Cycle Oregon: Notes and photos from base camp

Bags, tents, and a bit of controlled
chaos is typical for Day 0
at Cycle Oregon.
-Slideshow below/Gallery–
(Photos © J. Maus)

Cycle Oregon‘s 23rd year got started Saturday when 2,200-plus riders (and a few hundred volunteers, staff, and vendors) showed up in Medford. In front of them was 437 miles of epic riding through southern Oregon and northern California (a.k.a. the State of Jefferson).

I missed the ride last year (after doing it in 2006 and 2007) but I was quickly re-acquainted with the familiar sights and sounds — people lugging around their huge bags, the hum of generators, the mini-Bike Gallery retail shop and service center, tent city, and of course, bumping into old friends.

But this year, there are also several new things I noticed while walking around camp.

Responding to rider feedback, Cycle Oregon staffers are now on a mission to reduce waste. They’ve set up little recycling tents all over camp and each one has a volunteer waiting to help you sort your trash. All food is served on plates made from sugar cane, utensils are made from potatoes, and the beer cups are made from corn. All of which will be composted and mixed into a local farm to be used as fertilizer.

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KATU-TV’s weatherman Dave Zalesky
(middle) and friends put roses in
their saddles to remind them to
slow down and enjoy the ride.

Another eco-friendly innovation this year is the use of re-usable musette bags for carrying lunch (instead of putting all the food items into a plastic sack like in years past).

The ride’s coffee sponsor, Portland-based Nossa Familia has something new going this year — personal French press service. This little luxury will get you a carafe of fresh coffee waiting for you at the Nossa Familia truck each morning (after waiting the required four minutes for brewing of course).

Another new Cycle Oregon tradition born this year is the rider passport. Each rider was given one at registration. Once you get your photo put into it (for a mere $5), you can stamp all the years you’ve done the ride and then each town will put its unique stamp in it when you arrive. It’s a fun keepsake.

For more of the sights from Cycle Oregon base camp in Medford, browse the gallery or watch the slideshow below (click through to the Flickr page to see the photos captions).