September 26, 2025 • 16 mins
Big Sugar Classic has evolved from a single gravel race to a major season-ending bike festival with world-class mountain and gravel bike racing, October 12-18 in Bentonville. Listen in as Michelle Duffy, VP of Event Marketing at Lifetime Events, shares an inside look at Big Sugar Classic, and how it has helped transformed Bentonville into a global cycling force.
Michelle also talks about the impact of Big Sugar Classic and other Lifetime events like the Gravel Rave at the Momentary that gives back to the cycling community and local schools. The Gravel Rave is open to all with performances, awards, food, fun and more on October 18.
Visit BigSugarClassic.com or follow @BigSugarClassic on social media for more information about the events and volunteer opportunities.
You can listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, CastBox, Podcast Casts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Podcast Addict.
Find us at visitbentonville.com and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.
A New American Town is here to help you plan your trip to Bentonville, Arkansas. From guides, events, and restaurant highlights. Find all this and more at visitbentonville.com and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.
You can listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, CastBox, Podcast Casts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Podcast Addict.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nat Ross (00:10):
Welcome to A New American Town.
I'm your host, Nat Ross.
Today we're sitting down withMichelle Duffy from Lifetime
Events.
She's the VP of Event Marketingand we're going to take a deep
dive into the Big Sugar Classic,which is coming up October 12th
through the 18th.
A deep dive into the Big SugarClassic, which is coming up
October 12th through the 18th,from the events to look out for
(00:30):
what makes it so special and howLifetime supports the
Bentonville community.
We're getting another epicevent this fall.
Here we go with Michelle.
Let's hear more about it.
Michelle Duffy (00:36):
Awesome Thanks, Nat.
Thanks for having me.
We're excited to be just undera month away from hosting the
Annual Big Sugar Classic inBentonville.
Can't wait.
Nat Ross (00:49):
Well, fill us in on what the Big Sugar Classic
entails.
I know it's kind of the end ofthe season party for the cycling
industry.
It's been going on severalyears.
Kind of bookmark it end to endand fill us as what two
activities the public canparticipate in or what we can
look forward to.
Michelle Duffy (01:07):
Yeah.
So Big Sugar Classic reallycame to be as a byproduct of
what originally started as BigSugar Gravel.
So Big Sugar Gravel wasLifetime's first entry point
into the community in NorthwestArkansas and we have since grown
that to be big sugar classicweek.
(01:29):
So um book ending the cyclingseason in the united states, a
compliment to the storied seaotter classic that happens in
monterey, california, in apriland really kicks up the cycling
season.
We have built out Big SugarClassic on the back half of the
cycling season.
We have built out Big SugarClassic on the back half of the
cycling season as kind of theend cap or exclamation mark on
(01:51):
the season, and for Lifetime.
That means hosting the LittleSugar Mountain Bike Race on the
first weekend and Big SugarGravel on the second weekend,
ending it with the Gravel andfilling that center week with a
series of brand activations andindustry partner networking
sessions, etc.
(02:12):
So really creating a space foreveryone who likes bikes, for
all brands to be able toparticipate and bike enthusiasts
to travel from everywhere tocome.
Nat Ross (02:21):
Exciting, so it's not just about the racing.
And then if folks were tounderstand what scope of the
industry actually comes to visit.
You're talking bike brands,protection parts and accessories
, nutrition, and really whatdoes the festival look like in
terms of an expo?
And where's that expo located?
(02:41):
Where can folks kind of justcheck out the scene for the
classic?
Michelle Duffy (02:46):
Yeah, so for Little Sugar we're actually now
expecting close to 90 brands tobe out there, so huge growth for
Little Sugar and that startsColer and our expo takes place
up there Coler Grove and endsthen in downtown Bentonville.
(03:08):
And for Big Sugar, we occupythe footprint at the Momentary
and this year we're looking atover 150 brands coming out for
Big Sugar Gravel to host anamazing expo there.
And then, beyond just thebrands that come and support
Little and Big Sugar, we partnerwith groups like USA Cycling
(03:31):
People for Bikes VisitBentonville to also highlight
what cycling means in thecommunity and in the industry.
So there are, as I mentioned,like industry-led and hosted
networking events for those whowork in the industry, down to
clinics for beginners, justdifferent activation points
(03:52):
throughout the community forpeople to engage with.
