From Ozarks to Delta Blues: Markus Stitz’s new film shows why Arkansas deserves a place on every rider’s radar
Filmmaker and route designer Markus Stitz has turned his attention to Arkansas for his latest short film, From Ozarks to Delta Blues, a journey that explores the state by bike, foot and kayak and reveals a riding destination with far more range than many cyclists might expect.
The film follows Stitz from the riding hubs of Bentonville and Fayetteville in north west Arkansas to Hot Springs, Little Rock and the Arkansas Delta, tracing a route through rugged mountains, forest, greenways and vast open backroads. It is a portrait of a state shaped by contrast, where the technical trails and cycling culture of the Ozarks sit alongside the slower rhythms and flat horizons of the Delta.
For Stitz, the trip was also a chance to look again at a part of the United States he had first encountered years earlier while riding across the country on a single-speed bike during his round-the-world adventure. He says the journey offered “a real insight” into Arkansas through the people who live and ride there, adding that it is “one of the most intriguing places to ride a bike”.
That sense of discovery runs throughout the film. In Bentonville, a town now firmly established on the international cycling map, Stitz speaks with Ernie Lechuga, owner of the Scott Adventure Lab and a former professional cyclist who chose to make the city his home. Lechuga describes Arkansas as “raw” and “beautiful”, with untapped country roads that create a feeling of freedom. He also points to Bentonville’s community as its defining strength, saying the place feels like home for people who live and breathe bikes.
The film does not stop at Bentonville’s reputation for mountain biking. It broadens the picture, showing how Arkansas caters to very different styles of riding. From the Razorback Greenway, which links Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville, to the long quiet roads of the Delta, the state appears to offer both accessibility and adventure in equal measure. That variety is one of the film’s strongest messages: Arkansas is not simply a mountain bike destination, but a genuinely diverse place to explore on two wheels.
In the Delta, Stitz highlights Crowley’s Ridge, an area that rises unexpectedly from the surrounding flatlands and offers shaded roads and a deep sense of history. Martin Smith, who lives in Birdeye, describes it as the only real elevation in the Arkansas Delta and speaks about the importance of linking a community’s future to its past. In the film, that idea gives the riding a richer context, suggesting these roads are about more than scenery alone. They are part of a wider cultural landscape.
Hot Springs adds another dimension. Traci Berry, trails coordinator at Visit Hot Springs, presents Arkansas as a state where outdoor access is woven into everyday life. She points to its public land, two national forests, a national park and the green space that shapes many of its towns and cities. In a place like Hot Springs, with a population of around 38,000, that means a riding experience that can still feel close to nature even when it starts from the edge of town.
The film also stops in Little Rock, where Sam Files of Pinnacle Mountain State Park sums up the state in three words: “breathtaking, hardworking and wild”. It is a neat line, but it also reflects what Stitz seems to have found across the trip. Arkansas comes across as a place where cycling is not boxed into one discipline or one type of rider. Instead, it offers a broad church of experiences, from greenway spins and gravel epics to single track sessions and remote backroad adventures.
That broad appeal is supported by the practical details too. The state is presented as having a mild four-season climate, bike-friendly communities and a strong connection to the outdoors, all of which make it an attractive option for travelling riders. The routes featured in the film, covering both gravel and mountain biking, are also available on Komoot, making it easier for viewers to turn inspiration into a trip of their own.
From Ozarks to Delta Blues is supported by the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism and Tout Terrain USA, with Stitz riding a Tout Terrain Vasco GT during filming. The short film is available now on YouTube, and it adds another thoughtful entry to the Edinburgh-based filmmaker’s growing body of work documenting places through the lens of slow travel and cycling culture.
For a cycling audience, the value of the film lies in how it reframes Arkansas. This is not just a destination with a famous trail scene. It is a state of layers, where riders can move from urban greenways to wild forest, from gravel roads to mountain singletrack, and from the Ozarks to the Delta with a genuine sense of travelling through different worlds. Stitz’s film makes a persuasive case that Arkansas is not only worth visiting, but worth exploring properly, at bike pace.
