Shifting Gears: Living Life By Bike with Tom McMullen and Rapha

Summary

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Tom McMullen for a rousing conversation about Rapha’s role in Bentonville’s exceptional bike culture. Tom is the Managing Director for North America at Rapha, the world’s finest cycling clothing brand, which relocated its North American headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to Bentonville, Arkansas, a few years ago. Throughout the episode, Tom and James discuss Tom’s recent move from London to Bentonville, Rapha’s expansion into mountain bike apparel and living life by bike in Bentonville.

Show Notes

(0:53) Introducing Tom McMullen and Rapha

(4:38) Living Life by Bike in Bentonville

(7:18) Rule of Three

(11:50) Tom’s Impression of Bentonville

(17:55) Tom’s #BecauseBentonville Story

(20:00) Tom’s NWA Favorites

(23:34) Rapha’s Future

(25:18) The Importance of Visiting Bentonville

(27:39) Light-Hearted Questions

(29:38) Closing Thoughts

Links

James Bell

Bentonville Economic Development

Tom McMullen

Rapha

Quotes

“Bentonville is a manifestation of living life by bike...I’ve visited Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, and then after that, [it’s] probably Bentonville in terms of cities that you genuinely live life by bike. And that’s about recreation, but [it’s] also about transport, leisure with family and friends, and being able to get around. It’s a blueprint in my eyes for mobility and society going forward—that the bike becomes a key component for getting around, for having fun and living everyday life.” - Tom McMullen, (4:52)

“Someone moved from Los Angeles and said that there’s more going on from an investment point of view in Bentonville than there is in other cities around the world. So I think it’s been a pleasant surprise [to] me that it’s not just a sleepy town. In Northwest Arkansas, there’s loads going on, and it’s very diverse, which has been amazing.” - Tom McMullen, (12:33)