News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Tim Wonderly and Jacquie Zanck inspired 26 Sisters residents to take on Cycle Oregon. photo by Jim Cornelius
A whole "tribe" of Sisters area residents will hit the highways and byways of Eastern Oregon next month to ride hundreds of miles in Cycle Oregon's tour of the Wallowa Mountains and Hell's Canyon.
Most of the 26 riders hitting the road under the auspices of Sisters Athletic Club gathered for a potluck celebration on Monday evening, August 18.
Ride Director Jerry Norquist, a Sisters resident himself, offered a presentation on the ride, calling the combination of the Wallowas and Hell's Canyon "a knockout."
"This is one of the greatest routes we've ever had," Norquist said.
The route may be inspiring, but it was the experience of two Sisters riders on last year's trek that sparked what has become a wildfire of enthusiasm for Cycle Oregon in Sisters.
Tim Wonderly and Jacquie Zanck decided to make the ride last year as a kind of fitness challenge. Wonderly had recently turned 50, quit smoking and took up bicycling and he wanted to test himself.
The ride turned out to be one of the great experiences of his life.
Both Zanck and Wonderly were fired with enthusiasm that drew other Sisters residents in.
"We didn't really talk anybody into it," Wonderly said.
Zanck, who teaches "spin" classes on stationary bikes at the club noticed that many students got excited about the idea of participating in Cycle Oregon and made a commitment to train for the event.
"They set personal goals for themselves and this is a huge accomplishment for them," she said.
Many of those going on the tour are novice riders.
"I'd say a quarter of them didn't even own a bike until this year," Wonderly said.
The large and enthusiastic group -- remarkable for such a small population pool -- is right in the spirit of Cycle Oregon, according to Norquist.
"When we think of Cycle Oregon, we think of the tribalism that happens on this event," he said.
A total of 2,000 riders will travel in a giant loop through Eastern Oregon, from September 6-13. Each night, they camp in a giant tent city and enjoy entertainment and strolling the streets of the towns along the route.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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