Sisters attracts cyclists for summit

Cycle Oregon held its annual Oregon Bicycle Summit last weekend at the FivePine Lodge and Conference Center, bringing more than a hundred committed cyclists together in the Sisters community. The summit covered subjects from grants for bicycle paths to safety and tourism.

Cycle Oregon is scheduled for September 8-15 and will both start and finish in Sisters.

The Cycle Oregon ride, celebrating its 20th anniversary, has evolved into a international event and will bring more than 2,000 people to Sisters in September and provide a significant economic impact. There will be riders from nearly every state and six foreign countries resting their helmets in the restaurants and hotels of the area, as well as spending time in the various shops.

"We want to promote cycling here in Oregon. Not only is it fun, but it is green and has a positive impact on the economy. Oregon is a perfect state for bicycling with our natural beauty, and we are starting to attract people from all around the world. We want to see that part grow," said Tara Borbin, Community Relations Director for Cycle Oregon.

Sisters seemed like a logical choice for the summit when plans were being made for this year's event.

"We love to ride around Sisters and really wanted to showcase the area. Also, there is this new FivePine Convention Center, and we wanted to take advantage of it and see if it might be good to use for other events," said Borbin.

The summit this year featured a "Who's Who" of Oregon cycling, with representatives from various state agencies and the private sector.

High on the agenda is providing safe routes to school for students statewide and safety education for young riders.

"We are working at the state level with various agencies including ODOT to help expand the network of cycling paths and lanes. Tourism is on the agenda, but ways for children to get to school safely is a big priority," said Borbin.

Bicycling used to be the norm for students who lived close to school. The country's culture has changed. According to statistics from event organizers, in the 1970s more than 80 percent of children who lived within a mile of school bicycled or walked to school. Today, the figure has dropped to a little more than 10 percent.

"I see the line of SUVs dropping off students in front of the school, and it just makes me sick," said Jerry Norquist, Ride Director for Cycle Oregon and Sisters resident. "The children today are not getting enough exercise, and it is hurting them physically and mentally. It has been well-documented that when students exercise, the brains function better.

"If I would have asked my dad to take me to a friend's house a few blocks away, he would have said: 'that is what your bicycle is for; you want to go to his house, get on your bike.' Today, they roll out the SUV and take them. It is no wonder that so many of our children are developing weight-related problems," said Norquist.

Norquist recently returned from a trip to Europe focused on bicycling and integrating what he learned there into the Oregon cycling scene.

"Somehow we have become a car culture and forgotten our heritage," he said. "The highest-paid athletes in the U.S. in the early 1900s were bicyclists. They made more than athletes in any other sport. The original road system was built for bicyclists, and it proved their downfall when the cars took over.

"Europe has been able to keep its heritage and culture. There are still the trains, the bicycle culture and they are the richer for that. We would like to see a return of the bicycle culture. It would be healthy and eliminate a large amount of pollution. The place I was in Germany had bicycle trails through town, and they have about the same climate as here. They plow the bicycle paths before they do the streets," said Norquist.