A Pro Cyclist’s Family Trip To Bentonville with Lawson Craddock

We sit down with Lawson Craddock, former Olympian and longtime pro road cyclist, right after he visited Bentonville with his wife, two kids, and his parents. Without the pressure of racing or training, Lawson gets to experience the town the way most of us do, looking for great rides, great food, and a simple way to spend the day together. What he finds is a place that’s shockingly easy to navigate, packed with trails, and built for making memories.

We talk through the full trip: driving, ending up in a walkable downtown, renting e-bikes, and discovering how Bentonville’s cycling infrastructure supports a range of speeds and comfort levels. 

From exploring museums, the farmers market, Onyx Coffee lines, and ice cream on the square, there is something for everyone! 

A New American Town is here to help you plan your trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, with 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.  

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.  

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Lawson Craddock

Nat Ross 0:00

Welcome to a new American Town. This is your host, Nat Ross. We have a special guest, Lawson Craddock, a former Olympian, a cyclist who spent his career making a fantastic representation for the United States. So Lawson and his family recently visited Bittenville, so we get to touch base with Lawson on some highlights and what it's like to bring a family to Bentonville. So without further ado, on a new American Town, here's Lawson Craddock. Lawson, you have been in the cycling world and at the pinnacle of it for uh a fantastic career. You uh are now on the opposite end of things. So when you came to Bentonville, Arkansas, you didn't have to race, you weren't training, you got to spend time with your family. Let's hear about what it's like to enjoy life at home in the U.S. with your family uh and and kind of how the trip to Bentonville went, and uh we'll dive into the questions after that. Thanks, Lawson.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yeah, no, thank you guys. I'm I'm honored to be here.

Nat Ross 1:02

When you came to Bentonville, uh, I think it was a spring family trip. What was your experience kind of from everything landing, checking in, and then just the infrastructure of the city of Bentonville, downtown, and then once you actually started recreating or going out to do fun stuff with the family.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Right. No, we uh Bentonville's been been on our list for quite a while now. And uh, you know, after being there last uh last weekend, it was uh I can see why. And honestly, I'm bummed I I had not gone there sooner. So I think we were we were leaving on Monday and already planning our our next trip to to go back. So but obviously, yeah, the the cycling definitely attracted us as the kind of the main reason why I was on a radar, why we wanted to go. It was a little tough when I was I was I was racing and training just because I was consistently traveling, you know, yeah, 11 months out of the year. And then uh when the opportunity uh popped up with my uh my parents and then and then my wife and two kids, uh of course we we got on the calendar and then fully committed. So but then we we actually made the the drive from from Houston. It was about nine hours. Uh we split it up, stopped in Oklahoma on the way there, which I was honestly very surprised about eastern Oklahoma. It turns out is shockingly beautiful, and there's mountains there. I did not expect that. But yeah, we we made it to Bentville on uh you know Friday around lunchtime, and yeah, we were just blown away, you know. It's a very walkable city, which something that that my my family and I we miss uh about living in Europe, you know, just how easy it is to get around. It still has that small town feel, but um just the amenities uh of something much much bigger than that. So it was it was spectacular. We we we rented e-bikes, which I would have never done while I was still racing. Um uh but again, like you said, I don't have to train, I don't have to worry about my fitness. Uh, but you know, I I got out there with my dad, and and even in the rain, you know, on Friday, we it was it was sprinkling and coming down a little bit, and there's just no concern about you know the trails being washed out, the uh, you know, being out there. I can go on for hours and hours about uh how enjoyable it was and and how special of a trip that that it was.

Nat Ross 3:09

Well, I think your family likes to be outdoors. I think you were raised outdoors, and um you're doing that with your um kids at and you brought them to Bentonville to do some fun experiences. So while you and your dad were out riding, um, what was your wife doing and and your mom and the kids? And how did you guys get to kind of interchange the afternoons where everybody wins?

SPEAKER_00 3:28

There's something for everyone there. It was um, you know, my wife doesn't necessarily uh ride a bike too often. Same with my mom, you know, she she doesn't want to go out on these these huge four or five-hour adventures like my my dad and I. But but we brought the kids bikes, uh, and there's, you know, within, I don't know, two minutes of of leaving the Airbnb, we were saying that, which is pretty centrally located, there's trails everywhere. Um, so there's stuff for you know that my dad and I could have fun on a little bit more extreme. There's stuff for the kids too. And we even actually took our kids one day at uh that we were there over to um uh polar, all right. And took them on some of the trails. We we did get a bit lost, we bit off more than we could do with the kids. We were trying to find some nice flowy stuff for them to do, but we ended up on I think Esther's okay, which was was a bit chunky. Uh, you know, for for for us it was fine, but for the kids, you know, going up the hills and they're five and seven.

