Tour de Lab: Portland’s Quirky Gone-to-the-Dogs Ride for a Cause

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Üma Kleppinger, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Photo © Tour de Lab

If you love fun, quirky group rides that support great causes, get ready to ride with thousands of other animal lovers on Sunday, September 7th to benefit DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital. Riders ride throughout Portland, traveling from one Lucky Lab to another, hence the playful name.

Choose either a 19-mile long flat route on the Puppy Dog Course which visits 3 Lucky Lab pubs, or the 41-mile Big Dog Challenge, which takes you to four pub locations. At each rest stop along the way, riders receive special treats and begin to get “doggified”, adding floppy ears, and whiskery noses to complete their riding ensembles. Think of it as a rolling costume party, where you pick up pieces of your costume along the way. And if you gather three or more friends to ride together, your ride is free!

The ride starts with local craft roasted coffee and a light breakfast, and there'll be plenty of snacks and hydration along the course. The ride is fully supported with ride-along mechanics and medics, and a sag wagon, in case you need a ride back to the finish. You can store a bag with post-ride shoes and clothing to change into for comfort once you're finished. And back at the finish line, you'll enjoy a hot dog bar feast and a free craft beer in a commemorative etched pint glass, which is yours to keep.

DoveLewis has been serving the Portland community for over 40 years, offering nonprofit emergency care for animals. Located in NW Portland, DoveLewis offers advanced veterinary care 24/7, 365 days a year as well as nationally renowned programs such as their pet loss support program which provides free group therapy sessions for people who have lost their pets.

To register for the Tour de Lab, go to tourdelab.com, For more information about DoveLewis, visit www.dovelewis.org.

Üma Kleppinger is a Portland-based copy writer and advocate for full-contact anti-bummer living. She is a recovering sesquipedalian who writes about life in the saddle and outdoor adventure. She is also the author of BikeYoga, a yoga program for cyclists. When not writing, she can be found riding and racing her mountain bike throughout the Pacific Northwest.

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