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The Sandtown Shuffle is an experience in rural Arkansas that will include 2 days of challenging gravel rides, live music, and food.
Both routes will depart from the Pool’s Chapel church and travel 5 miles of Sandtown Rd. (chip seal) before transitioning to gravel. These routes have a nice mix of sandy, rocky, smooth, and raunchy gravel. There are various low-water bridges on the routes. So, depending on water levels on race day, your feet may get wet!
Elevation: These routes average just under 1000 feet of climbing every 10 miles! The hills are rolling and consistent!
30mi-Big T loop –
Half of the battle, but a whole lot of fun!
Re-supply mile: 16.5.
63mi-Big T & Sidney Shakeout loop-
This route splits from the Big T loop at mile 16.5 (aid) and heads north to enjoy the Sidney Shakeout loop. It has a resupply at mile 41.5. The roads on the shakeout loop are the fastest gravel that will be encountered on the route! Throwdown!
Dirt Church/Guion run
Complete self-supported ride from Sandtown to Guion, AR
More details to come!
Race- All distances are open to being raced. If you choose to submit a GPS file for your effort after your ride we will record, verify, and log it into our files. There will be Strava Segments available on both routes up for grabs, signs will mark the start of each segment.
Course Markings:
Small Signs will be present throughout the routes on Saturday; however, we strongly recommend having cue sheets or GPS devices. These routes have ALOT of turns, and plenty of opportunities to get lost! Be prepared!
Aid and Support:
Phone Service can be spotty on the routes. Support/support line will be available; however, we ask all participants to be self-supported as possible. We understand that things happen!
Support vehicles will also be on the courses. These are all run by volunteers, and they are there to help you.
Registration
Registration is available online until the night before the event.
Day of registration available, however, t-shirt not guaranteed.
All riders must have a waiver on file
Start Information/Headquarters
Pool’s Chapel Church in Sandtown, AR
Check in- before 8:00 a.m.
All riders must check in before the start, at the 16.5mi aid station, and at the finish.
Food/Drink/Entertainment:
Pancakes and Coffee will be served from 6:30-8 am
Lunch and dinner TBA
Rockin’ Luke Stroud – Jammin Jerry Lee Lewis Classics at 3pm
General Vital Info
All riders must wear a helmet.
All riders must check in prior to the start, and after the finish, and have a waiver on file.
Weather
Arkansas weather is unpredictable. The average high at the beginning of March is 70 degrees while the average low is 48 degrees. Anything could happen! To accommodate our riders, our support team will collect gear (either at a support stop or a support vehicle) and leave it at the Dirt Church for pick up upon completion of the ride. This gear check is available as a courtesy to all riders. In the event of a weather emergency, all riders should take cover immediately. Aid stations will serve as communication points for riders and SAG drivers will aid riders if any severe weather arises.
Accommodations:
Pools Chapel Church AKA Dirt Church
This is a redundant church that is privately owned by members of the Sandtown community. The church was built in 1953 and is one of the two original buildings left standing in our small town. There are zero operating businesses in Sandtown, so plan accordingly. Cave City, Cushman, and Mt. Pleasant will be the closest open businesses with food and beverage options.
Lodging Options:
1) Roughly 15 miles south of Sandtown, Batesville has various hotels and AirBNB’s available.
2) Camping: On site, camping spots will be available.
The church will act as a safe haven in the event of a storm/weather. First, come, spots will be available in the church for camping. It will be open all weekend to host you!
A firepit will be on site to enjoy as well!
Feel Free to reach out for more info!
History
Sandtown is an unincorporated mining town that started around 1886 with 7 “dig” sites stretching 5 miles to the small town of Cushman. The Sandtown Shuffle is a grassroots gravel event that centers on the rural unincorporated community located on Sandtown Road. Sandtown is five and a half miles west-southwest of Cave City (Sharp and Independence counties) and about nine and a half miles north of Batesville (Independence County). Local historians believe the settlement’s name comes from the white sand (or silica) found on the sandbar at the confluence of Sullivan Creek and Dry Creek in Sandtown.
In the late 1800s Manganese was discovered and started to be mined in the Sandtown area and went on to boom in the 50s when the federal government initiated a policy to stockpile the Manganese.
The sandy soil in the area is known to grow the “World’s Sweetest Watermelons” in the small neighboring town of Cave City.
This road used to be the route that the “mine” sights would use to transfer their iron ore to the White River in Guion via railroad!
Cause-
Rural Innovations Group is dedicated to promoting and preserving local, small communities. The goal is to create and host outdoor, health, and wellness events in local communities that showcase their unique heritage and history and develop avenues for boosting local economies. Sandtown
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Our goal at ArkansasOutside.com is to provide information on outdoor recreation throughout Arkansas. We specialize in participatory sports like running, cycling, paddle sports, climbing, hiking.