Ready...Set...Ride in Le Tour de Pinot

What could be better than a summer of wine in Oregon? A summer of wine in Oregon from the back of a bicycle, of course. Behold, the 2010 edition of Le Tour de Pinot! Le Tour de Pinot (LTdP) is an annual event themed around cycling to various wineries. LTdP was spawned initially as more of a joke after Rick and Josh had been watching Le Tour de France 2009. What if we took the whole summer cycling out to local wineries? Well, that's exactly what we did and Le Tour de Pinot was formed.

Each stage is a separate ride on a separate day spanning the summer, allowing riders to join based on schedule and ability.

Le Tour de Pinot's second year is going to be HUGE thanks to support from our new sponsors. Avalon Wine has been gracious enough to support us as Le Tour de Pinot's Jeroboam (primary) sponsor. Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery and Mahlum Architecs have also been gracious enough to sponsor as Magnum sponsors. The level of support we have is allowing us to do things we hadn't even dreamt of last year. What kinds of things?

More Posters. Last year's poster was honestly just something fun to do half way through the tour. We had no idea it'd win over so many people and ended up with a bunch of requests for prints, so this year we're going to have framed copies for every winery, sponsor, and then make any additional posters available for whoever else wants one. The 2010 poster itself will be revealed before the end of June.

Cycling Jerseys. Not bad for a second year cycling tour, huh? We are SO excited to have these made and it wouldn't have even been fathomable without support from our sponsors. Look forward to more info on these as well.

Public Stage. We're welcoming the general public (anybody with a bike, some guts, and a hankering for wine) to join us [at your own risk, The Oregon Wine Blog assumes no liability for any cycling mishaps] for our public stage on July 17! We'll be departing from Avalon Wine, heading to Tyee, and returning to finish up at Avalon. Contact us for more details.

The idea behind this year's tour was to do a little mix of old and new. You'll see a couple familiar names as well as some new. We're also branching out on distance for a few rides and trying to get some more community involvement for some of the shorter rides. We'll be posting more info about this as well, but dust off your bike and hit your trainer if you think you may want to join us.

Tour Stages:


Stage 1 (June 19): Belle Vallee Cellars - Corvallis, OR; 2.8 miles
Stage 2 (July 3): Spindrift Cellars - Philomath, OR; 15.5 miles
Stage 3 (July 17): Tyee Wine Cellars - Corvallis, OR; 24 miles (Public Stage)
Stage 4 (July 25): Harris Bridge Vineyards - Philomath, OR ; 30 miles
Stage 5 (August 7): Airlie Winery - Monmouth, OR; 35 miles
Stage 6 (August 21): Willamette Valley Vineyards - Turner, OR; 57 miles
Stage 7 (August 22): Finale Dinner - TOWB Headquarters - Corvallis, OR

Sponsors:


Avalon Wine - Jeroboam Sponsor
Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery - Magnum Sponsor
Mahlum Architects - Magnum Sponsor

So, are you convinced yet?  Watch out as we cruise by in our styling jerseys and spandex, with a backpack of wine.  Don't forget to mark July 17 on your calendar and get ready to hit Tyee with us.