Road Biking in Central Oregon
With its mountain and country roads, Central Oregon is popular with road cyclists. Depending on the weather and your determination, you could almost ride your bike year round. During the winter and early spring the roads that head east out into the high desert are your best bet. The roads east typically lack any real climbing, but they get the least amount of snow in the winter and dry out pretty fast. Come June the mountain roads are usually fairly clear of snow and allow you to access a lot more great riding. Two of the best routes are the loop around Mount Bachelor and Mackenzie Pass in Sisters. Both have a lot of climbing, but your reward is in the incredible scenery.
If racing is your sort of thing, Bend is home to two popular road stage races, the High Desert Omnium and the Cascade Cycling Classic. The Cascade Cycling Classic usually attracts some of the top domestic race teams for both the men and the women.
Deschutes County’s website has a really great section that lists some of the more popular riding routes complete with photos and maps. The website can be accessed here.
For our business listings of the bike shops in Bend click here.
