Cycle Oregon made several big announcements at their annual Kickoff Party that was held at the Portland Art Museum tonight.
In addition to their 27th annual Week Ride and their newer, family-oriented, Weekend Ride, there’s a brand new event aimed at a much more exclusive audience. “CO3” — which will be held June 19th through 24th — is billed as an “intimate” event that will be a way to “take your level of support for Cycle Oregon and its philanthropy even higher”. The ride will be limited to just 30 people, who will pay $3,000 each to take part.
Here’s more about CO3 from Cycle Oregon:
“… you’ll enjoy an intimate, high-end tour at the same time! This ride takes the CO experience and intensifies it in three ways: deeper community connections and impacts; more challenging routes; and amenities like farm-to-table meals and deluxe lodging. And you’ll even help choose a project that Cycle Oregon will donate $30,000 toward – from the proceeds of this ride.”
Announcing the new event at the kickoff party tonight, Board President Keith Ketterling said the purpose of CO3 is to “Challenge riders not just physically but to challenge their commitment to our mission.”
The inaugural CO³ ride will take participants through Walla Walla and Waitsburg, WA; and the small towns of Enterprise, Halfway and Baker City in Oregon. The five days of riding will cover 331 miles and over 24,000 feet of climbing. Along the way, riders will get “delectable, fresh dinners and stay in historic hotels [no tents!] and rustic lodges”.
The Week Ride will help stoke momentum for cycling’s economic impact in the Gorge with its start in The Dalles (Mayor of The Dalles, Steve Lawrence was at tonight’s party). Check full details of the ride below:
Our 2014 theme for the Week Ride (September 6-13) is “The Magnificent Seven,” in reference to seven Cascade peaks, at least one of which is present on the horizon every day. It’s also an ode to the famous Western movie – and you might feel like you’re riding through a larger-than-life Hollywood set. You’ll cross the wind-carved expanse of the Columbia River Gorge, pedal through the lush green canyons of Washington rivers, and camp in the shadow of Mt. Adams. You’ll traverse the endless forest of Mt. Hood’s eastern flanks, roller-coaster over the gently undulating grasslands on north-central Oregon, and ponder the stark beauty of the high desert. You’ll marvel at the scale of Smith Rock and the Crooked River as it rolls alongside the powerful Deschutes River, and marvel at the bounty of orchards above The Dalles. The best seven days of your year.
- Day 1- September 7 – The Dalles to Glenwood, WA (63 miles)
- Day 2- September 8 – Glenwood, WA to Dufur (61 or 86 mile options)
- Day 3- September 9 – Dufur to Tygh Valley (73 miles)
- Day 4- September 10 – Tygh Valley to Madras (77 miles)
- Day 5- September 11- Smith Rock Loop (62 miles – optional)
- Day 6- September 12 – Madras to Tygh Valley (85 miles)
- Day 7- September 13 – Tygh Valley to The Dalles (43 miles)<./li>
And here are the details of the Weekend Ride:
The weekend ride (July 11-13) held at Linfield College in McMinnville, is our version of Summer Camp on wheels, and for all ages. Escape for a three-day immersion into the good life, with a perfect balance of riding and playing. There are routes for everyone from hard-cores to kids, and everyone gathers to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and unmatched amenities Cycle Oregon is known for. And this year we’re hanging out in Wine Country – come and take in some great views and some tasty vintages!
Route Descriptions
Day One: “South Yamhill Sojourn” (12/51/83 miles)
Saturday’s routes follow the general contours of the South Yamhill River, southwest from McMinnville, including several sections of riding beside the water. The first 7 miles are shared by all, and then short-route riders take a shortcut home. The medium and long routes head to Sheridan, where the long-route riders tack on an additional loop that features a good dose of climbing. From Sheridan, both routes loop back across the river on the way back to camp.Day Two: “Wine and Wings” (11/42/64 miles)
The second day showcases several vineyards as well as the Evergreen Aviation complex, which includes a museum housing the Spruce Goose plus a water park. Everyone starts out the day heading east; the short option cuts back to the north to rejoin the other routes returning to camp. Interestingly, the medium route has the only “climb” of the day (and a corresponding descent), on its shortcut through Amity. The long route spins past several wineries and historic communities.