Nat Ross 4:23

Yeah, you you committed them to something they weren't expecting.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Right. And and then, you know, we paid for it, you know. They they definitely uh they crashed a couple times. They they definitely had a had a meltdown or once or one or two of them. But the second we stopped, the second we got back and got lunch with them, they didn't remember any of that. They just remember just being out there, uh being on their bike, and and they both you know have nothing but good memories. And so for us, that's really what it's all about. Yeah. Um, getting out and enjoying nature. And and of course, yeah, you you run through time for it's it's yeah, you do bought off for more than you can chew, but it's an adventure, and then that's exactly what we were seeking.

Nat Ross 4:59

Oh man. So you guys had a meal at the airship in the middle of Kohler, like the family united. Is that what happened? You and your dad were out riding mountain bikes, riding some decent gravity trails and some chunky fun single track. And then uh, wife, mom, kids, they joined you at airship.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Exactly. My mom my mom joined us on the bike ride, she had an e-bike as well, and then my wife went for a run. Uh, and then we linked up. We actually ended up getting sandwiches from um Archie's riding around the corner, nice, uh, which were massive. And so it was just, you know, it's exactly what we were kind of going for, you know, with the kids. We took them out of school to be up there. Um, you know, it was it was the weather was great. Um, we and we just had uh we just had such a such an enjoyable time seeing seeing what there was to offer. And you know, outside of that day, there's the museums, there was all the little pump tracks and then the nice flowy stuff in town that that the kids could do. And um, yeah. And also we went to I think the probably the most memorable was going to uh the ice cream joint next to oh nice the the five the nickel and dime store, and it was like, I don't know, seven dollars for like twenty people's worth of ice cream.

Nat Ross 6:09

Delicious. What the experience on the square, right? For the family.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Right.

Nat Ross 6:14

Yeah.

Walkable Downtown And European Vibes

SPEAKER_00 6:15

So yeah, it was uh like I said, it was, you know, we were uh the last night we were there, we were already, you know, looking for spring break, you know, places play places to come back and places to stay.

Nat Ross 6:24

So I love it. So one thing you hit on, which is uh pretty neat, is I think since you raced for JV and your uh career was long span, you're probably in Girona and you miss some of those towns and European villages where the amenities are all there, you have you could train, you could still spend time with your family. And Bittenville has that same type of cultural element to it, maybe not as historical, but you mentioned kind of museums and experiences and all those things. So do you feel that um Bittenville kind of has a vibe similar to uh something culturally that a family can actually everybody can get to enjoy their days and spend more time together?

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Right. And and not historical yet.

Nat Ross 7:05

Yet.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

But uh no, absolutely. It was, you know, we we we stayed um uh I think on Southwest Third Street or something like that. When we first got in, we you know, we drove in for lunch and we were like, what are we doing? You know, we spent like, I don't know, 45 seconds of the car to get there. And we're like, all right, never again. No, not when we're here. And even the kids, you know, we drove up there, so it's been nine hours of the car to get up there. And and and you know, basically the kids they refused it uh to get back in the car. And especially they they just want they wanted to walk everywhere. They wanted to take their bikes. There, there is, you know, that again. I I'm not in too in tune with the the names of the infrastructure, but there was one one building where you go ramps and there's little insects that are that are embedded in the ground all the way to the top, and they want to do that, you know, I don't know, five times a day.

Nat Ross 7:54

On their bikes, right? They they brought their bikes. On their bikes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

Yeah, they just wanted to ride to the top and then ride down. We parked the car and we we didn't we didn't turn the car back on until we drove back home. And and so just having the ability to to to be outside. Um, you know, we saw the farmers market on on Saturday morning, which was insanity. Um, we thought about waiting an hour and a half in line for Onyx coffee, and we decided we were too hungry. But it was it was everything about it was was exactly what what we were searching for, you know, showing our kids that it's not the routine of waking up, going to school, driving around, you know, doing that every day. It's it's getting out there. Um, obviously you do that stuff to to work to be able to do these adventures like uh like Bentonville. Um, but getting to the point where we can provide memories, you know, and and that and that's what we're trying to do. That's what we're trying to do as parents. I know that's what my parents try to do with us is you know, give them the ability to to make the memories and and and go on the adventures that um that we should be doing.

