Cycle Oregon kicks off weeklong ride through Grant and Wheeler counties

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, September 14, 2022

JOHN DAY — Cycle Oregon is back for another tour.

The weeklong supported ride through Grant and Wheeler counties kicked off on Sunday, Sept. 11, with 1,030 bicyclists from 40 U.S. states and six countries taking part.

More than half of the participants hail from the West Coast. The remainder have come from across the country, with riders from Germany, Australia, Great Britain and Canada also in taking part.

This year marks Cycle Oregon’s third trip to Grant County, a recurrence events manager Anne Marie Hinkley said is due to the unique landmarks and terrain found in the county.

“We love this area. The topography is amazing. The communities have been super-welcoming. I think we all love Eastern Oregon, the fossil beds and the Painted Hills,” Hinkley said.

Along with the ride, Cycle Oregon’s other mission is to provide opportunities for local organizations to raise funds by taking on jobs to support the riders. Hinkley said she takes pride in the fact that much of the money generated by the event stays within the local area.

Cycle Oregon provides a host of services when it puts on a ride. Everything from showers to catered food, beer trucks, bike repair stations, massage therapists and even live music follows the riders to every overnight stop on their route.

Despite that, Hinkley said, the Cycle Oregon riders are not a segregated community unto themselves and the public is free to come meet the cyclists during stops and take part in the entertainment provided to the participants.

“Every community that we’re in, in the evenings we have live music playing. … We’d love for the community to come out and listen to music and meet folks and hang out. We’re not just here as a closed environment,” Hinkley added.

The riders headed out from John Day for Monument on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 11. The riders then journeyed from Monument to Fossil on Monday.

Tuesday was a layover day in Fossil before the riders headed back out on the road from Fossil to Mitchell on Wednesday morning. The cyclists will have another layover day in Mitchell, then hit the road again for the final stretch of the ride.

On Friday the riders will pedal from Mitchell to Dayville before the ride concludes with a 62.5-mile route that begins in Dayville and ends in John Day on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Depending on optional routes taken by riders, the 2022 Cycle Oregon Classic, dubbed “Ride the Painted Hills,” will cover anywhere from 272 to 443 miles over the course of the weeklong ride.