Joe Dominey is riding for a cause — a good one

Joe Dominey at the top of Col d-Abisque, a mountain pass in the Pyrenees in France in 2022 (courtesy Joe Dominey)

As a defensive lineman at Linfield, Joe Dominey spent a lot of time tackling opposing ballcarriers.

This summer, he will be facing a different challenge, tackling the most famous bike-riding route in the world.

From June 28 to July 20, Dominey will be participating in “Tour 21,” a fund-raising ride for “Cure Leukemia.”

The 52-year-old Beaverton resident is among a group of 15 amateur cyclists from eight countries who will ride the same route the professionals will cover in Tour de France 2025, which runs from July 5-27.

“Cure Leukemia” is the official charity partner of Tour de France. “Tour 21” is an organized event, not just a group of people riding the route on their own. The riders will have motorcycle escorts, and there will be rolling road closures.

Dominey has been a cycling enthusiast for two decades and typically puts in heavy mileage, but this will be the challenge of his lifetime — 21 stages and 2,170 miles over 23 days, with climbs and summits in the Massif Central, the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Jura.

“I have ridden 10,000 miles in the last 10 months,” Dominey tells me over coffee on a recent afternoon. “I am not messing around. But the more I ride, the more I think, ‘This is insane.’ ”

“Tour 21” is not a race. “There are no winners or losers,” Dominey emphasizes. It is a bike ride for charity. Still, it is a grueling test for even the most experienced of riders.

“Do I wonder if I can do it? Yes,” Joe says. “Am I willing to do it? Yes. Do I believe I will finish? Yes. Do I think it will take everything I have? Without a doubt. Do I think I will be more tired than I have ever been in my life, physically and mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Absolutely.”

The 17 riders convened in Mallorca — an island off the coast of Spain — for a training camp in March. They rode 570 miles in seven days, about 80 percent of the distance they will cover in that time period in France.

“It was a chance for us to meet and get to know each other in addition to having a strong training ride,” Dominey says. “It was important to see how my body responded to the work load to see where my fitness was at. I was really happy with how I responded. I am on track.”

At 6-3 and 255, Dominey was by far the biggest member of the group.

“Most cyclists are about 100 pounds less,” he says. “But I more than held my own. We came up to our first climb near a monastery. I am not the fastest climber, but halfway up I just took off. I got there first. They were all surprised.”

Dominey climbing Mont Ventoux — he will attack it again during stage 16 in “Tour 21” — in 2022  (courtesy Joe Dominey)

Dominey says he is participating in “Tour 21” for two reasons. His mother, Jean Dominey, is terminally ill with leukemia.

Joe and his mother, Jean, a source of inspiration for Joe in taking on the challenge of “Tour 21” (courtesy Joe Dominey)

“It is a great opportunity to raise money for drug trial research,” Joe says. “They fund the non-traditional treatments with the money they raise.”

The second reason gets back to the “challenge” factor.

“I have watched the Tour de France for years,” he says. “I have always thought, ‘Isn’t that amazing?’ And I have wondered, ‘Could I do that?’ ”

► ◄

Joe Dominey grew up in Astoria. His parents were both teachers. Carl Dominey taught health and PE and coached track and cross country at Astoria High. His mother developed a program to teach French to elementary and middle school students. In 1984, when Joe was 11, she received a grant to study in France.

“I joined her for the last couple of weeks there,” he says. “It planted a seed in my mind about France.”

Dominey wound up being an outstanding athlete at Linfield in the early 1990s, throwing the shot in track and field — he was Northwest Conference champion as a sophomore and still ranks sixth on the school’s all-time list with a best of 51-11 1/2 — and lettering four years in football. As a senior, he was second-team NAIA All-American. His head football coaches were Ad Rutschman and Ed Langsdorf. His position coach was Chris Casey.

“I love Coach Casey,” Dominey says. “He pushed me harder than any coach I ever had. He would not allow you to give anything less than your best. I had a great work ethic, but he forced me to embrace technique, too. Linfield in general fit my personality and style with the emphasis on hard work and preparation.”

Casey retired after the 2024 season after 11 years as head coach at George Fox.

“Joe was a heck of a player,” Casey says. “He had good size, toughness and athleticism for his position. He was smart and instinctive, played hard. He was a really good pass-rusher. He would strike people.

“He was kind of a character. He could be a little bit loud, but he was well-respected, a very good person. High energy. This biking thing has been wonderful for him.”

For the first 14 years after graduation from Linfield, Dominey was a professional sportscaster. He served as play-by-play man for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League and for the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League in minor league baseball, who eventually moved to Hillsboro to become the Hops. He did work in the American Hockey League and the Continental Basketball Association. In 2009, he left the profession.

“I enjoyed my career in broadcasting, but the lifestyle wore me down,” Dominey says. “It is a grind that can chew you up.”

For the next decade, Dominey had a hodgepodge of jobs. He worked at a car dealership, did internet marketing, worked as a teacher’s assistant and did some coaching. In 2019, he landed at Bench Craft, a company that specializes in providing scorecards, tee signs, yardage books, benches and ball washers to golf courses through sponsorship advertising.

