Cyclists, businesses, volunteers pleased with Cycle Oregon rally

By Ellie Graham

Elgin high school student Addison Evans designed this Cycle Oregon logo for the organization's Sept. 8-13 rally in Union and Wallowa counties. Cycle Oregon officials were pleased with the rally, along with businesses and volunteers in the two counties. 

ELGIN — Bicyclists from Cycle Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains rally came and went, but the event left a positive impression on the communities they rode through, and officials at the nonprofit organization said the new rally format was a success.

Ryan Barrett, Cycle Oregon’s marketing manager, said attendees came in from 24 states with some participants making the trip in from Canada. Nearly 400 riders showed up to cycle through the Wallowas. A range of ages were represented and Barrett noted their oldest rider was 85 and youngest, 23.

“We want to thank all of the communities for opening their doors and sharing roads and stories with us,” Barrett said. “It made the trip that much more memorable.”

Barrett said 30 local paid volunteer groups helped with the rally, which rode through Union and Wallowa counties Sept. 8-13.

The rally isn’t planned to return next year to Eastern Oregon, Barrett said, but he added: “Rest assured that we will be back.”

Union County Chamber of Commerce Director Caitlin Harrold highlighted the significant role volunteers played in making the rally a success.

One Elgin volunteer, Cindy Chandler, said the event was an opportunity for the community to unite and host a “wonderful event.”

Chandler said local creativity played a part as well: The logo used in Elgin was designed by Addison Evans, a sophomore from the high school. The artwork symbolized the intersection of urban and rural folk, one of the ideas guiding Cycle Oregon's work to unite the two sides of the state. 

The event was also an opportunity for a number of high school students to get involved in additional volunteering activities, said Chandler.

“We had the opportunity to show (the) hospitality and friendliness rural Oregon has to offer,” Chandler said.

“Not only did Cycle Oregon bring revenue into the community, they also brought the feeling that even though we may be from different places, people are friendly,” Chandler said.

“Elgin and rural Oregon made a positive impression on the cyclists,” Chandler said. “And the cyclists showed their appreciation, which made an impact on the community of Elgin.”

Participants of the Cycle Oregon rally in the Wallowas limber up with yoga after a day's ride at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds in Enterprise on Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain)

Terminal Gravity in Wallowa County also enjoyed a surge in business courtesy of Cycle Oregon patrons. Grady Nelson, the brewpub’s marketing manager, said the cyclists were a happy group of customers and praised the rally as an “impressive event their management team is able to put on.”

“We really appreciate all the support their patrons show us,” he said.

“The mood is always high with those folks,” Nelson said. “We look forward to the next time they're in the area.”