2023 Classic Ride Guide Vol III
The countdown for Cycle Oregon’s 33rd Classic is on, and we have one final Ride Guide to help you prepare. This volume will take you through the final details of planning – entertainment, community info, meals and more. Our Ride Guides are a great resource for new & returning riders to make the most out of their Cycle Oregon experience. If you missed the first two Ride Guides, or need a refresher, take a look below:
Previous Ride Guides: VOL I // VOL II
Important Information
- If you want a non-rider to accompany you by vehicle, they must register as an official Rider Guest. Space is very limited and we cannot accommodate any unregistered vehicles.
- The deadline for cancellation is August 12. There are no refunds after this date, thank you for understanding.
Connectivity
We will be riding through rural Oregon and may not always have cell service on route or in camp. None of our overnight sites have wifi, although you may find some internet if you pop into a cafe or restaurant for a local bite to eat.
We are also extremely limited by access to electricity at our overnight sites. The Community Cycling Center is fundraising for their Kid’s Bike Camp by offering electronics charging punchcards for your phones, Garmins, bike lights, and other small electronics. Pre-purchase your punchcard here!
All of this is to say, please come to the ride with a communication plan in place with folks back home and any routes or other information already downloaded. Bring your favorite offline activity and enjoy a week living like the “good ol’ days”, which weren’t actually that long ago.
Directions to Albany
Long term Parking is located at the Expo Center, adjacent to the overnight site. Please follow these directions when you arrive in Albany. Porters will move your bags from the Expo Center to Timber Linn Memorial Park, and you will be able to ride your bike.
Please enter Linn County Expo Center into Google if you are driving. If you enjoy written directions, they are provided below:
From I-5 (north or south):
- Take Exit 234A towards Fair/Expo/Knox Butte
- Turn onto Knox Butte Rd E
- Turn Right onto Expo Parkway NE
- Follow signs to Long Term parking
From Bend Area:
- Find your way to Hwy 20 West
- Follow Hwy 20 West until just outside of Albany
- Turn Right onto NE Knox Butte Rd
- Turn Left onto Expo Parkway NE
- Follow signs to Long Term parking.
Meals & Menu
Cycle Oregon provides hearty and well-balanced breakfasts and dinners at each overnight site. On the course, there are two to three Rest Stops each day with a variety of prepared and packaged food & drinks to keep you fueled. There will not be a specific Lunch Stop on the route, although look for some heartier fare at one stop each day
Menu – menu will be posted here after Registration closes
Meal Times:
- Breakfast: 5:30 – 8:30 a.m.
- Dinner: 5 – 8 p.m.
Entertainment
Main Stage and Headliner Schedule
Join us each evening at the main stage for some amazing music. There will also be guest speakers each night, important announcements, and information about the next day’s ride. Take a look at Rider Services each day for a full schedule.
- 4:45 p.m. – Opening band
- 6:00 p.m. – Guest speaker
- 7:00 p.m. – Short set from headliner band
- 7:30 p.m. – Nightly announcements
- 8:00 p.m. – Headliner band
Community Information
Cycle Oregon would not be as special as it is without the support and flavor of each local community. We are so thankful for this year’s communities for all the effort they’ve put towards making an event of our size come to life. This week is just as much a celebration of small-town Oregon as it is an epic bike ride, and we’re so excited to bring you along for the full experience.
Community Projects
This year on our layover days in Cloverdale and Toledo, riders can take a little time off the bike and lend a direct hand! Bring some work clothes and enjoy a few hours of getting to know our host communities on a deeper level.
Cloverdale: Participate in building a mountain bike skills course at Nestucca k8 on Tuesday, September 12! There will be multiple shifts between 9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and guaranteed fun. For more information, visit the Community Booth in camp near Rider Services.
Toledo: Toledo is a vibrant arts community with lots of public art from murals to sculptures and galleries aplenty. On Thursday September 14, you can join the community effort to beautify Main Street through window art. For more information, visit the Community Booth in camp near Rider Services.
Route Information, Maps, and GPS Files
With a focus on sustainability and an appreciation for what Ride with GPS offers our community, we will not be printing paper maps. All daily routes will be thoroughly signed by Cycle Oregon so if you choose, you don’t need to have maps in any form for navigation. Our Ride with GPS routes are available to download to your phone or bike computer. We highly recommend downloading all the days prior to arriving in Albany as connectivity in camp is not always guaranteed. The courses are well-marked, but nothing beats having turn-by-turn instructions in your pocket or on your bike.
For a beautiful visual look at each day, John Brooks has created his signature maps & cue sheets for us. We have not included these in your rider packets, so if you’d like a paper map with you on the bike, we strongly suggest you print and bring them with you to Albany.
PDF Maps & Cues: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
Ride with GPS: 2023 Classic Event
A note about surfaces: This year our route is 98% paved, with a total of 2.5 miles of mandatory gravel for all riders on Day 4. One mile will be on an uphill section with another 1.5-ish miles that climbs a small hill then descends. As always, please ride through these sections with caution and walk if you or your bike is not confident on looser terrain.
Rules of the Ride
The number one priority of Cycle Oregon is your safety. Therefore, here are a few rules we insist you follow:
1. Only bicycles propelled by human power are allowed to participate in a Cycle Oregon sponsored event. In 2023, up to 35 e-bikes will be allowed. We are restricted by access to electricity to charge batteries. All e-bike riders who don’t have their own method of charging their battery have to sign-up for E-bike Charging through the registration site.
