While the Life Time Big Sugar Classic, featuring a world-class mountain bike race and world-class grave race that’s coming to Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas is still six months away (mid-October), it’s easy to see why there’s so much enthusiasm building this far in advance.
Pineville (Missouri) Elementary School Principal Greg Capps, who also serves as a coach with Missouri’s National Intercollegiate Cycling Association (NICA) and focuses his attention with McDonald County school district mountain biking student-athletes, can’t wait for this event since he’ll be one of the participants as well.
“I’m excited for the upcoming Big Sugar Classic,” Greg says. “Two of us NICA coaches, David Staib and myself, will be participating with our ninth grade sons, Jackson Capps and Nathan Staib.”
Both these father-and-son tandems are looking forward to taking on the Big Sugar Race, and Greg says, “David and myself have been coaching NICA mountain biking to 6th-12th grade students in McDonald County over the past five years.
“Branching out into gravel racing will be a challenge. It will force us to develop new skills that differ from racing on trails. Jackson and Nathan have shown great success with mountain biking. Jackson won the Kids’ Enduro at Bentonville (Arkansas) Bike Fest the past two years, so I’ll be interested to see how that will transition into gravel racing.”
Describing the challenge, Greg continues, “Enduro racing only records the time it takes to get to the bottom of a downhill course, while gravel racing will be less elevation and intensity. But it requires more sustained endurance over a longer period of time.”
In providing a sense of twists and turns participants will navigate from start to finish in this race, details at www.bigsugarclassic.com says, “Canopy-covered gravel roads will lead you through the remote and rugged highlands of the Ozark Mountains in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas.
“The courses go along Sugar Creek and through the bluffs and hollers, including picturesque fall foliage painted around you. Expect these to be more challenging courses featuring rarely maintained roads with loose, rocky gravel, a few pavement sections and a few water crossings and bridges.”
Further enticing those who might be interested to sign up, the website says, “If you like to ride in the dirt, venture off into stunning landscapes and share an experience with fellow cyclists, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel is a race reserved for you.”
Although all the exact locations riders will trek along and through haven’t yet been finalized, Greg says, “Southwest Missouri provides some of the best gravel roads for an event like the Big Sugar Classic.
“I know the route developers continue to look for roads that will be less impactful to daily commuters while still providing a taste of the amazing landscape the area has to offer.”
It’s the range of choices available for cyclists that will make this event so appealing for them. Greg says, “The Little Sugar Race will happen Oct. 12. It’s a mountain bike race that offers 20K, 50K and 100K race options.
“The Big Sugar Classic on Oct. 18 is the gravel version. It offers 25-, 50- and 100-mile race options. The mountain bike race will take place entirely on the trails of Northwest Arkansas, while the Big Sugar Gravel Race will take place mostly on gravel roads all around the McDonald County region.”
Greg understands the significance of an event like this for McDonald County and says, “The people and scenery of Southwest Missouri makes it an amazing area to live, work and play.
“The Big Sugar Classic race provides a great opportunity to showcase some of the amazing terrain for visitors to our region. It is a big deal for me personally because I want the student-athletes I coach in NICA to expand their skills in bigger events such as these upcoming races.”
As the sport continues to grow rapidly, Greg knows McDonald County has reason to be extremely proud of all that Southwest Missouri offers as a cycling destination right along with its bordering state immediately to the south, and he says, “The biking scene has exploded across the country, but no more so than in the Northwest Arkansas region.
“People travel from all over the world to visit here. It would be foolish to ignore the impact that biking is creating right beside us. In an effort to help expand the positive influence the biking culture brings, our local chamber of commerce has plans in the works to host a McDonald County bike race/ride in September.”
As someone who has invested more than two decades mentoring school-aged boys and girls in the classroom, along with guiding them through extracurricular activities as well, Greg has a broader perspective than simply coaching bikers/riders and says, “Anything I can do that reinforces my purpose is exciting.
“I have invested more than 20 years in the education system, serving as a teacher and principal. Throughout that time, my goal has always been to empower our kids to be successful once they get out of school and enter the workforce or go to college.”
Greg’s unwavering passion for the sport of cycling, along with coaching young people who have developed a strong interest in it, is evident, and he says, “I want the students I serve to not just see value in taking care of their minds but also their health.
“The bicycle provides not just a means of transportation but a way to continue to stay healthy throughout an entire lifetime. Helping to expose our area to healthy options like biking provides my students the opportunity to see there are more options for sports than just football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling and baseball.”
Big Sugar Classic (Mountain Bike/Gravel Races) Fast Facts
When: October 12 and 18, 2025
What: Two weekend races: Little Sugar Mountain Biking and Big Sugar Gravel Biking
Show Me State Takes Center Stage: Gravel Race in Southwest Missouri includes a 25-, 50- and 100-mile race.
General Inquiries: [email protected]
Website: www.bigsugarclassic.com