Nat Ross (03:55):
That's the SHIFT Conference with People for Bikes
, which is just very active inthe sport in general promotion
of soft trail to hard surfacebike paths, safety, all those
pieces.
So if you want to learn moreabout it, like Michelle
mentioned, there's so manydifferent things going on.
Team USA, with USA Cycling,will be in town and on Tuesday
(04:17):
night they're Coler racingracing on Thunderdome with the
local kids and community as well.
So, like you said, it's a bigfestival and it kind of bookends
the end of the season.
But also the Grand Prix, whichis kind of one of your brain
children.
This is something that you'vebeen working on, is very near
and dear to you and your team.
(04:37):
You've grown the Grand Prix tobe kind of a world renowned and
followed globally event.
In fact, this weekend when youhad the sports stop of the
series, I noticed with the menon the podium there were six
different countries represented.
So fill us in on the LifetimeGrand Prix and what that looks
like for the elite racers thatcome into town, or even the
(05:00):
under-23 to junior developmentpipeline.
Michelle Duffy (05:03):
Yeah, so we're entering.
We're in our fourth year of theLifetime Grand Prix this year,
which essentially has been oureffort as event producers or I
would say nation leading orindustry leading event producers
to really put some emphasis orthrust around professional
(05:23):
cycling in the United States.
And as we've crafted thiscalendar over each edition of
the Lifetime Grand Prix andreally thought about where is
the place that makes the mostsense for the culmination to
happen, it has been Big Sugar.
That's been a constant for us.
So, coming into this year'sevent, what's new is that,
rather than just Big SugarGravel being the last stop of
(05:48):
the Grand Prix, we've actuallyadded Little Sugar into the
lineup as well.
So there's a head to head, a lotof points and money on the line
for these professional cyclistscoming from all around the
world and competing not just forprize money but for industry
attention, for sponsors, forfans.
(06:10):
It's great opportunity for themto really build their network
and establish themselves asprofessional athletes,
establishing cycling as aprofessional sport again in the
United States, where for thelast decade or so there's been a
lot of fatigue or disinterestin professional cycling.
At Lifetime we kind of felt wehave this responsibility, that
(06:32):
pros are starting to come to ourevents because we were
attracting the mass participants, so why not give them the
opportunity to really help usgrow pro cycling?
So it's pretty special.
I think that Northwest Arkansasyou know around the country,
seems like this little tinyregion that many people, if they
aren't interested in bikes,arts, culture, haven't really
(06:56):
heard about or experienced thelocation.
And now we're putting not onebut two of the world's biggest
cycling events, the mostmeaningful cycling events on in
their community and back to backweekends surrounded by, you
know, $300,000 in prize money,which is pretty special.
Nat Ross (07:18):
Yeah, very exciting.
But one thing that you are partof the community.
Lifetime actually does holdoffices, has office space in
Bentonville.
You guys have staff here andthe lifetime foundation gives
back to the community.
Also, there's a lot ofvolunteer opportunities that
actually benefit, even like thelocal NICA teams.
So can you speak to theLifetime Foundation and how it's
(07:40):
integrated into the schools andhow the community is benefiting
from that and how you guys giveback?
Michelle Duffy (07:47):
Yeah, so for years the Lifetime Foundation
was really focused on improvinghealthy foods in school
districts and in recent yearswe've been lucky that we could
extrapolate that mission intohelping people be like healthy
people on a healthy planet andlive a healthy way of life, and
(08:09):
the Lifetime Foundation isfocused on the youth portion of
that.
So Lifetime our mission you knowevents aren't the only thing we
do, but this spoke of the wheelthat events help us fill is
that we help people live healthylives, set goals outside of
their day-to-day and as a partof the Lifetime Foundation,
(08:30):
we've been able to make asizable donation to Westside
Elementary School, where we aregoing to be giving 25 strider
bikes to the school toincorporate in PE, which is
pretty cool.
So cycling will become a part ofthe PE curriculum for kids in
kindergarten and first grade forkids in kindergarten and first
(08:54):
grade, as well as 25 helmets andan adult bike to be able to
teach and coach these kids at ayoung age and introduce the
bicycle at a young age.
This is part of our learn toride program, so this will be a
robust program for thatelementary school.
