Heppner gazette-times., September 22, 1993, Page EIGHT, Image 8

EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 22, 1993
Cycle VI enjoyed by cyclists, lone
By Anne Morter
Cycle Oregon VI pedaled into
lone last Tuesday, partook of a
hearty steak dinner, an evening
of entertainment and activities,
enjoyed a large breakfast, and
headed off towards the town of
Moro on Wednesday. Left behind
was a mountain of neatly stack­
ed garbage and a town full of
weary people, but weary people
wearing big smiles. By all ac­
counts, Cycle Oregon’s stop in
lone was a tremendous success,
enjoyed by cyclists and residents
alike.
As early as 9 a.m. the first
cyclist was already in town,
presumably to get the best cam­
ping spot (i.e. one in the shade).
The city on wheels continued to
roll in throughout the afternoon,
and by evening, the football field
was home to close to 2,000
cyclists in tents as well as a host
of support services. Several am­
bulances traveled with the group
as did a state policeman. lone
became, at least for one night,
home to a thriving bicycle repair
business and massage and
chiropractic service. Numerous
trucks hauling gear, showers,
toilets and sinks filled the streets,
lone’s temporary population ex­
plosion made a colorful sight,
with multi-colored tents packed
fence-to-fence on the football
field.
Incoming cy clists were
welcomed at the hospitality booth
near the campsite with an ice-cold
bottle of complimentary All-Sport
and a com memorative pin.
Twenty-five hundred of the pins,
showing lone on the Cycle
Oregon route, were hand colored
and assembled so that each cyclist
could take a memory of lone with
them. The ‘Yikes! Bikes!’ T-
shirts were also on sale and
became an immediate hit. Over
600 shirts were sold that day.
Before dinner, the cyclists had
time for a shower and a trip up­
town to sign in on the autograph
board (the freshly painted
plywood on the old Hardware
store), study the lone Fun Facts
(number of cars in an lone traf­
fic jam? three, with two stopping
to visit) and take in the booths and
beer garden in the park.
The tantalizing smells of
barbecue steak drifted through the
air and the tennis court/serv-
ing area buzzed with activity as
head cook, Judy Rea, and a host
of volunteers prepared to serve
dinner. After eight months of
planning, pricing, shopping and
delegating, the dinner came off
with very few hitches. A baked
potato disaster was narrowly
averted when spuds had to be
moved from a large commercial
oven that malfunctioned to many
private ovens. And then, Judy
almost lost the service of her
refrigerated van manager, her
husband Keith, when she in­
advertently locked him inside. He
was discovered before he got too
cold. The weather provided some
trouble during dinner. The wind
came up and with thunderstorms
in the forecast, the Cycle Oregon
Food Coordinator decided that
three of the serving tables should
go in the cafeteria. After one fail­
ed attempt to bring them back
outside, it was decided to operate
with just the five outdoor tables,
meaning some of the servers
never had the opportunity to
serve. “ For that, I am sincerely
sorry,” said Rea. “ The best laid
plans didn’t go as we had plann­
ed,” she added.
The turnout of servers was
overwhelming, with volunteers
coming not only from lone, but
Heppner, Lexington, Hermiston,
The Dalles, Portland, Tri-Cities
and Pendleton. Cyclist after
cyclist com m ented on the
friendliness and efficiency of the
serving lines. Some of the servers
even made a competition out of
it, trying to entice the cyclists
with hotter steaks or better
potatoes in their line. By the end
of the evening, nearly 2,200 peo­
ple had been served with ab­
solutely no waiting in line.
The dinner menu included
steak, baked potatoes, marinated
vegetable salad, macaroni salad,
ro lls,
cookies,
pudding,
watermelon and two beverages.
If they took the prescribed
amount of everything, it was a
plateful to say the least. And there
were even a few takers on the
seconds after 8 p.m.
After it was all said and done,
Rea said she couldn’t have been
more pleased, with the exception
of the servers who didn’t get to
serve. “ It all just happened like
it was supposed to ,” she said.
The evening activities also pro­
ved to be popular. Jane Van
Boskirk put on her one-woman
play about the life of pioneer
women. Also on the agenda was
bingo, square dancing lessons and
a street dance, all which were
well attended.
The lights went out fairly ear­
ly as the cyclists prepared for a
grueling 85-mile trip to Moro on
Wednesday. But they were up
early, waiting in line for breakfast
to start at 5:30 a.m. On the mor­
ning menu was cereal, yogurt,
three muffins, fruit and scrambl­
ed eggs. Sharon and Brian Riet-
mann were the main movers
behind that effort, with Sharon
doing a good deal of the plann­
ing and Brian rounding up
necessary equipm ent and
volunteers, willing to be bright
and chipper at 5 a.m. By 6:30
a.m. the majority of the cyclists
had been served and by the time
breakfast officially ended at 9
a.m. lone was once again begin­
ning to look like a city with a
population of 245. By 10 a.m. the
football field looked like a foot­
ball field and everyone was long
gone, with the exception of a few
straggling support people.
