Reach the Beach is almost here! Whether you're ready for that Corvallis Challenge of 110 miles or you're taking it easy with the 26-mile Grand Ronde route, you're in for a treat. Reach the Beach features spectacular routes along quiet rural roads. This is one Oregon ride you simply don't want to miss, and it's a great way to get your season started. Joe Clyde, who has participated for seven years with his wife Margene, say he rides, "because it is for a great cause, is well supported, has a lot of great people to visit with - and it's not a killer ride." He means killer as in torturous; we think it IS killer, as in gnarly, awesome and rad.

This year there are two lunches: a hot lunch with a fresh baked potato bar and yummy soup and a deli stop with sandwiches. You'll find well-stocked rest stops every 12 miles and plenty of support along the way. The Finish Line Beach Party is directly in the sand at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City. There are hot showers, award-winning Pelican Pub beer, prizes for riders and more. Reach the Beach is the largest annual fundraising event for the American Lung Association of Oregon. If you have not already registered, you may sign up at any of the start locations on the morning of the ride.

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Nothing says summer quite like strawberries, especially when they're made into delicious desserts. Come get your fill during the Sweet 16th Strawberry Century. This year the skies will be blue, the breezes refreshing, the hills a delight, the company grand and of course, the strawberry desserts sinful.

You and your friends can enjoy a 101, 72, 53, or 13 mile route that takes you on little-traveled back roads of Linn County and the Santiam and Calapooia rivers. Enjoy scenic views of the Cascades, Willamette Valley, and the historic towns in throughout. If you want to take a break and enjoy the weather, there are two full sag stops stocked with great food and many other water stops with snacks along the way. This is a ride that is sure to please! Be sure to sign up early to ensure your share of strawberry shortcake.

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The New Belgium Urban Assault Ride is making its debut in the Pacific northwest. As the country's biggest bike scavenger hunt series, the UAR is a blast for anybody who loves two wheels. In this funky Bike Scavenger Hunt, two-person teams bike to checkpoints around town, completing obstacle courses at each stop. We're talking crazy obstacle courses like the infamous ‘keg walk', adult big wheels, inflatable slip'n slides, bike jousting and much more.

At this unique event, mental muscle is just as important is bike skills. Your goal is to reach checkpoints, but there is no set route so you and your teammate will have to pick the best course around town. After hitting all the checkpoints (which you can review in advance on the website), you'll cross the finish line where the party begins with New Belgium beer, live music, huge prize raffle, and lots more two-wheeled shenanigans.

Pioneer Courthouse Square will host the Portland event. The race benefits the Bike Transportation Alliance and there are prizes for the top three teams in each division – including two custom New Belgium bikes for the overall winners.

( Registration + Info ) ( Study your checkpoints )

The bicycle circus is coming - and there certainly is no other event like it! Cirque du Cycling is one part criterium street race and three parts circus fun along Mississippi Avenue in North Portland. The full evening of activities features the country's largest funky bike parade, a three-mile family ride and a criterium street race with two-way racing up and down Mississippi Avenue. The event is a benefit for Self Enhancement, Incorporated (SEI), a youth development organization that has made an impressive impact enriching the lives of youth for 27 years.

The free family ride will take kids and parents on a safe, escorted ride along residential streets. The course is relatively flat and a great way to introduce little tykes to organized rides. There is a rest stop with cherries and other yummy summer treats at Peninsula Park, home of one of Portland's gorgeous rose gardens. The family ride is limed to 200 participants so advance registration is encouraged.

Get a good seat along the course and settle in for a night of hot racing action during the criterium race and some of the funkiest, craziest and most creative bikes in the parade.

( Register for the family ride ) ( More Info )

Oakridge, Oregon is home to some of the world's best trails for mt. biking. So many, in fact, that you'd have a hard time choosing which ones and planning how to get to the trailhead if it weren't for Mt. Bike Oregon, a mt. bikers dream weekend getaway. Take time off work, pack your gear and get ready for fun; they take care of the rest.

Mornings start with hearty breakfast and a chance get trail tips and advice from the expert guides, who will also accompany you on the trails. Shuttles take you up to the trailheads and you can spend the whole day riding one long trail or several shorter trails. Three meals a day are provided, trails cater to all skill levels and there is no shortage of non-biking activities for your non-riding guests, kids, friends and family who want to join you for this great weekend adventure. You can top all of that off with a free beer garden at night, making this one of the best mt. bike weekends in the country.

But don't just take our word for it. Garth Spencer from Specialized said, "Of all the MTB festivals that I have been to in the past year, MBO is by far the best I have seen!"

( Register - July ) ( Register - August )