We've also donated four gravelbikes to residents in McDonald
County in Southwest Missouri,including the mayor of Anderson,
the principal of the school andtwo others, and equip them with
(09:18):
a training plan and accessoriesand a kit, and they're actually
going to be taking on Big Sugarthis year in a variety of
different distances.
So, yeah, it's pretty excitingand beyond that, I think it's
just been amazing to be a partof the community and amazing to
have an impact.
(09:38):
You know we partner and supporttrailblazers and a series of
other community groups whoreally help us put the event on,
and without the local communitywe wouldn't be able to do what
we do.
Nat Ross (09:53):
What a big undertaking.
I think I want to hear fromMichelle and Michelle Duffy what
makes this week special for you, what you're most looking
forward to in October for theBig Sugar Classic and, if you
get time to participate inanything, what that is for you.
Michelle Duffy (10:08):
Yeah, a lot of the times people ask me do you
get to ride or participate inyour own events?
And typically I say no and thentypically people say, oh, what
a bummer.
But I actually think it'sreally special for me as a
marketer to be able to have thereward of getting to see people
complete their goals and havethose emotive moments at the
(10:32):
finish line or on course.
Like that's so rewarding forthose who work in adjacent
industries, like I wear otherhats at Lifetime and all of my
work is rewarding, but it isdifferent, rather than just
seeing a campaign come to life,to see someone get a medal
around their neck or a kidcomplete their first race.
So I think that's like it's sospecial to get to be a part of
(10:55):
that.
And I'm eight years in withLifetime and 12, 13 years into
the event industry and I love itso, so much.
I also care deeply about theNorthwest Arkansas community and
have been engaged and involvedin Big Sugar since before it was
Big Sugar and didn't even haveit, and so it is.
It's also special.
(11:17):
Again, I love everything that Iget to touch at work, but when
you've gotten to be a part ofsomething since before it was
something I think it makes itreally special to get to see the
growth and the wings and thelife that it's gotten, and I
think our team shares theenthusiasm just around.
Like it's a festival for us too.
(11:37):
Like it's amazing for our teamthat we have team members from
around the country who come andspend two and a half weeks in
Bentonville together, gettingFaceTime together and enjoying
the same things that everybodyelse gets to Like we get to
carve out time to hit the trails, go to restaurants, just hang
out with one another, and that'sreally meaningful for me as
(11:59):
well.
Nat Ross (12:00):
Well and honestly, you're bringing the entire
cycling community, globally aswell, to a big stop to kind of
wrap up a very special season.
So I think, can you speak tothe gravel rave?
I know it's at the moment,terry.
You've had famous cycling DJslike Taylor Finney and even
Alexis Skarda appear last year.
What is the Gravel Rave?
And then?
(12:20):
What can folks look forward toin terms of participating,
volunteering, all those pieces,yeah, so the Gravel Rave is our
after party.
Michelle Duffy (12:27):
Many events just have a, you know, a traditional
finish line after party, andthat exists too.
But Gravel, the Gravel Rave isour after party.
Many events just have atraditional finish line after
party, and that exists too.
But the Gravel Rave for us,takes place at the momentary and
it's a non-traditional eventfor a lifetime, to be totally
candid.
But it's a bit of a give backto the cycling community both in
(12:49):
Northwest Arkansas and ourparticipants of Big and Little
Sugar.
We will have a series of actsand DJs up on stage, so there's
definitely a performance andentertainment component of the
Gravel Rave.
People deck out in awesomeoutfits and we have photo
opportunities.
You know beverages and food,and then also it is the award
(13:14):
ceremony for the Lifetime GrandPrix.
So it's a really specialevening for both the athletes
and then those who get towitness the top 10 Lifetime
Grand Prix athletes on the men'sand women's side be awarded for
their accomplishments for theyear.
And yeah, there's always somesurprise and delight
performances.
Last year we had someacrobatics from the ceiling of
(13:39):
the momentary and a mirror mandancing for the dj, and so we
just like to make it fun andgive people a really good time.
You know we are a publiclytraded corporation and that
helps us be able to do what wedo, but also we know how to let
our hair down and have a goodtime and I think people are
starting to really learn thatabout us and our team.
(14:00):
And I think you know it's opento the community, so anyone can
attend.
Anyone can get a ticket to theevent and show up and enjoy.
So I hope to see a lot ofpeople there.
