke, check him out:
The Joys of Swimming team was responsible for serving the hungry groups of cyclists the pastries Stone Mill Bread Co. supplied for the second rest stop.
71 Mile
The third route option took riders up Mt. Gaylor- an epic climb offering just as epic views- in Mountainburg, AR. This route did not disappoint! The turnaround for this route was thirty-five miles out from the finish/start line.
It was at the bottom of the Mt. Gaylor descent, so riders who chose the full 71 Mile course had to climb Mt. Gaylor twice in both directions, which heading back was worse. What an evil thing to make a group of pastry-filled riders do.
“I kept up with the front group until the climb out of Winslow. After getting dropped I managed to reconnect with a smaller group for the downhill sprint to Mountainburg. The hardest part of this route is always the climb from Mountainburg to the top of Mt. Gaylor. Luckily I got to the top of Gaylor in one piece and was able to ride all the way to Fayetteville with my friends.” -Chris Morris
Rest stop number three was located just before Mt. Gaylor. This allowed riders to do two thing: First, they could stop and recover a little from their current mileage and prepare themselves for not only the first climb but the second climb as well. Second, it was a much appreciated chance for the exhausted riders questioning why they signed up for such pain to recover with the power of pastries from Little Bread Co.
Volunteers worked the third rest stop. This group was made up of Breakaway Team members, parents, and just plain amazing people willing to help! I’m sure they helped themselves to Little Bread Co.’s goodness.
Sag
There were two sags on the course all day helping riders in need. They had a parent volunteer driving a car, and another parent volunteer, who also happens to be the owner of one of the team sponsors, rode a moped.
The wonderful parent volunteers showed up in the morning and decided they were going to save the day for riders sending out S.O.S’s. They without hesitation offered to help when the original sag was a no show.
After The RIde
When riders finished, they were able to hang around for a recovery party. This was finish line festivities such as a beer garden, music, a food truck, recovery and bike wash stations, and tents setup by local businesses.
Apple Blossom Brewing Company setup a beer garden at the finish line. Riders got to enjoy locally brewed beer samples after an epic ride touring Hwy 71.
If the pastries, bananas, oranges, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches weren’t enough, local food truck Cracker Jack Gastro Lab was parked at the finish line party! Most people there had just ridden at least twenty miles which totally justified all of the food intake, right?
Speed Hound Endurance supplied Breakaway and their Tour with a lot this year. At the finish line party, they had a recovery station setup with their recovery boots. The ProPerformance Recovery System is a pair of boots that uses dynamic air pressure to massage your legs.
For those who are clean freaks and can’t let their bikes have a spec of dirt on them, Breakaway had a bike wash station complete with O’Cedar cleaning products.
Bike Arkansas Magazine had a tent setup with their latest copies. The Highway 71 was featured as the cover wrap! Experience Fayetteville also had a tent setup at the finish line party bringing their games, fun, and local vibes with them from the first rest stop.
Giveaway
The first two hundred and fifty participants who pre-registered online were entered to win a travel bike case provided by Speed Hound Endurance.
Speed Hound supplied Breakaway with their Freedom Bike Travel Bag to giveaway on top of bringing out their ProPerformance Recovery System for the recovery station! The bike bag provides protection for your bike, multiple specific compartments, easy portability, and rolls up for storage when not in use.
Awards
All participants of the Highway 71 received custom finishing awards that were handmade locally with Arcom Plus! Breakaway loves every cyclist at every level, as well as the entire cycling community, so to show their love they did something unique and special. They taught some of the team members some design skills and they helped with the awards design. So there you have it, custom made finishing awards designed by breakaway-for you!