Twenty-Eight States, One Road Out of Jonesboro
Riders from twenty-eight states, ages 25 to 79, and nineteen who have done every mile of every Arkansas Graveler — the week is nearly here.
On the first Tuesday in October a few hundred people will stand around in, what we hope, is a cool morning in Jonesboro. There will be lots of small talk, some fussing with tire pressure, and a lot of figuring out who everyone is going to ride with.
This year, the Arkansas Graveler is welcoming riders from twenty-eight states. Half of you live outside Arkansas, which is amazing, and even more so because you will be experiencing Crowley's Ridge for the first time.
You will drop into Tuni Canyon, which is not a word most people expect to hear in Arkansas. You will roll into Birdeye, where the folks from Wynne are hosting an aid station and will look after you like family who turned up early.
On the third afternoon we'll get to experience the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, one of the oldest blues festivals in the country, put on by people who have been at it a long time and know exactly what they are doing. Your registration covers the gate.
In between all of this, there is a great deal of Delta. Long quiet stretches where the horizon is cotton or rice, and the only things on offer are your own thoughts, the person riding beside you, or the decision to stop talking and let the miles pass. Some of the best conversations of the week will happen out there. So will some of the best silences.
When we arrive in Helena, our group will get bigger. We will welcome the Half-Grav riders to the party.
During the 2026 Arkansas Graveler you will be in wide-ranging company. The oldest rider this year is 79 and the youngest is 25.
As Bobby has shared throughout the run up to the event, pacing carries further than power out here, and what you eat on Wednesday matters more on Friday than anything you did on Tuesday. That may not make sense right now, as you read this, but it will once you're out there riding!
There are 19 riders joining us who have done every mile of every Arkansas Graveler. We'll do our best to point them out, celebrate them, and most importantly, be sure everyone knows who they are because they are the people you'll want to ride next to for a bit. They will have some stories to tell!
Six towns are getting ready to set tables and welcome all of us.
We can't wait to see you at the start in Jonesboro.
