Author Topic: Cycle Oregon vs ( MT or WA or ?)  (Read 6587 times)

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Offline James

Cycle Oregon vs ( MT or WA or ?)
« on: September 15, 2008, 09:22:49 pm »
Last weekend I and several family members were at Wallowa Lake to do a couple of day hikes, and guess what, much to our suprise, several thousand cyclist were also there.  Wow, it was Cycle Oregon.  It sure looked like fun, the food, the bands, the beer.
That gets me to my question, We would like to do this ride next year, but also want to consider AC supported events.  Any considerations on Cycle Oregon vs Adventure Cycling supported tours.   I would especially be interested in any info from anyone that has done both.  Some of our group have not toured (yet) so I think a supported tour would be best as I would like them to have a great time.


Offline staehpj1

Cycle Oregon vs ( MT or WA or ?)
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2008, 09:53:34 am »
I have not done either, but have friends that have and have talked with folks on the road who were on or have done both types of trips.

There is a big difference between the choices. Personally I don't think of things like Cycle Oregon or Ragbrai as touring.  The atmosphere seems more like that of a big century ride/party than a tour.  I am not knocking them and I imagine they are great fun.  I just don't think they are a good fit if the eventual goal is to tour.  They seem to me like a very separate thing from touring.

The AC trips have a variety of support depending on which you choose.

They offer fully van supported trips.  Again I don't think fully supported is the best if your goal is to do loaded touring later.  But I am sure they can be a great time if they are what you want.

Then there are self supported, but guided.  These are probably a great way to learn the ropes if you want to do  self supported touring, but are timid about just leaping ahead and doing it.

Each has it's own advantages and you just need to decide which suits you.

Personally for me, I just decided that if the goal was to do self supported touring it made sense to just do it on my own.   If you go that route the AC maps are great.

Best of luck whichever option you choose.


Offline bogiesan

Cycle Oregon vs ( MT or WA or ?)
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2008, 11:45:15 am »
This was my sixth or seventh CO.
Cycle Oregon is a grand and luxurious event, a big, noisy, rolling party
mounted by a monstrous, finely tuned machine. Most CO participants
are there for reasons other than what I think most of us here would call
"touring by bicycle." Cycle Oregon isn't really about "touring." Its
mission is to bring urbanites out into rural Oregon to spend money.

While that may sound dismissive, the participants dump huge cash
inflows into small towns and the Cycle Oregon Foundation (having
raised more than a million dollars) contributes large amounts to social,
cultural, and bike-related projects. You can read all about it:
http://www.cycleoregon.com/fund.htm

Cycle Oregon is a gold standard against which many similar events can
be compared. You get a royal treatment for your money. You must like
or be able to adapt quickly to riding in and sleeping with big crowds.

Disclosure: I am associated with Ride Idaho. I have not been on an AC
event or tour. I have participated in small multi-day tours and small
cycling events.  

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent

Offline kcreswel

Cycle Oregon vs ( MT or WA or ?)
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2008, 12:51:49 pm »
I've completed 8 cycle oregons, cycle montanna, and cycle utah. I love them all.  Cycle Oregon is 2000 riders compared to the smaller AC rides-that has its pros and cons.  Cycle Oregon is much more of a huge party with nightly entertainment-the routes are uniformly beautiful and almost always challenging.  Because of the larger no of people participating, there are more lines, more noise, and more excitement.  The AC rides are great in their own right-quieter, less stimulation-maybe less excitement-certainly as beautiful and as well organized.  Both organizations will sag riders-probably  less wait for a sag on the AC rides.  You can't go wrong-look at the routes and the elevation gains-difficulty levels differ from year to year.  And then think about what you would like to see.  Hey, do one of each!