2020 COVID-19 FAQs
For the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the developing COVID-19 pandemic, please check resources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , World Health Organization (WHO), and Oregon Health Authority regularly.
Cycle Oregon Cancels 2020 Rides
It’s with an extremely heavy heart that we have made the tough decision to cancel all of our 2020 events—Classic, GRAVEL, Joyride and WEEKENDER—due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot predict when large events will be allowed again, or when events like Cycle Oregon will be prudent, given the continued need for physical distancing.
We did not come to this decision easily or lightly. We know the widespread impact and ripple effect these cancellations have on you and our other participants; on the Oregon communities who help stage our events and who won’t feel the economic boost from Cycle Oregon being in their towns; on the vendors who support our rides by providing food, drinks, showers, mechanical support and more; and, of course, on Cycle Oregon itself.
Cycle Oregon is a nonprofit organization that relies solely on the income from these events to fulfill our mission to transform lives through cycling. Like many nonprofits, we are currently facing challenges unlike any we’ve ever felt before, and we are doing our best to preserve our organization. The entire Cycle Oregon staff and board of directors were looking forward to riding with you in the Painted Hills, the Willamette Valley, Corvallis and the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. We are very disappointed not to host these rides in 2020, and we are doing everything we can to be able to host rides and give back to rural Oregon for years to come. As of July 2020 we closed our Portland office, furloughed the team to 60% time, and are working remotely from across Oregon as we develop and implement a strategy to carry Cycle Oregon into 2021 and beyond.
Looking Ahead
We’re already looking forward to 2021, when we plan to offer the same events and routes that were on tap for 2020, provided we can do so in a way that is safe for our riders and the communities we visit.
Even though we may not be able to come together in person at official Cycle Oregon events in 2020, we are still committed to providing opportunities to connect as a cycling community. While we are furloughing our team over the coming months, we don’t plan to go into hibernation. We will continue to share news and inspirational stories aimed at helping the cycling community stay active and healthy during these uncertain times. If there is anything we have learned over the last 32 years of producing Cycle Oregon, it’s that this community is resilient and will come out of this even stronger.
From all of us here at Cycle Oregon, we hope you stay safe and healthy, and we look forward to connecting with you as the year rolls on.
Support Cycle Oregon
If you would like to support Cycle Oregon and our rural communities during this difficult time, please consider these ways to help:
- Donate to Cycle Oregon operations. Doing so will help us continue operating during these uncertain times, and, in turn, support Oregon’s rural communities, which are being hit hard economically by the pandemic. (Note, donations are not tax-deductible, as Cycle Oregon is a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit.) To make a donation, please click here. Thank you for your support!
- Donate to the Cycle Oregon Fund, which is a tax-deductible donation. (Since the Cycle Oregon Fund was established in 1996, we have awarded more than 325 grants totaling $2.3 million to communities and organizations throughout the state.)
- Plan a future visit to one of Oregon’s world-class cycling destinations. (Gift certificates to small businesses in these places are also a great way to help out.)