Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The Arkansas Graveler will return to Jonesboro this year, but this time, the city will be the starting point of a ride that aims to show off the Arkansas Delta to bikers.

The Arkansas Graveler is a five-day gravel cycling ride that takes bikers through a different region of the state each year. During the 2024 ride, the Graveler concluded in Jonesboro. Bikers did not visit Jonesboro in 2025, but this year, the city will serve as the kickoff city, with festivities to accompany it.

“It just shows that people are realizing that Jonesboro is a place where cycling can thrive and where cycling can grow,” said Jonesboro Advertising and Promotion Commission executive director Craig Rickert. “It also shows that we’re a great city to visit, and for hospitality, and we love rolling out the red carpet and welcoming people.”

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The ride, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, will take off from the Arkansas State University campus, complete with a police escort. The day prior (Monday, Oct. 5), the 200 block of Main Street in downtown Jonesboro will be shut down for a “Meet Me on Main” event, complete with live music and other activities.

The Graveler is scheduled from Oct. 6-10. After riders take off from the A-State campus, they will head to Village Creek State Park in Wynne. The next day, they will head to Mississippi River State Park in Marianna. Day 3’s route will take bikers from Marianna to Storm Creek in Helena, and they will head from Helena to Stuttgart on Day 4. On the final day, riders will depart Stuttgart to conclude their journey in Arkansas City.

Around 175 riders have registered so far, according to Bobby Finster, event coordinator for the Arkansas Graveler, with that final total expected to be closer to 250. Riders hail from 30-40 states across the country, he added.

Finster said the event is not a race, but rather, a way to give back to and promote the communities it travels through. In years past, it has donated to local bike shops and given away bikes.

This year’s ride will benefit the Delta Dream Food Pantry in Marianna. Upon registration, riders will have an opportunity to make a donation, which the Ozark Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing outdoor tourism events such as the Graveler, will match.

Finster noted that event organizers supply all meals provided to riders from restaurants and businesses local to that community. Riders will also get to experience the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, one of the largest blues events in the country.

“Sourcing local food, local music, and really sending people into the local businesses and highlighting them along the routes is part of the design of the route itself,” he said.

Early October will be a busy time for biking tourism in Jonesboro. Rickert said the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) race will be returning to Jonesboro on Oct. 3-4 at Craighead Forest Park. Details for this race are still being worked out, he said.

“There’ll be 200 to 250 cyclists from high school and elementary, junior high-age cyclists, high school student athletes, here in town competing once again at Craighead Forest Park,” Rickert said. “So, you’re gonna see a ton of bicycles in town on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th [of October].”

Jonesboro is also the home of the Skirmish: A Delta Gravel Festival, which usually takes place around the end of May. It includes various festivities, rides, and an all-day competition with four races of varying lengths taking cyclists across Craighead County and greater Northeast Arkansas.

Rickert said Jonesboro and Arkansas are well-positioned to become a home for gravel cycling, one of the fastest growing outdoor sports. Arkansas is developing a great reputation for cycling, and it is home to a “fantastic network” of gravel roads, perfect for enthusiasts, he said.

“Events like the Skirmish, which bring attention to cycling in Northeast Arkansas, are critical, and events like the Graveler bring people to the Natural State,” he said. “You get to show them a little something different every year, [and they’re] just so vital to maintaining and growing our reputation as a place for cycling.”

Registration for the Arkansas Graveler is open through Friday, Sept. 18, at 11:59 p.m. Click here to register.

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