Advice For Families Planning A Trip

Nat Ross 8:54

Well, that's fantastic. So I love that you guys are doing that. You're gonna come back and do it again. What would your advice be for another family that wants an outdoor adventure may not be as venturesome as you guys are with the running or the cycling? Or perhaps they are. So what would your advice be for a family or um folks planning to bring their kids to Bentonville? Like what would something be that um you want to do next time or that really resonated last visit?

Choosing Bikes And Where To Ride Next

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Do it sooner for putting it off. So but it's you know, sometimes you you you watch these videos and you see this and you see guys going off huge ramps, and and if you're into cycling and mountain biking things, and of course that's there, you know, it offers that. Uh, but it you know, Bentville also offers something for everyone, um, that there truly is. Um there's a lifestyle that that you know anyone can do, no matter what your skill level is. Um, you know, just being out there with nature, being in and the beauty of it, um uh is is is truly spectacular, you know. And and you know, for us, you know, sometimes that nine-hour drive shies us away, but you know, give yourself credit to make it, you know, you know, it's it's it's once you get up there, it is 100% worth it.

Nat Ross 10:04

Oh, fantastic. So you're a road cyclist and that was your background, but still you're all out like your career. Um, you had to train on the road bike, but you you ride all types of bikes. When you come back to Bentonville, um, is it gravel next for exploring or more of the mountain biking? Um, are you gonna bring a road bike? What like what what do you want to do when you come back for cycling for Lawson?

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Right. So, I mean, I've raced on the road, you know, from I was 10 years old until I was 33 years or something. So for me, it was uh, you know, I really since I've I've stopped racing, I just haven't been on the road bike much, maybe just once or twice in the last couple of years. Um, and so now it's like I'm getting to do all the stuff that that I couldn't do for for so long. And a lot of that is being off-road, getting on the mountain bike trails. Um, I haven't done too much gravel. Uh so it's been a lot of mountain biking, and that's something that that picked up in the the last couple of years of my career of being over a drone, getting getting uh like a uh full suspension and durobike and and going to ripping some of those trails. Um, and then so yeah, for me, that's that's really what we went to Bit and Phil for, not necessarily the road riding or the gravel riding was to to be on the mountain bike trails.

Nat Ross 11:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

And you know, yeah, we we we got the e-bikes, and and that was definitely a right call just because you know, I don't have the time to train, I can't ride for five hours non-stop at this point. Um, so we got the e-bikes, and and my dad had turned 70 this year, and so he had an e-bike, and so we we just got an adventure together, and and so we did um so much of slaughter pin, uh, with so much with the Kohler Park, but we didn't even touch you know the back 40 or or or or little sugar, I think it's called, or big sugar. Yeah. Um and so for us, it's like, yeah, okay, so we we've done uh and had so much fun doing doing those a little bit closer to town, but next time it'll be venturing a little bit out, going back there and and and uh doing some of those trails.

Coming Back Soon And Local Events

Nat Ross 11:58

Oh, fantastic. So for those listeners um that are piping in and uh aren't familiar with uh Lawson being retired because his career was so long, he had an amazing career, made it to the Olympics, was uh racing uh all sorts of world championships, represented the team US um year after year, and now Lawson gets to give back to the community, gets to do um fun fundraising pieces, gets to be a family man. So, Lawson, we look forward for you coming back to Bentonville, riding e-bikes, riding bikes with your family. Um little um little teaser for you when you come back next is the ledger is pretty much the building that your kids were enjoying all the insects at, which are actually native critters um to the Ozarks. Um hopefully we put on an event which is called uh King and Queen of the Ledger, and it's for the kids and community. And hopefully you come back when they get to ride their bikes up that. Um, because a lot of folks um hike, go up and down, and we actually started um in the field across the Rexitter and uh cruise to the top, and there's a king and queen. So hopefully you're in town for that next.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yes.

Nat Ross 13:05

Love it.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Yeah, absolutely.

Nat Ross 13:07

Well, Lawson, love that your family got to enjoy Bentonville and uh congrats on a fantastic career uh supporting you from afar, watching uh the trajectory and just uh bringing the U.S. back. So you're the Texan after Lance that uh put us back on the map again. Lawson, thanks for uh all of your time today. We look forward to uh you visiting Bitonville next.

Visit Bentonville Call To Action

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Appreciate it. Thanks, guys. Can't wait.

Nat Ross 13:31

Thanks, Lawson. Whether you're looking to demo a bike, walk the trails, hike trails, cruise to museums, visit some food joints, or just check out the history in town like the Walmart Museum, come visit us in Bittenville. You can hit the website and you can plan your trip on visitbittenville.com. Thanks for listening to A New American Town. This is Nat Ross, your cycling host, signing out.