Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Joe Fox finished the 2025 Arkansas High Country Race Central Loop yesterday evening, snagging second place overall and setting a new singlespeed record. Find details on his ride here…
Words by Aaron Arnzen, photos by Kai Caddy and Monica Foltz
Second overall in this year’s Central Loop race is singlespeed winner Joe Fox, claiming his second singlespeed FKT in the ARHC series. With an official time of 2 days, 6 hours, and 10 minutes, the Kansas City-area cyclist has frequented ultra-endurance Arkansas riding events over the last couple of years, and his bike setup speaks to that.
Riding a Warhorn hardtail from Fayetteville’s Slow Southern Steel, Joe carried the bulk of his gear in custom luggage from Buckhorn Bags, another Fayetteville company. The rest of his bike component choices reflect his preferred means of mixed-terrain travel in the Ozarks, running a suspension fork, dropper seat post, and 55mm Fleecer Ridge tires from Rene Herse.
The only real mechanical issue Joe ran into on route was losing one of his cleat bolts from the bottom of his shoes. With no luck finding one in his repair kit, he managed to steal one from his brake rotor and finished the rest of the ride with no issues. Rolling into Ponca much earlier than expected the first evening, Joe and fellow singlespeed racer made a push through the technical off-road riding near Erbie toward Jasper, rolling into the Dollar General less than 10 minutes before close, securing a big resupply. Joe pushed through the night before reaching the Witt Springs Community Center a little after 5 a.m. Similar to the first-place finisher up ahead, Joe grabbed a quick shower at Witt Springs before banking one hour of sleep.
Being the caffeine connoisseur he is, Joe’s coffee count proved more important than his sleep count, enjoying five cups on route. The best cup on route was his last, stopping for a sidecar on top of Petite Jean Mountain. Rounding out the Central Loop podium was fellow Kansas City singlespeeder Christopher Farney, rolling in just under an hour after Joe.
Check out the 2025 Arkansas High Country Race Tracker page for updates, where you can follow along on the live tracking map and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.Further Reading
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