Rolling Through Canyon Valleys on Cycle Oregon’s JoyRide

Communications and Marketing Director Sara Kiesler joined Content Creator/Education Coordinator Shannon Mangan to experience Cycle Oregon’s three-day on-and-off-bike adventure near the Columbia River Gorge for Women and Non-Binary riders known as Joyride. This is their diary and experiences at the event. 

Day 1 - Sara

Shannon and I stuffed my little 2009 Subaru with three bikes and our camping gear and took off from Tacoma to the Tygh Valley. Neither of us had been to this part of Eastern Oregon and we were excited and nervous to see the hills and valleys we would soon be riding.

As we got closer to the Justesen Ranch tucked into the White River Canyon, the stunning amber meadows and rusted red canyons welcomed us as Mt. Hood stood tall in the distance. We couldn’t wait to get to camp, settle in, and meet the hundreds of women and non-binary folks we would be riding with for the weekend.

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Once we unpacked our tents and set up camp, we headed to dinner and sat down with former Cascade Board Member Marley Blonsky, who now is the Executive Director of a size-inclusive bicycling organization called All Bodies on Bikes. My social battery was drained from the drive, though, so I skipped most of dinner and crashed. 

Thankfully, I hit a second wind around 9:30 and got up to go see Portland-based pop duo Foamboy performing their dreamy, danceable songs. I have never been shy at a dance party and ended up getting the party started by convincing new friends Katherine, Eva, Laura, and others to join me in dancing. It was such a perfect way to kick off the weekend as we laughed and danced until the band packed up and went home.

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Day 1 - Shannon

My brain told me I’d be fine. I’d make friends, socialize, relax, and ride bikes. JoyRide was the ideal weekend. But, here I was, Friday afternoon, outside Sara’s house, packing her car with bike bits and camping things. My gut was queasy with nerves. 

The nerves began to melt, as the road trip was exceptionally fun, and Sara and I arrived with the perfect amount of time to set up camp. I wrapped lights around my tent, and set out my outfit for the following day’s ride, before heading to dinner. 

We quickly found a group to sit with, some fellow content creators and old friends. The first day started to feel like summer camp. It was unfolding to become the exact weekend bike-cation I was looking for.

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Day 2 - Shannon

I woke early to be one of the first to breakfast. As I sat there alone, munching on eggs, potatoes, and donuts, a few women sat down close to me and we all got talking. It felt so comfortable. I caught up with Sara and the All Bodies on Bikes group for a second cup of coffee before we headed out on the course. ABoB and Marley Blonsky offered to lead a no-drop ride, and I was absolutely game to join. We were all stoked for Alexis to join us, a member of our group who had never ridden more than 22 miles before. No-drop rides create community by welcoming all levels.

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We began with a beautiful and massive climb out of the valley. We picked up a sweet dog a few miles into the ride. This puppy had giant paws and was running at our 9-10 mph pace for miles! We hit a rest stop and she joined us for a drink of water. Luckily, she stayed behind with a course medic, who later found her owner after knocking on doors for hours.

The rest stop food at Maupin was a real treat. We had granola bars, yogurt with marionberries and raspberries, pickles, pickle juice shots, cookies, chips, sandwiches. The surplus of food was great because we had quite a bit of climbing to do. The second big climb, right before lunch, was so steep and I did it during the hottest point of the day. I’m slightly surprised I lived to tell the tale. All the descents were magical though, and worth every foot of elevation gain.

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Back at camp, we rushed to the White River to cool off, took the shower shuttle to clean off, went to a book reading, yoga, dinner, and then listened to Marley’s live podcast recording with artist Lisa Congdon and We Run Long BIPOC trail running group founder Kelsey Long, before listening to announcements and dancing the night away.

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Day 2 - Sara

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It was the end of the first day of riding. I’d cycled 34 miles with 1,700 feet of elevation gain on the Gazelle CityZen e-bike I borrowed from Cascade. I rode with Sarah Brooks from Olympia and Debra Grace of Portland, who helped when my fender became a nuisance and was rubbing the front tire too much to continue on. Back at camp, Shannon and I joined a group of women to don our swimsuits and dunk our bodies in the flowing, cold White River, its healthy green gray see-through to the bottom. 

As a women and non-binary only event, Cycle Oregon’s Joyride gave me such comfort and ease being in a big body of water with others around. It’s a feeling that is hard to describe unless you have lived in a female body. 

That was one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend, really. We made so many new friends and all welcomed one another like we were at a reunion, not strangers coming together over a mutual love of bikes. I didn’t even catch the names of all the people I danced with or ate with, but the camaraderie and joy was there in every interaction – even our commiserating on some of the tougher hills. Community matters.

That night, I put on my bedazzled shoes and a glittery tank top to boogie with DJ Backyard Blam and Joyride’s sparkle dance party. The shoes were such a hit! After staying out dancing until the band went home on Friday night, I made a big stink about doing it again…and then crashed by 8:30 p.m. Turns out the sun and the ride had me beat, but I’m glad I joined our friends to shimmy to the beat for a little while. 

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Day 3 - Shannon

I woke up feeling fresh, so I got another early start on breakfast, and I ate next to a rider whose bike I fixed at Cascade’s Walla Walla tour, a year prior. Small world! I asked Marley at breakfast if I could ride with her again. We both wanted to do the short route, a cute 14 miles on a nearly flat road, to stretch our legs, before we hopped in our cars to drive hundreds of miles to our destinations that evening. 

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It was a bummer to think the weekend was almost over, but I remember grabbing a hand pie at the rest stop and the sad feelings evaporated. This was one of the best weekend cycling events I’ve ever attended. 

I wasn’t sad when we left the campground late Sunday morning, but I was instead excited for next year. My heart was full and my legs were happy to spin around Tygh Valley, Oregon.

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For more on Cycle Oregon or to sign up for their 5-day Rally event with road and gravel options coming up in September, check out their website at https://cycleoregon.com/.