News

14 Comments

The Sunsetting of Cycle Oregon’s Classic

Sunset at Cape Kiwanda, as top along 2023 Cycle Oregon Classic Ride

We’d like to share some big news with you. After 33 amazing years of riding bikes throughout Oregon every September, following this year’s Classic – Wine. Waves. Wonderland. – we will be sunsetting our flagship event.

To be clear, we are not going away, but continuing to evolve as an organization. The landscape in which we live and play has shifted. Production costs, rider preferences, volunteer capacity, and extended fire seasons have impacted the model that Classic was built upon. After careful evaluation of these dynamics, it has become clear that we can no longer deliver a weeklong Classic sustainably nor as impactfully as it once was. The dawn of a new era for Cycle Oregon is upon us and we’re excited to bring everyone along this journey.

Coming off of a sold out weekend in Moro for GRAVEL, we are riding high on our future outlook. If the 60+ rider waitlist and event feedback were any indication, our community continues to thrive. We are excited to build on this momentum returning to a full schedule next year, which will include some familiar aspects and some new elements. 

We’re announcing this now, as opposed to next year, so that those of you who love Classic or who have been aspiring to ride Classic won’t miss out on the chance to be part of this amazing event. The 2023 Classic – Wine. Waves. Wonderland. – visits the Willamette Valley and the Oregon Coast, similar to where the first Classic visited in 1988.  In light of this announcement, we are extending early registration pricing through June 13. You can register at this link.

We are designing a slate of amazing events for 2024 that will include multi day, single day and multi surface rides. We will continue to showcase the diversity and beauty of rural Oregon and invest in the special people and places of this great state. As is customary, we’ll reveal all of our 2024 events in our annual kickoff announcement.

The time is now to join us as we celebrate 33 years of Classic! Come join us on this bucket list adventure – join up with friends old and new, experience some of the best Oregon has to offer riding through wine country, the coastal range, and along some of the most breathtaking coastline you’ll ever lay eyes on.

Again, early registration pricing has been extended to June 13th, so get in now and get stoked for the best week of your year!



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

14 Comments

  1. Sandra Ponto says:

    What are you saying???? There won’t be a week long ride?????

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      “…it has become clear that we can no longer deliver a weeklong Classic sustainably nor as impactfully as it once was.”

  2. Jeff Bloom says:

    Well this is a sad development… I’ve done Cycle Oregon Classic ~4 times and enjoyed it very much. I can understand the issues they cite but I still wish it hadn’t come down to cancelling it. I do hope they will look at adding some smaller weekend type rides. Gravel just isn’t my thing. A shorter weekend ride or two would be nice but they won’t be the same as the “Classic” experience. Compared to the many midwest week long rides, the opportunity to spend all day riding in OR was a unique treat!

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      It is bittersweet for sure. We are exploring multiday offerings that will still give you opportunities to spend all day riding in Oregon. We’d take a long weekend of Oregon riding over a week in the midwest any day (but obviously we’re biased).

  3. Bob Breivogel says:

    Have done CO last 12 years and signed up for this years classic.

    Very disappointing news to say the least. You have canceled the weekend, now the classic. Hope you are not going to gravel rides as the main option.

    The week ride is more than a bike ride, it is a real classic Oregon event. It was started as a way to help bring city and rural folk together by Jonathan Nicholas (back when the Oregonian was a real newspaper). With the current urban/rural/eastern/western divide in Oregon this a real setback. Not sure how you will continue to aid the rural communities we would visit.

    I would suggest that you reconsider this, and involve the ridership in future planning.

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      Hi Bob – We are grateful to have loyal riders like you, passionate about our mission. There is no Weekender event on our 2023 calendar, but it is not canceled. It will most likely return in 2024, along with other events yet to be announced. With cost of production way up and ridership 1/2 of what it was, things aren’t penciling out for Classic to keep it as is. If you have ideas and feedback, we’re all ears. Looking forward to a great ride in September with you!

  4. Mark perino says:

    How many have signed up for the classic so far?

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      We still have tickets available 🙂

  5. Will you consider bringing back the Weekender, then?

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      Stay tuned for 2024 save the dates in the coming months. We will be bringing back a weekender style event, among other rides we think you might like.

  6. Monica Brummer says:

    Oh the news tugs at my heart. I rode three and my husband four Cycle O’s. Always remembered as the best vacations ever.
    Thank you!!

  7. I can only imagine how tough it was to make this decision! It’s so difficult to STOP doing something that used to work before, especially a flagship event like this. Congratulations on making this tough decision, and I hope it will help keep Cycle Oregon thriving for years to come on the new model of rides, that have been so fun. It’s been an honor to ride and support the event through Nossa Familia Coffee and we hope to stay engaged for years to come.
    Now let’s make it an amazing ride this September!

    1. Cycle Oregon says:

      Looking forward to starting our mornings with a hot cup in September with you!

  8. Michael Broderick says:

    It is such a shame to hear this. I have participated in 7 C.O. Classics over the past 25 years. Each has been a unique, challenging, beautiful and utterly enjoyable experience and I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface of all the fascinating cycling routes and vistas.

    I can see how the dynamics and demographics have changed over the years and all of the logistic challenges of fire season so I understand the decision but it still hurts. I will definitely be on this final ride and will carry the memories with me fondly.