On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell had the opportunity to chat with Kyla Templeton, the co-founder of Bike School Bentonville. To round out her resume, Kyla also founded Girls Bike Bentonville in 2012, is the co-founder and director of the Arkansas League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, and is a VIPC Level 1 Instructor and a USA Triathlon Certified Coach. James and Kyla had an amazing conversation about how Bentonville is impacting the cycling world and how the cycling community is part of what makes Bentonville the city we all love.We are so excited you’re joining us!

‍Show Notes
‍(0:23) Introducing Kyla Templeton
(6:23) Why Kyla Started Bike School Bentonville
(14:48) What Makes Bentonville Trails Special
(22:52) Bike School Bentonville’s Upcoming Programming
(24:47) What’s Next for Bike School Bentonville
(28:59) Kyla’s Favorite Ride
(30:20) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts

‍Links
‍JAMES BELL
‍KYLA TEMPLETON
‍BIKE SCHOOL BENTONVILLE
‍ARKANSAS NIKA
‍GIRLS BIKE BENTONVILLE FB GROUP

‍‍Quotes
‍“I love to ride my bike. I find a great deal of freedom when I ride my bike, and fun. And it helps me to feel like a kid and also to feel really connected to the world and myself and the people that I’m with…So I love to ride my bike and I love to share that with other people and for people to discover for themselves what it means for them.” Kyla Templeton, (1:55)

“You know it is wonderful, like that’s one of the things that’s so special about Bentonville, is that you don’t have to load your bike up in the car to have an amazing bike experience…Here, you can just hop out your door and there’s, in so many places, a trail within ten minutes.” Kyla Templeton, (9:40)
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‍“The trails are really good and they’re well-built. And the trailblazers and the team of people doing the trail development, they’re really trying to push the industry forward in all kinds of different ways…So the trails are really well-made and are well-maintained and they’re built so that the trails almost teach a rider how to ride.” Kyla Templeton, (16:01)

‍“It doesn’t take much to find that peace and solitude [on the trails] if that’s what you’re looking for, but it’s also really cool to have this communal experience on the trails with a bunch of other people.” Kyla Templeton, (20:24)

 Coaching the Next Generation of Mountain Bikers
‍On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell had the opportunity to chat with Kyla Templeton, the co-founder of Bike School Bentonville. To round out her resume, Kyla also founded Girls Bike Bentonville in 2012, is the co-founder and director of the Arkansas League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, and is a VIPC Level 1 Instructor and a USA Triathlon Certified Coach. James and Kyla had an amazing conversation about how Bentonville is impacting the cycling world and how the cycling community is part of what makes Bentonville the city we all love.

‍Bike School Bentonville
‍Kyla loves to ride her bike and loves the community. That is really the only inspiration she needed to help build up the pro-cycling environment we get to enjoy here in Bentonville. Still, when her two sons joined the mix, she wanted to create opportunities for them to grow up loving the outdoors and cycling as much as she does. Bike School Bentonville was founded to allow kids to do just that.

“I love to ride my bike. I find a great deal of freedom when I ride my bike, and fun. And it helps me to feel like a kid and also to feel really connected to the world  and myself and the people that I’m with…So I love to ride my bike and I love to share that with other people and for people to discover for themselves what it means for them.” Kyla Templeton, (1:55)

Bike School Bentonville has opportunities for young kids and even adults to get their mountain biking skills ready for our trails. They are excited to be offering on-demand coaching, programs like 5 and 10–week sessions, and even summer camps for kids, which are focused on equipping and encouraging them to fall in love with biking. Kyla believes that whether you’re in need of peace and quiet or a loud and fun ride, you can find it on the trails.

‍“It doesn’t take much to find that peace and solitude [on the trails] if that’s what you’re looking for, but it’s also really cool to have this communal experience on the trails with a bunch of other people.” Kyla Templeton, (20:24) 

‍Why Bentonville?
‍“You know it is wonderful, like that’s one of the things that’s so special about Bentonville, is that you don’t have to load your bike up in the car to have an amazing bike experience…Here, you can just hop out your door and there’s, in so many places, a trail within ten minutes.” Kyla Templeton, (9:40)

Kyla has lived in the Bentonville area for 17 years and has loved watching the community grow around the outdoor activities that Bentonville curates and promotes. Having been to many different mountain biking and outdoor destinations, she loves that Bentonville is set apart by being so accessible—we make it easy to jump into a new group or activity. She raves about the quality of life here and how kind everyone is to each other, both on the trails and off of them. As she notes how Bentonville is growing so rapidly, she jokes “No mean people allowed,” and wants to keep the same kind and inclusive environment we all know and love.

‍“The trails are really good and they’re well-built. And the trailblazers and the team of people doing the trail development, they’re really trying to push the industry forward in all kinds of different ways…So the trails are really well-made and are well-maintained and they’re built so that the trails almost teach a rider how to ride.” Kyla Templeton, (16:01)

One of the best parts about Bentonville and its special connection to the outdoors as the Mountain Biking Capital of the World is how much pride we take in our trails. They make it easy to learn, and they challenge us as we grow our skills, which that didn’t happen by accident. Kyla loves to boast about the team that curates, plans, and innovates our trails to maintain our status and continue to be inviting to the biking community around the world.
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this bonus episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!