You know an event ride is a big deal when 1,000 people show up — for the route announcement. As per tradition last night at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Cycle Oregon unveiled their 2013 route with a full-blown party, expo, and all the fanfare we’ve come to expect from what many consider “The best bike ride in America.” The theme of this year’s ride is “Saddle Up.”
The 26th edition of the Cycle Oregon will head to eastern Oregon and will begin and end in the small town of John Day. Here’s more from a Cycle Oregon press release:
“Along the way riders will pedal through the Strawberry Mountains, bisect the Bear and Silvies valleys, cross one of the busiest avian flyways in the world at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and explore the western edge of The Great Basin… Besides John Day, the route includes overnight stays in Burns, Diamond, Crane and Seneca. Riders will have the option to ride a loop on Day 4 from Diamond south past Frenchglen and back, skirting Steens Mountain.”
The 7-day route will take riders 505 miles with an elevation gain of about 17,750 feet. You can read the day-by-day descriptions here. Check a map below:
Cycle Oregon’s Weekend Ride (a shorter version, popular with families), will return to Corvallis this year. Participants will be treated to a host of supported loop options and activities based out of the campus of Oregon State University. The theme of the Weekend Ride is “Summer Bike Camp.”
Registration for both events opens at noon today (2/6) and is only available online at CycleOregon.com. If you want to do the Week Ride, I strongly suggest getting your fingers and credit card poised (ride cost is $895). There are only 2,000 spots available for the Week Ride and last year they sold completely out in just 31 minutes.
— Also announced at last night’s event was the Mark Bosworth Fund. The fund, created in memory of the Cycle Oregon volunteer who went missing while on the ride in 2011 and has yet to be found, will sponsor a first-time rider in Cycle Oregon each year. More info at MarkBosworthFund.org.