Nat Ross (14:13):
Well, we're excited because Lifetime does bring for
the Big Sugar Classic, LittleSugar, the events in general.
There's so many people in town.
It's the biggest event otherthan the beginning of the season
event that happens in thecycling space in North America.
So where can folks learn moreabout the Big Sugar Classic?
Where can they volunteer?
Michelle Duffy (14:35):
Yeah, all of that information lives at
BigSugar Classic.
com or Big Sugar Classic onsocial media.
Thank you for calling outvolunteers, because we also
could not do our events withoutso many amazing volunteers and
we are looking for them.
So this is definitely a hottime for us to be recruiting
volunteers, and if you dovolunteer, you earn volunteer
(14:57):
hours that guarantee you entryinto next year.
So if you're hearing this,maybe your appetite's wet to
participate next year.
Volunteering this year cansecure you a spot.
But yes, please join us andhelp make the two weekends
really memorable please join usand help make the two weekends
really memorable.
Nat Ross (15:17):
Oh, I love it because the events do sell out and it's
one of those special thingsthat there are opportunities and
even if you're a local, there'sstill opportunities.
So Lifetime it has a bigfootprint in Northwest Arkansas.
You guys give back to thecommunity and, michelle Duffy,
thank you for bringing your teamand your expertise to this area
, and we cannot wait throughOctober for the Big Sugar
Classic and to basically wrap upthe end of the season with
(15:39):
Lifetime.
Michelle Duffy (15:41):
Awesome Thanks, nat.
And just to kind of close theloop on the all kids bike
initiative, those kids are beingpresented with their bikes on
September 23rd at WestsideElementary, so keep an eye out
for the content around that.
I'm sure we're going to seesome really happy faces and I'm
looking forward to seeing all ofyour happy faces in a few weeks
(16:03):
.
Nat Ross (16:03):
Oh, Big Sugar Classic coming your way.
Michelle Duffy and team, thankyou for the podcast time today.
Michelle Duffy (16:09):
Thank you.
Nat Ross (16:10):
Well, that was a very special conversation with
Michelle Duffy there, becauseLifetime Events really brings
the energy especially to thisarea at the end of the season
when there's a lot of eventfatigue and just folks in
general have been going allsummer, so it's a great way to
wrap up the end of the seasonwith beautiful scenery and great
people in town and great peoplein town.
(16:31):
Well, don't forget, VisitBentonville is here to help you
navigate the things to do whenyou're in town, when you're
researching and that includeswhere to stay what's going on in
our new American town?
Check out the show notes for uson social, sign up for our
newsletter and check out ourwebsite at VisitBentonville.
com.
Thanks for listening.
This is Nat Ross signing off.
Welcome to A New American Town.
I'm your host, Nat Ross.
Today we're sitting down withMichelle Duffy from Lifetime
Events.
She's the VP of Event Marketingand we're going to take a deep
dive into the Big Sugar Classic,which is coming up October 12th
through the 18th.
A deep dive into the Big SugarClassic, which is coming up
October 12th through the 18th,from the events to look out for
(00:30):
what makes it so special and howLifetime supports the
Bentonville community.
We're getting another epicevent this fall.
Here we go with Michelle.
Let's hear more about it.
Michelle Duffy (00:36):
Awesome Thanks, Nat.
Thanks for having me.
We're excited to be just undera month away from hosting the
Annual Big Sugar Classic inBentonville.
Can't wait.
Nat Ross (00:49):
Well, fill us in on what the Big Sugar Classic
entails.
I know it's kind of the end ofthe season party for the cycling
industry.
It's been going on severalyears.
Kind of bookmark it end to endand fill us as what two
activities the public canparticipate in or what we can
look forward to.
Michelle Duffy (01:07):
Yeah.
So Big Sugar Classic reallycame to be as a byproduct of
what originally started as BigSugar Gravel.
So Big Sugar Gravel wasLifetime's first entry point
into the community in NorthwestArkansas and we have since grown
that to be big sugar classicweek.
(01:29):
So um book ending the cyclingseason in the united states, a
compliment to the storied seaotter classic that happens in
monterey, california, in apriland really kicks up the cycling
season.
We have built out Big SugarClassic on the back half of the
cycling season.
