Hundreds of cyclists will circle PT for tour

Olympic Dreams starting July 9 for a 435-mile round trip

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The Olympic Dreams tour, hosted by Bicycle Rides Northwest, will be cycling through the Olympic Peninsula region later this month.

The week-long, fully supported road-bike event will start and end in Port Townsend. It starts rolling Saturday, July 9 and comes to an end the following Saturday, July 16. It will follow a highly scenic, roughly out-and-back route that will include overnight stays in Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Salt Creek County Park, and Forks.

Covering 435 miles in seven days, it follows the Olympic Discovery Trail for the majority of its length.

One of the principal goals of the tour is to shine a spotlight on the work the Peninsula Trails Coalition has done in developing the trail.

Bicycle Rides Northwest has not been to the Peninsula in its 35 years of touring because of a lack of safe riding routes for groups.

“The concept of the Olympic Discovery Trail, and in particular the completion of the Spruce Railroad segment on the north shore of Lake Crescent, has changed the game for cycling groups coming to the Olympic Peninsula,” said Jim Moore, Bicycle Ride Northwest’s executive director.

“It’s a world-class resource that allows us to see this incredible landscape in a safe way, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring our event,” Moore added.

The Olympic Dreams tour sold out its 300 total rider spots within 24 hours when registration opened in December.

The group has not been able to host a large tour since 2019 due to COVID-19, so rider anticipation is high.

The organization plans to bring a mobile caterer, a shower trailer, baggage trucks, a massage and wellness team, and a crew of 35 to work each tour.

One of their main goals as a nonprofit is to spotlight communities throughout the Northwest and provide them an economic boost. The tours showcase the regions that make the Pacific Northwest special, attracting riders from all over the U.S. to explore the Northwest by bicycle.

Bicycle Rides Northwest provides community grants to each host community; grants from the upcoming tour will support the ReCyclery in Port Townsend, the Pacific Crest Trail/Olympic Discovery Trail, the Forks Food Bank, and other local causes.

Organizers are reminding participants to share the road with others.

“We know this volume of cycling traffic will impact users of the trails and local roads,” Moore said, “and we’ve stressed to our riders that this is a popular, multimodal route.”

“We want them to enjoy it without detracting from others’ use. It’s a tour, not a race, and we encourage riders to be polite, take their time and enjoy everything along the day’s route,” he said. “We welcome local residents to meet our riders, drop by our route stops, and enjoy the energy level of an event of this size.”

Event organizers work directly with local businesses and points of interest to offer tours or educational programs for riders to learn about the area. The event jersey features an orca design commissioned from Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal artisan Bud Turner, and both the Jamestown S’Klallam and Quileute Tribes will deliver cultural and educational presentations to the riders.

Other local involvement includes a “voluntourism” opportunity with The ReCyclery, speaker presentations on the Elwha River restoration and the history of the Olympic National Park, and activities during “layover days” in Port Angeles and Forks that include hiking, kayaking, whale watching, the Port Angeles Underground Tour, museums, and more.

See the full routes and schedules here: bicycleridesnw.org/brnw-washington-2022.