Cycle Oregon from the Sidelines

September 14, 2007


By Michelle Westerberg

What do you do when two of your co-workers are involved in an approximate 450-mile cycling trek, camping at some of Oregon’s “hidden treasure” towns and soaking up all of the sun's rays possible, while burning major calories over a seven-day span? Well, you take a road-trip to visit them of course; and experience the 20th anniversary of Cycle Oregon from the sidelines.

A pair of us hit the road for Dorena Lake – a few miles outside of Cottage Grove and stop #4 on the Cycle Oregon adventure. Our goal: Find our fearless leader and Travel Oregon Chief Strategy Officer, Scott West and his partner in crime, Policy and Research Manager – with the emphasis on Policy – Jeff Hampton. The duo had been training for the event for the past several months and both were taking their first shot at riding Cycle Oregon.

Continue reading "Cycle Oregon from the Sidelines"

Tour de Flanders - Biking Oregon Style

April 18, 2007

This past Saturday (April 14), I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Oregon Bike Summit in Sisters, Oregon. The summit was a confluence of bike enthusiasts, bike manufacturers and recreation & tourism folks such as the contingent of seven from Travel Oregon. The goal of the conference was to brainstorm and talk about ways to tell the world that Oregon is the land bicycles dream about. With hundreds of mountain trails, designated bike lanes, widened shoulders, at least seven bike events per day and some of the most bike-friendly communities in the country (Portland, Eugene, Corvallis), it's easy to see why Oregon is haven for incredible bicycling adventures.

For a first-hand view of why Oregon is a bike-nut's dream, check out this video of the "Tour de Flanders Portland" - a 43-mile, 6030-foot climb homage to the ride of the same name in Belgium. The ride took place on April 7 and took more than 100 riders on a grueling but invigorating ride through the tree-lined West Hills of Portland (see ride map).

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