2. Helmets and two water bottles (or equivalent) are required on Cycle Oregon. The use of rear-view mirrors is recommended as a safety measure.
3. Cycle Oregon uses a group of Safety Patrol volunteers on motorcycle who provide an on-course presence and are a good source of information or assistance during the ride. They enhance the overall safety of the ride by interacting with riders who may pose a hazard by unlawful or unsafe riding. Heed their advice.
4. By Oregon law, bicyclists are operators of vehicles and must comply with all traffic laws. Cycle Oregon reserves the right to expel any participant who demonstrates a reluctance to ride in a safe and lawful manner. Riders who violate safety laws in the Oregon motor vehicle code are also subject to citation by law enforcement officials.
5. The Cycle Oregon course is open for designated hours. Course support vehicles and other support services are available only during course hours. Any cyclist(s) still on the course after the designated closing time will be offered a ride to camp; if you choose not to take it you are on your own to get into camp and no course support services will be available for those who choose to stay out.
6. SAG support is to be used for mechanical and/or medical reasons only. Excessive use of SAG support (3 or more times) for any other reason may exclude participants from registering for future Cycle Oregon events.
7. The course will be clearly marked. If you leave the official course, you are not part of the ride and will not receive any services or support.
8. We try to direct as much vehicle traffic as possible off the route. Nevertheless, the tour travels on public highways. Therefore, ride no more than two abreast. Ride beside a pal only where it is safe to do so, and where you do not block traffic or force other riders to swing far out to pass.
9. Never draft behind a vehicle. Pace lines are prohibited in areas of high vehicle or cyclist traffic and are limited in size to a maximum of seven riders. Be especially careful at railroad tracks, cattle guards, and busy intersections. Course monitors and safety vehicles may be stationed in areas of special concern.
10. Call “ON YOUR LEFT” to alert a rider you intend to pass. The call “CAR BACK” passes the message forward when a vehicle is approaching from behind. Use arm signals to indicate turns. Point out potholes, broken glass and other hazards to those behind you. Signal your intention to stop, and pull off the roadway.
11. Use of headphones while riding on Cycle Oregon is highly discouraged. Safe group riding in an event such as Cycle Oregon depends on communication between cyclists. Headphones interfere with that process and make it difficult for people to hear instructions such as “CAR BACK” and “ON YOUR LEFT.” Headphones also make it difficult to hear approaching cars or trucks, negatively impacting the safety of cyclists and motorists.
12. Cycle Oregon enjoys a reputation for leaving our campsites, lunch spots, rest stops, and course spotless. Please dispose of all trash, recyclables, and compostables in the appropriate places.
13. Cyclists must keep the roadway clear when stopping at an event-designated stop or any other location. Please ensure that bicycles are parked off the road and that cyclists do not congregate on the roadways.
14. Cycle Oregon includes at least one roadside water stop each day, along with assorted drinks at meals and all rest stops. Still, the responsibility for carrying sufficient water and remaining properly hydrated is yours. Make sure you drink extra fluids before, during, and after the ride to reduce the risk of dehydration. While in the saddle, you should consume an average of one liter of fluid for each hour of riding. Drink before you become thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already slightly dehydrated. Muscle cramping can also be a sign of dehydration. If at any time you run low on water, signal a SAG van with a “thumbs down” and ask for a fill-up. Do not be tempted by roadside rivers and streams, as the water may contain bacteria or parasites.
Emergency Information
In extreme emergencies, family members can contact a rider by calling the Oregon State Police at 541-776-6111. Please ask them to send an urgent message to Cycle Oregon officials. Bear in mind that it may take up to 12 hours to locate a rider and relay a message.
Extensive Communications – HAM radio operators provide emergency and logistical communication for Cycle Oregon. HAM radio operators ride in most Cycle Oregon vehicles so that event managers, medical services, and all staff are in touch at all times.
Medical Service – Adventure Medics provides around-the-clock medical support on the course and in camp. If you require medical attention on the course, you should notify a SAG, ambulance, or staff vehicle with the “thumbs down” signal.
There is no charge for medical services rendered by Adventure Medics on the course or at the campsite. Adventure Medics will not transport you to a medical facility unless it is a critical situation. If you require transport using Adventure Medics, a local ambulance or helicopter, you will be financially responsible for any resulting charges. You are also financially responsible for any services provided by local medical facilities.
In some instances, local EMS / Fire Districts may not have Paramedics on shift to transport someone with a cardiac emergency or major trauma, so LifeFlight may be called. A LifeFlight Annual Membership would cover you and your family for a year in OR, WA, ID, & MT. This is not required but may bring you peace of mind.
You can help in an emergency. If you witness an accident on the course, please do the following:
- Do not hesitate to call 911 on route. Often this will be the fastest way to get help.
- Do not move the injured rider, especially if you suspect a head or spinal injury.
- Notify a passing ambulance, SAG wagon or staff vehicle with the “thumbs down” signal.
- Take care of yourself. Do not step into the path of vehicle traffic.
- Keep the injured person calm.
- Once a Cycle Oregon official is on the scene and you have given a statement, please continue on the ride.
Medical Emergency in camp: Go to the medical tent, as a medic will be on call at all times.
Evacuation: PA announcements throughout the campsite will alert the riders to prepare for evacuation. Please go immediately to the Main Stage for instructions.
Severe Weather: Harsh weather may warrant the use of contingency facilities for shelter, if available. Details will be announced from the Main Stage.