Cycle Oregon is coming to Grant and Wheeler counties Sept. 10-17, 2022. Around 1,000 cyclists will ride through Monument, Fossil, Mitchell and Dayville before ending where they started in John Day.

JOHN DAY — Around 1,000 cyclists are preparing to descend on Grant and Wheeler counties for a weeklong ride that will start and end in John Day while passing through Monument, Fossil, Mitchell and Dayville.

Riders will arrive in John Day on Saturday, Sept. 10, and spend the night in town before starting their ride on Sunday. Setup crews for the event will arrive in town on Wednesday, Sept. 7.

Also coming with the riders will be an array of services and support personnel for event participants, including a beer tent, food trucks, a coffee wagon, showers, bike technicians, live music and even a massage service.

The length of the ride will vary, with riders having the choice of a short route of 272 miles with no ride day options, an alternate paved route of 352 miles and a route with all optional routes (including traveling on gravel) that is 443 miles. The longest trek of the event will be a more than 70-mile ride from Mitchell to Dayville on the event’s sixth day.

The appearance of Cycle Oregon in Grant County provides opportunities for local organizations to raise money through signing up for paid tasks like serving dinner and manning rest stops for the riders. Tammy Bremner of the Grant County Chamber of Commerce said people are still needed to serve dinner to the riders on Friday, Sept. 16, in John Day.

A number of jobs still remain to be filled in Monument, Spray, Mitchell and Dayville from Sunday, Sept. 11, to Friday, Sept. 16. Cycle Oregon will pay $500 to any organization willing to be a green team/cleanup crew, $1,000 to conduct a site teardown and cleaning sweep and $1,200 to staff a rest stop or provide a baggage unloading crew.

Bremner said there are 14 different groups from around the county that have elected to raise money through signing up for jobs during the Cycle Oregon ride.

With so many cyclists coming into town, Bremner said it is important to be aware that cyclists will be riding on Highway 26 and other local roads, meaning motorists will have to drive with caution to prevent accidents.

“Just be aware that on Sunday morning they’re going to be leaving here,” she said. “There’s no set time. Everybody is on their own schedule. … They’ll be leaving here probably anywhere from 7:30 (a.m.) to 9 (a.m.).”

Bremner also wants to remind everyone that there will be 1,000 participants in the ride this year. “They’re not all going to be together. Most of them have done this before and Cycle Oregon is very safety conscious. That doesn’t mean that something isn’t going to happen, just be aware that there is going to be a lot of cyclists,” Bremner said.

Bremner said she expects Cycle Oregon to donate over $20,000 to various local groups and organizations for the work they have signed up to do in support of the group’s 2022 ride through Grant County.

Participants can also be expected to spend money at area bars, restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops and other local businesses.

“It’s a big deal,” Bremner added. “They do this somewhere every year. … They’ve picked this area because it is beautiful.”