We have built out Big SugarClassic on the back half of the
cycling season as kind of theend cap or exclamation mark on
(01:51):
the season, and for Lifetime.
That means hosting the LittleSugar Mountain Bike Race on the
first weekend and Big SugarGravel on the second weekend,
ending it with the Gravel andfilling that center week with a
series of brand activations andindustry partner networking
sessions, etc.
(02:12):
So really creating a space foreveryone who likes bikes, for
all brands to be able toparticipate and bike enthusiasts
to travel from everywhere tocome.
Nat Ross (02:21):
Exciting, so it's not just about the racing.
And then if folks were tounderstand what scope of the
industry actually comes to visit.
You're talking bike brands,protection parts and accessories
, nutrition, and really whatdoes the festival look like in
terms of an expo?
And where's that expo located?
(02:41):
Where can folks kind of justcheck out the scene for the
classic?
Michelle Duffy (02:46):
Yeah, so for Little Sugar we're actually now
expecting close to 90 brands tobe out there, so huge growth for
Little Sugar and that startsColer and our expo takes place
up there Coler Grove and endsthen in downtown Bentonville.
(03:08):
And for Big Sugar, we occupythe footprint at the Momentary
and this year we're looking atover 150 brands coming out for
Big Sugar Gravel to host anamazing expo there.
And then, beyond just thebrands that come and support
Little and Big Sugar, we partnerwith groups like USA Cycling
(03:31):
People for Bikes VisitBentonville to also highlight
what cycling means in thecommunity and in the industry.
So there are, as I mentioned,like industry-led and hosted
networking events for those whowork in the industry, down to
clinics for beginners, justdifferent activation points
(03:52):
throughout the community forpeople to engage with.
Nat Ross (03:55):
That's the SHIFT Conference with People for Bikes
, which is just very active inthe sport in general promotion
of soft trail to hard surfacebike paths, safety, all those
pieces.
So if you want to learn moreabout it, like Michelle
mentioned, there's so manydifferent things going on.
Team USA, with USA Cycling,will be in town and on Tuesday
(04:17):
night they're Coler racingracing on Thunderdome with the
local kids and community as well.
So, like you said, it's a bigfestival and it kind of bookends
the end of the season.
But also the Grand Prix, whichis kind of one of your brain
children.
This is something that you'vebeen working on, is very near
and dear to you and your team.
(04:37):
You've grown the Grand Prix tobe kind of a world renowned and
followed globally event.
In fact, this weekend when youhad the sports stop of the
series, I noticed with the menon the podium there were six
different countries represented.
So fill us in on the LifetimeGrand Prix and what that looks
like for the elite racers thatcome into town, or even the
(05:00):
under-23 to junior developmentpipeline.
Michelle Duffy (05:03):
Yeah, so we're entering.
We're in our fourth year of theLifetime Grand Prix this year,
which essentially has been oureffort as event producers or I
would say nation leading orindustry leading event producers
to really put some emphasis orthrust around professional
(05:23):
cycling in the United States.
And as we've crafted thiscalendar over each edition of
the Lifetime Grand Prix andreally thought about where is
the place that makes the mostsense for the culmination to
happen, it has been Big Sugar.
That's been a constant for us.
So, coming into this year'sevent, what's new is that,
rather than just Big SugarGravel being the last stop of
(05:48):
the Grand Prix, we've actuallyadded Little Sugar into the
lineup as well.
So there's a head to head, a lotof points and money on the line
for these professional cyclistscoming from all around the
world and competing not just forprize money but for industry
attention, for sponsors, forfans.
(06:10):
It's great opportunity for themto really build their network
and establish themselves asprofessional athletes,
establishing cycling as aprofessional sport again in the
United States, where for thelast decade or so there's been a
lot of fatigue or disinterestin professional cycling.
At Lifetime we kind of felt wehave this responsibility, that
(06:32):
pros are starting to come to ourevents because we were
attracting the mass participants, so why not give them the
opportunity to really help usgrow pro cycling?
So it's pretty special.
I think that Northwest Arkansasyou know around the country,
seems like this little tinyregion that many people, if they
aren't interested in bikes,arts, culture, haven't really
(06:56):
heard about or experienced thelocation.
And now we're putting not onebut two of the world's biggest
cycling events, the mostmeaningful cycling events on in
their community and back to backweekends surrounded by, you
know, $300,000 in prize money,which is pretty special.
