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Joyride Recap

There’s an old saying in Latin that goes, “In vino veretas, en aqua sanitas”. It means, “In wine, truth. In water, health.” Well, last Saturday at Joyride out at Stoller Vineyards, there was an abundance of truth and health to go around.

The light rain and questionable skies that started off the day didn’t seem to scare off many riders or dampen any spirits. Close to 900 inspired female cyclists of all ages, with all manner of bikes showed up to ride one of three routes and have a fabulous time doing it. The shortest route was 16.2 miles, the mid route was 37.7 miles and the long route was 59.5. More important than the miles was the fun-loving, bring-it-on spirit that shone through everywhere you looked.

You can see tons of photos on Facebook & Instagram and from our volunteer photographers Greg & Melanie.

Amanda Judkins, a bike racer in college, was looking forward to her first Cycle Oregon experience. She couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate National Rosé Day than at an actual winery with hundreds of other female riders. “I’m excited to see some beautiful wineries and try some beautiful wines.”

Jocelyn Orr echoed her friend Amanda’s sentiment. “I’m a bike commuter, but I’m new to recreational riding. This is my first organized ride. To me, this feels like a real safe space for trying something new.”

By 9:30 a.m., blue skies were peaking out and most riders were on the course and cranking away. Some riders were serious and in the zone. Some riders were happily cruising along on tandem bikes with their daughters. And some riders were rocking rainbow tutus. Everyone was smiling.

But June in Oregon can be a fickle thing and the otherwise comfortable riding weather was punctuated by a couple of heavy, albeit it brief, downpours. But no worries, if you were lucky enough to be near a winery when it the rain came, tasting some local flavors is not a bad way to wait out the worst of it.

As riders continued to roll back into the sprawling Stoller estate, Spin Catering had the grills fired up, Widmer and Stoller had the beer and wine flowing, Corner was jamming on the stage and Lauretta Jean’s biscuits with fresh toppings were everything!

If you missed out on Joyride this time around, you have a whole year to look forward to the next one. In the meantime, enjoy the amazing community of women and bikes that exists in the Northwest. It’s strong and growing stronger all the time. And we’re thrilled to be part of it.


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2 Comments

  1. Val Lawson says:

    This was the second year for this ride for me. Both times I rode the short course. The hills on the course were pretty steep for a novice rider like me. The rest stop was up another hill. Yes I could have walked my bike up the drive way but chose not to so I could rest my legs. I did get off my bike to push up some of the hills. If the course is the same next year I will not participate. This makes me sad as this is a very fun event.

  2. Eleanor Siverts-Akerman says:

    Great route selection this year. Had fun in spite of the rain…builds character.
    There are a number of us who would like stats on how many did the 60, 38 miler etc. We did not see a lot of riders on the 60miler, so if close to 900 people rode, they must have all rode the shorter route. It was really nice to have that volunteer motorcycle aid follow us on the longer route as he helped me put my chain back on my bike and just knowing that we had support.