In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Cycle Oregon is canceling all of our 2020 events— Classic, GRAVEL, Joyride and WEEKENDER.
Community is at the heart of Cycle Oregon, and we are committed to doing our part to keep our community safe—from the riders and volunteers to the communities we all visit during events. We did not come to this decision easily or lightly. We know the widespread impact and ripple effect these cancellations have: on event participants; on the Oregon communities who receive an economic boost for helping us execute our events; on the vendors who support our rides by providing food, drinks, showers, mechanical support and more; and, of course, on Cycle Oregon itself.
In March, Cycle Oregon announced the postponement of GRAVEL from May to October 2020. With the ongoing uncertainty around when large events will once again be safe, Cycle Oregon’s board of directors felt it was prudent to cancel all events before spending additional resources preparing for rides that were uncertain to occur.
“Planning ahead for our events requires contracts with nonrefundable deposits well in advance of the event, as well as staffing costs and advance purchases from local providers, none of which can be fully recuperated.”
Chad Davis, Board President
All registered riders for any of Cycle Oregon’s 2020 events will automatically receive a 70% refund of their registration fee and a 100% refund of their add-on purchases.
“This refund will allow us to pay all the expenses incurred to date, while also returning as much money to registered riders as possible,”
Chad Davis, Board President
The Cycle Oregon community is invited to donate some or all of their refund to Cycle Oregon in support of their operations, or to the Cycle Oregon Fund, which preserves and protects the special places of Oregon and supports community-development projects in the regions through which Cycle Oregon rides. Links for both options are included below.
“We are a nonprofit organization that relies solely on the income from these events to fulfill the Cycle Oregon mission. 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. We are very disappointed not to host rides in 2020, and we are doing everything we can to be able to hold our events again and give back to rural Oregon for years to come.
Steve Schulz, Executive Director
Cycle Oregon received a federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which will allow us to continue to operate through June and process all the details associated with event cancellations. In July we are exiting our Portland office lease, furloughing staff to 60% time, and will work remotely the rest of the year to develop a strategy to carry Cycle Oregon into 2021 and beyond.
“For more than 30 years, Cycle Oregon has been committed to transforming lives through cycling. We’ve faced tough challenges before, and we are confident we will return next year even stronger.”
Steve Schulz, Executive Director
Looking ahead to 2021, Cycle Oregon plans to offer the same events and routes that were planned for 2020, provided the organization and its vendors and community partners can do so in a way that is safe for participants and the communities they visit. We hope you will ride with us.
For additional information, refund policies, and updates on Cycle Oregon and COVID-19, please click here.
To make a non-tax-deductible donation to Cycle Oregon to support ongoing operations, please click here.
To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Cycle Oregon Fund, please click here.
Thank you, friends of Cycle Oregon, be well and stay tuned to our blog and social media for information and inspiration.