Cycle Oregon is back, will head to Painted Hills on 7-day ride

John Day River valley is peak Oregon cycling.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Two years ago Cycle Oregon announced their usual slate of fully-catered rides, only to cancel them three months later as the reality of Covid sunk in.

In a video released at 10:00 am this morning they once again revealed details of their four signature rides. “We miss you. We are so excited to ride again. We’re back. We’re better. We’re stronger,” said Executive Director Steve Schulz, “After the last couple years to actually be standing here and saying we’re going, we’re back, we’re ready to roll is an amazing thing.”

For an organization whose stock-in-trade is large social gatherings that have a reputation for being a tad overcrowded, the onset of a virus that thrives in those conditions was a major challenge. So even though the route announcement wasn’t made at a big party like usual, the optimism from Cycle Oregon is a comforting sign that 2022 will be a “back to normal” type of riding season.

Here are the details on Cycle Oregon’s four offerings:

Gravel – May 20-22 in Toledo

Ride options:
Day 1 Main: 39.6 miles (66% gravel) | 3,155 feet of elevation gain
Day 1 Main with Option: 57.6 miles (63% gravel) | 5,500 feet of elevation gain
Day 2: 50.9 miles (59% gravel) | 2,950 feet of elevation gain
Cost $350 – Registration is limited to 500 participants

Joyride – June 25 in Independence

Ride options:
Short: 17.8 miles (160 ft. of climbing); Medium: 39.9 miles (980 ft. of climbing); Medium w/ gravel option: 36.3 miles (6 miles of gravel and 1,013 ft of climbing); Long: 63.6 miles (2,113 ft. of climbing); Long w/ gravel option: 63.0 miles (6.9 miles of gravel and 2,081 ft. of climbing).
Cost: $100 – Registration is limited to 1000 participants

Weekender – July 22 to 24 in Corvallis (on Oregon State University campus)

Ride options:
Day One: 12.3 // 38.2 // 70.9 miles
Day Two: 10.9 // 38.3 // 66.6 miles
Adults $350
Youth 7-17 $150
Youth 6 and under Free
Registration is limited to 1500 participants

Classic – September 10-17

Mileage: 272-443 miles
Climbing: 15,282-35,245 feet
Cost: $1,250
Registration is limited to 1500 participants

Check out CycleOregon.com to sign up and get all the details.

Jonathan Maus is BikePortland’s editor, publisher and founder. Contact him at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.