Nat Ross (07:18):
Yeah, very exciting.
But one thing that you are partof the community.
Lifetime actually does holdoffices, has office space in
Bentonville.
You guys have staff here andthe lifetime foundation gives
back to the community.
Also, there's a lot ofvolunteer opportunities that
actually benefit, even like thelocal NICA teams.
So can you speak to theLifetime Foundation and how it's
(07:40):
integrated into the schools andhow the community is benefiting
from that and how you guys giveback?
Michelle Duffy (07:47):
Yeah, so for years the Lifetime Foundation
was really focused on improvinghealthy foods in school
districts and in recent yearswe've been lucky that we could
extrapolate that mission intohelping people be like healthy
people on a healthy planet andlive a healthy way of life, and
(08:09):
the Lifetime Foundation isfocused on the youth portion of
that.
So Lifetime our mission you knowevents aren't the only thing we
do, but this spoke of the wheelthat events help us fill is
that we help people live healthylives, set goals outside of
their day-to-day and as a partof the Lifetime Foundation,
(08:30):
we've been able to make asizable donation to Westside
Elementary School, where we aregoing to be giving 25 strider
bikes to the school toincorporate in PE, which is
pretty cool.
So cycling will become a part ofthe PE curriculum for kids in
kindergarten and first grade forkids in kindergarten and first
(08:54):
grade, as well as 25 helmets andan adult bike to be able to
teach and coach these kids at ayoung age and introduce the
bicycle at a young age.
This is part of our learn toride program, so this will be a
robust program for thatelementary school.
We've also donated four gravelbikes to residents in McDonald
County in Southwest Missouri,including the mayor of Anderson,
the principal of the school andtwo others, and equip them with
(09:18):
a training plan and accessoriesand a kit, and they're actually
going to be taking on Big Sugarthis year in a variety of
different distances.
So, yeah, it's pretty excitingand beyond that, I think it's
just been amazing to be a partof the community and amazing to
have an impact.
(09:38):
You know we partner and supporttrailblazers and a series of
other community groups whoreally help us put the event on,
and without the local communitywe wouldn't be able to do what
we do.
Nat Ross (09:53):
What a big undertaking.
I think I want to hear fromMichelle and Michelle Duffy what
makes this week special for you, what you're most looking
forward to in October for theBig Sugar Classic and, if you
get time to participate inanything, what that is for you.
Michelle Duffy (10:08):
Yeah, a lot of the times people ask me do you
get to ride or participate inyour own events?
And typically I say no and thentypically people say, oh, what
a bummer.
But I actually think it'sreally special for me as a
marketer to be able to have thereward of getting to see people
complete their goals and havethose emotive moments at the
(10:32):
finish line or on course.
Like that's so rewarding forthose who work in adjacent
industries, like I wear otherhats at Lifetime and all of my
work is rewarding, but it isdifferent, rather than just
seeing a campaign come to life,to see someone get a medal
around their neck or a kidcomplete their first race.
So I think that's like it's sospecial to get to be a part of
(10:55):
that.
And I'm eight years in withLifetime and 12, 13 years into
the event industry and I love itso, so much.
I also care deeply about theNorthwest Arkansas community and
have been engaged and involvedin Big Sugar since before it was
Big Sugar and didn't even haveit, and so it is.
It's also special.
(11:17):
Again, I love everything that Iget to touch at work, but when
you've gotten to be a part ofsomething since before it was
something I think it makes itreally special to get to see the
growth and the wings and thelife that it's gotten, and I
think our team shares theenthusiasm just around.
Like it's a festival for us too.
(11:37):
Like it's amazing for our teamthat we have team members from
around the country who come andspend two and a half weeks in
Bentonville together, gettingFaceTime together and enjoying
the same things that everybodyelse gets to Like we get to
carve out time to hit the trails, go to restaurants, just hang
out with one another, and that'sreally meaningful for me as
(11:59):
well.
Nat Ross (12:00):
Well and honestly, you're bringing the entire
cycling community, globally aswell, to a big stop to kind of
wrap up a very special season.
So I think, can you speak tothe gravel rave?
I know it's at the moment,terry.
You've had famous cycling DJslike Taylor Finney and even
Alexis Skarda appear last year.
What is the Gravel Rave?
And then?
