The Joe Martin Stage Race will move back to a customary late-spring calendar slot this season, May 19-22 with Walmart as its new title sponsor. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event’s expansion as a four-day stage race for professional men and women and its eighth edition on the UCI Americas Tour calendar.
The announcement comes on the heels of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships that concluded Sunday in the same region of northwest Arkansas, which was also supported by the retail giant. Race organisers said they would offer higher prize purses for the pro men and women, with equal payouts, though the amounts were not disclosed. They are also expected to offer some type of live streaming for races.
“We’ve been bringing the world to Arkansas for competitive road cycling for the past two decades, and now with the support of Walmart we can take the race around the globe through live streaming and innovative tracking technology,” Bruce Dunn, CEO for All Sports Productions which promotes and directs the race, said from a media conference Wednesday in Arkansas.
”The ultimate goal is to not only make the Joe Martin Stage Race the largest competitive pro cycling race in North America, but it’s my dream and hope to elevate road cycling in the United States to the same level as many of the other professional races in sports in our country.”
Details about the four stages for men and women were not divulged, except that the fourth and final day would be the Experience Fayetteville Criterium on May 22 in downtown Fayetteville. Traditionally, the other three days include two road stages and an uphill individual time trial at Devil’s Den State Park. Dunn said the time trial may be extended in the future beyond the current length of three miles, but it would return at the same distance this year. He also said details about live streaming and results would be made at a later date.
“We are able to offer a greater purse for both men and women, and that’s something we are very excited about. On the international level, the purses are not equal, but they will be at the Walmart Joe Martin Stage Race. So that’s another area where we can provide support in women’s racing,” Dunn added.
“And when you are doing two races, two rolling enclosures on the same day, you want to make sure you have equal assets and support, and now that’s going to be a possibility.”
Among athletes joining the media conference remotely were defending champions Tyler Williams and Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles), who took overall wins in the pro categories when the race was held in August.
Along with the five-day Tour of the Gila scheduled for April 27 to May 1, there are only two UCI stage races on the US calendar this year. Last season both races moved their events to late summer dates due to continued health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but it ended up being the second consecutive year the Tour of Gila cancelled its plans.
“Joe Martin is a really important race for me. It wasn’t until 2016 I was old enough to do a UCI stage race, and Joe Martin was that first UCI stage race for me. It was my first podium in a UCI race, and that opened a lot of doors for me and my career,” Schneider said.
“In August we [L39ION of Los Angeles] were able to participate in Joe Martin, and that was my first UCI overall win. So this race has had a big impact on my career. And it’s inspiring to hear the emphasis it’s going to have on women in the sport, in particular. Any part I can play in inspiring more women to get on bikes either recreationally or to race, that gives me a lot of fulfilment.”
The Joe Martin Stage Race is the oldest, continually-held stage race for amateur riders in the US, which started as the Fayetteville Spring Classic in 1978 and now attracts hundreds of participants in three days of amateur categories. Both amateur and pro events will continue in 2022.
“Road cycling is the one discipline of cycling that isn’t growing quite at the clip as mountain bike racing, as gravel racing, as BMX or cyclocross. The reason why is it is really difficult to put on road races, it’s hard to put on stage races. It’s complicated,” Brendan Quirk, CEO of USA Cycling, said in a recorded message for the event.
“The generosity of Walmart is going to make it so that this race can still happen in northwest Arkansas, continue to be a real crown jewel of the racing scene, not just [for] Arkansas but really for all of the United States.”
Quirk, who was named as the leader of USA Cycling just two months ago, previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for BikeNWA, an advocacy and education non-profit based in Bentonville, Arkansas. He was also president of Rapha North America, which is headquartered in the same city. He said in his racing days the Joe Martin was his ‘A-race’ in training.
“The Joe Martin Stage Race is an iconic stop on the American bike racing calendar. It's incredible to think about how many world-class professionals have made their mark on this race over the years,” Quirk added.
It’s been 33 years since there was a name change to one of the top stage races in the US, when the Fayetteville Spring Classic was renamed after race director Joe Martin died from cancer in 1989. The title sponsorship with Walmart was facilitated by Ozark Outdoor Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to creating healthy and enriching outdoor experiences in Arkansas.
USA Cycling is supporting a national criterium series, America’s Criterium Cup, this year with 10 events. It had not been announced if the Pro Road Tour would return in 2022 with other events.