While we found that bicyclists
can eat, they didn’t eat it all, leav­
ing the problem of leftovers.
After a few phone calls, the lef­
tovers were on their way to
several good causes, including
the Agape House in Hermiston,
the Senior Center in Heppner, the
Neighborhood Center in Heppner
and the schools in both lone and
Heppner.
Event coordinator, Nancy
Brownfield, was extremely pleas­
ed with the efforts. “ I’m over­
whelmed by the enthusiastic sup­
port from all the people in lone,
plus all the people that came out
of the woodwork in the surroun­
ding communities,” she said.
Jim Swanson, coordinator,
commented “ I think our success
was finding the right people to do
the right job. Everything went off
without a hitch, at least as far as
I could see.”
A little about Cycle Oregon....
By Anne Morter
for the week. Sometimes this isn’t
Cycle Oregon started out six possible due to distances between
years ago as a product of the towns willing and able to host this
Oregon Tourism Division as a major event. This year, the over­
way to show off the state. Three night in Ukiah featured a catered
years ago, it became privately dinner and breakfast since the
managed by the Galford group townspeople felt they wouldn’t be
and has become one of the able to pull it off. Cycle Oregon
premier cycling events in the staffers make at least four pre­
country. This year. 41 states and rides over the course. They also
Canada were represented on the traverse the course numerous
times in cars, stopping at the host
ride. Thirty-two percent of the
communities to check on their
participants are from outside the
state of Oregon. Of the 2,000 progress.
The food is one of the major
cyclists, 70 percentof male and 30
concerns of Cycle Oregon staf­
percent are female. The oldest
fers and community organizers
participant is 89 years old and
alike. Cyclists are offered 8,000
there are 11 kids under the age
of 10 registered. Some children calories a day or about 65,000
during the course of the week.
in diapers also make the journey
in a buggy behind their parent’s Cyclists making the trip to shed
a few pounds may encounter
bikes. Several tandem bikes and
trouble since it is Cycle Oregon’s
even two “ triplets’ (bicycles built
intention that they don’t lose
for three) made the trip.
weight. The calorie count in­
Cycle Oregon IV was the first
cludes breakfast, lunch, dinner
ride to fill up, taking five months.
and a snack in the morning and
Cycle V filled in five weeks and
afternoon. It doesn’t include any
Cycle VI filled in just 13 days.
of the snacks offered at the water
The ride is advertised in national
stops or anything they purchase
bike magazines but much of the
in their host community. It
advertising is done by word of
translates into a lot of food and
mouth. The Cycle Oregon office
the further into the ride, the more
received a call for information
apt they are to clean their plates
from a man in Conneticut who
and go looking for more.
had heard about the ride from a
The mileage for Cycle Oregon
woman he met on the beach in
VI
was considered to be average
Costa Rica.
at
450
miles but the ride itself was
Routes for Cycle Oregon are
expected to be fairly difficult,
usually chosen one year in ad­
mainly due to our famous eastern
vance although the Oregon Trail
Oregon headwinds and the abun­
route had been in the works for
dance of hills. Cycle VI was also
a full two years. Organizers like
to keep the daily rides at about 65 a very pretty ride, providing
cyclists with a wide range of
miles and total about 450 miles
scenery
r*— *'
aflan
I^
S
*
CJvtYc ance
BRISTOW
MARKET
.-'.«I
*
M -5 5
IO USI
M A D I I O » M IAVY D U T Y
COMMI
Al
.
S.
c
c
•
•
•
K
1 (
I T T I 5 / 7 5 * -1 5
s
M .M
1 7 7 3 5 ,7 5 * 15
IT 7 1 5 1 5 R
18
1 7 7 7 5 /7 5 * 18
17735/15* l i
17735/15* 1 l
1 7 7 8 5 ,7 5 * 1
11 3.**
1 19 .0 7
13 3.00
13 0.07
13 3 .1 3
“M W ' w e
-¿ rr
P155/B0R
P16530R
P175/MR
P185 80R
P185 75R
P195/75R
P705 75R
P215/75R
P1tS/75R
P205-75R
P715.75R
P??S,75R
P235/75R
P235/75R
W 26 **
21
..> im
KATU
>/
'.Vj, *v ,
*>