Registration opens at 9:30 pm tonight at CycleOregon.com.
Thanks for reading.
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Id be embarrassed to waste 3 k on an exclusive pampered ride. Looking good Michael , feeling good Jonathan, please pass the grey poupon.
Well yeah, if you view it as a waste – that would be embarrassing.
Some people view the ALICE award tickets to be an embarrassing waste of a couple hundred dollars (assuming 2 tix).
Someone who wants a exclusive week-long experience that costs $2000 and requires a $1000 donation to a local charity, may not consider that a waste though.
Um, I think people who have $3k each to spend on CO could likely “waste” their money on much less interesting things than bike trips. If you consider these trips to be excessive, you are free to not join them. Instead, you can smugly tell us how you choose to spend your entertainment and vacation funds on more socially valuable things.
If CO is too hilly or crowded and their new ride is too posh, the Northwest is full of supported rides–consider Cascade Bicycle Club’s RAW (Ride around Washington) or the most excellent Ride Idaho instead!
as to what the $3000 event really is. Seems less about bicycling since not as physically challenging as “the regular ride” & more about money & elitism for rich, pampered folks. It’s rather embarrasing show of the have & have nots especially given the communities they are going through.
My wife and I are going to have to spend $3000 on plane tickets to spend a week with her parents for their 50th anniversary? Am I an elitist too? I don’t know if the airlines are going to donate $1000 of that to a charity of my choice though. Nothing seems good enough for Portland’s snobitorium.
I like the idea of the CO3 ride. If you’ve ever shopped around for other bike tours, $3k/rider is just about average for most 5-day Trek Travel or any other well-supported US tour outfit trips. European bike tours start at about double the cost and go up. The fact that they’re throwing a direct donation from 1/3 of the cost into the ride is kind of amazing.
To me, it sounds like CO is taking lessons from the Chris King Gourmet Century, which is some of the best local bike riding with some of the best local food, but turning that one day event into a five day tour. I’d kill for a spot on the CO3 tour (if I could afford it), in the past when I did the CO weeklong ride, about the only drawbacks to it were the food was so-so (due to scale, making fresh eggs for 2,000 people at once is impossible) and I didn’t get that deep of sleep in a tent surrounded by 2,000 people snoring.
Riding over mountain passes for 80+ miles per day is hard work, I would welcome the hotels and their quiet rooms with soft beds and I would also love great food along the way. Totally smart move of CO to offer the new option.
I like the cinematic theme that they chose for this year – nice concept and graphic design on both the poster and the promotional e-mails leading up to the launch party. Whoever was in charge of that, sharp work.
I went to CO’s slick kick-off party. I stood in line – quite chilly – for an hour to guarantee a spot on the ride – my first CO. As soon as I heard CO announce that it started in The Dalles, I decided not to go. I have always been disgusted with the eyesore aka The Dalles and just can not bring myself to go near it. Afterwards, as I thought about the event, I wondered, has CO become all about getting economically depressed and/or poorly zoned towns on the “bicycling bandwagon?”
If CO’s mission succeeds, perhaps some long-due appreciation for despised Portlanders (and commie cyclists) by small-town Oregonians might someday be realized for a duration longer than a profitable week in Septembe. I have ridden around the state and found that in many areas it is wise not to say one is from Portland — unless of course one enjoys the brand of hospitality “good country people” traditionally offer.
Though I see the value in helping small towns feel important, in changing attitudes about unlicensed, freeloading cyclists, and in sharing the financial benefits of the most vibrant and exciting form of transportation, I believe CO should mostly be about the adventure not the economy.
Unfortunately, I did not believe it at the kick-off party.
I like what Cycle Oregon does for cycling. I went on Cycle Oregon 2011 week ride and never again. $900 was too much for what I got and 2200 is just too many people.
$3000 camping is a fools fee. You just have to find the right fool. I go for 9 days not 5 days for a few hundred dollars eating in fine restaurants and still camping. Spend your money how you wish but don’t sell me that this is some kind of good value. Tent and Porter Service is just for the laziest of fools anyway.