(12:20):
What can folks look forward toin terms of participating,
volunteering, all those pieces,yeah, so the Gravel Rave is our
after party.
Michelle Duffy (12:27):
Many events just have a, you know, a traditional
finish line after party, andthat exists too.
But Gravel, the Gravel Rave isour after party.
Many events just have atraditional finish line after
party, and that exists too.
But the Gravel Rave for us,takes place at the momentary and
it's a non-traditional eventfor a lifetime, to be totally
candid.
But it's a bit of a give backto the cycling community both in
(12:49):
Northwest Arkansas and ourparticipants of Big and Little
Sugar.
We will have a series of actsand DJs up on stage, so there's
definitely a performance andentertainment component of the
Gravel Rave.
People deck out in awesomeoutfits and we have photo
opportunities.
You know beverages and food,and then also it is the award
(13:14):
ceremony for the Lifetime GrandPrix.
So it's a really specialevening for both the athletes
and then those who get towitness the top 10 Lifetime
Grand Prix athletes on the men'sand women's side be awarded for
their accomplishments for theyear.
And yeah, there's always somesurprise and delight
performances.
Last year we had someacrobatics from the ceiling of
(13:39):
the momentary and a mirror mandancing for the dj, and so we
just like to make it fun andgive people a really good time.
You know we are a publiclytraded corporation and that
helps us be able to do what wedo, but also we know how to let
our hair down and have a goodtime and I think people are
starting to really learn thatabout us and our team.
(14:00):
And I think you know it's opento the community, so anyone can
attend.
Anyone can get a ticket to theevent and show up and enjoy.
So I hope to see a lot ofpeople there.
Nat Ross (14:13):
Well, we're excited because Lifetime does bring for
the Big Sugar Classic, LittleSugar, the events in general.
There's so many people in town.
It's the biggest event otherthan the beginning of the season
event that happens in thecycling space in North America.
So where can folks learn moreabout the Big Sugar Classic?
Where can they volunteer?
Michelle Duffy (14:35):
Yeah, all of that information lives at
BigSugar Classic.
com or Big Sugar Classic onsocial media.
Thank you for calling outvolunteers, because we also
could not do our events withoutso many amazing volunteers and
we are looking for them.
So this is definitely a hottime for us to be recruiting
volunteers, and if you dovolunteer, you earn volunteer
(14:57):
hours that guarantee you entryinto next year.
So if you're hearing this,maybe your appetite's wet to
participate next year.
Volunteering this year cansecure you a spot.
But yes, please join us andhelp make the two weekends
really memorable please join usand help make the two weekends
really memorable.
Nat Ross (15:17):
Oh, I love it because the events do sell out and it's
one of those special thingsthat there are opportunities and
even if you're a local, there'sstill opportunities.
So Lifetime it has a bigfootprint in Northwest Arkansas.
You guys give back to thecommunity and, michelle Duffy,
thank you for bringing your teamand your expertise to this area
, and we cannot wait throughOctober for the Big Sugar
Classic and to basically wrap upthe end of the season with
(15:39):
Lifetime.
Michelle Duffy (15:41):
Awesome Thanks, nat.
And just to kind of close theloop on the all kids bike
initiative, those kids are beingpresented with their bikes on
September 23rd at WestsideElementary, so keep an eye out
for the content around that.
I'm sure we're going to seesome really happy faces and I'm
looking forward to seeing all ofyour happy faces in a few weeks
(16:03):
.
Nat Ross (16:03):
Oh, Big Sugar Classic coming your way.
Michelle Duffy and team, thankyou for the podcast time today.
Michelle Duffy (16:09):
Thank you.
Nat Ross (16:10):
Well, that was a very special conversation with
Michelle Duffy there, becauseLifetime Events really brings
the energy especially to thisarea at the end of the season
when there's a lot of eventfatigue and just folks in
general have been going allsummer, so it's a great way to
wrap up the end of the seasonwith beautiful scenery and great
people in town and great peoplein town.
(16:31):
Well, don't forget, VisitBentonville is here to help you
navigate the things to do whenyou're in town, when you're
researching and that includeswhere to stay what's going on in
our new American town?
Check out the show notes for uson social, sign up for our
newsletter and check out ourwebsite at VisitBentonville.
com.
Thanks for listening.
This is Nat Ross signing off.
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