“It is a great job,” Dominey says. “I paint golf tee signs all day. I am really fortunate. They treat me incredibly well. I am taking vacation time for my trip to France, but they are giving me unpaid time off, too, which they didn’t have to do.”

The job gives him the time and freedom to spend on cycling. It began in 2005 when he was working in hockey in Laredo, Texas.

“I hate running with a passion, so I started riding my bike,” Dominey says. “I rode wearing a yellow T-shirt that I would pretend was the (Tour de France overall leader) jersey. I eventually hooked up with this group of serious cyclists. It was a lot of fun. I was part of the Texas state champion time trial team one year. It gave me a chance to push myself and compete.”

In 2022, Dominey won the 2022 Oregon state time trial in the 50-plus age-group division, averaging 26.5 mph for 25 miles. 

“That is my preferred type of riding — super fast for shorter distances,” he says.

That same year, Dominey returned to France with his mother on a month-long vacation. He brought his bike.

“I had always dreamed of riding in the Alps and the Pyrenees,” he says. “I did some huge climbs. I had a great time.”

About a year ago, Dominey saw a flier in a Beaverton bicycle shop.

“It said, ‘Oregon cyclist to ride the Tour de France route,’ ” he says. “I was like, ‘I have to meet this guy.’ ”

The man was Keith Knowles, a Beaverton resident who was raising money for his 2024 “Tour 21” ride. They became friends — they live less than a mile from each other — and Knowles has proved to be an inspiration for Dominey, who decided to go for it this year.

“It has been a huge source of knowledge to have somebody who has done this in terms of training tips, nutrition, fund-raising and so on,” Dominey says.

Joe had to get clearance from his wife, Shannon Wiltz, to take on the endeavor. He explained the commitment in terms of time, training and cost — roughly $20,000, including an entry fee of $13,500.

Joe and his wife, Shannon, who will make the trip to France with him (courtesy Joe Dominey)

“I said, ‘I don’t know whether I want to do it,’ ” Joe says. “She asked, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ ”

Shannon will join Joe on the trip abroad.

“After the event, we are going to spend a week in Paris,” Joe says. “She deserves it for dealing with this lunacy for a year.”

The 17-man group of riders were chosen after an interview process through a selection committee.

“You are not picked purely on your cycling ability,” Dominey says. “They want to know what your story is. They like a good story. They want to know how you plan to raise the money. Keith had told me to outline a plan for how to do that.”

Dominey emphasizes that he will cover all of his costs for the trip, including transportation, room and board.

“Every dollar donated will go to ‘Cure Leukemia,’ ” he says. “I don’t want anyone thinking I am trying to fund my trip. The money goes straight to charity.”

Dominey has set up an account through “JustGiving,” an on-line fund-raising platform. His goal is to raise $40,000. Through April 24, he had raised more than 27,000 through donations.

NEW: The Dean of Portland Sports is now on BlueSky.

For his ride in ’24, Knowles set up a program called “Today I ride for …” which Dominey will employ for his ride this summer. For each of the 21 stages, he is prepared to ride for a designated person, asking for a $500 donation.

“I will ride for anybody for any reason,” he says. “It could be for someone who has lost their battle, for someone who is fighting their battle, for someone who has won their battle.

“I will have a picture of the person pinned to my back. I will wear a helmet sticker. I will post on social media.

“It will be, ‘Today I ride for blank, who is currently fighting leukemia.’ Or if I am riding for someone who has passed, by saying their name, I keep their memory alive.”

One stage will be dedicated to Joe’s mother — stage 12, which goes through Lourdes, a city they visited together on the trip to France more than four decades ago. Another will be for Douglas Eberwein, a close friend of Shannon’s son Josh Wiltz. Eberwein lost his life to leukemia at age 16. A third will be for Joe’s high school friend, Eddie Jones, who has beaten leukemia.

Dominey is also accepting corporate donations from businesses, which could lead to the company logo being on team clothing, the team bus, event signage, etc.

► ◄

Joe will be riding with a group of cyclists in France, but in Oregon, much of his training has been solo.

“I do most of my riding by myself,” he says. “Of the 9,000 miles I have covered the past nine months, I have probably ridden 8,200 of them alone. I like the solitude, the peace. And I like that I can push myself. Maybe I rode faster than I did the day before. I miss that from football. If I am having a bad day, I can go out and take all my frustrations out on my bike. I feel a lot better. I am an addict. I need that exercise. It has been a great way for me to do something constructive.”

There have been times, Dominey says, when he has ridden his bike 60 days in a row.

“But some days are super easy,” he says. “I don’t ride as hard as I can every day. In training, I usually ride Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then long rides on Saturday and Sunday. I take Monday and Friday off because I know I need the rest.”

In France, he will average about 100 miles a day on a course that in places is treacherous.

“I understand the dangers of (the ride),” he says. “The second week, we are going to hit the Pyrenees. I have ridden some of the climbs we will ride. They are monsters. They can be eight to 10 miles long and eight to 10 percent (grade). The third week is where they put the hammer down. There is a day of 18,000 feet of climbing. That is brutal.”

Dominey just completed a stretch in which he covered 1,178 miles and climbed about 48,000 feet in 23 days. On the Tour de France route, he will climb 155,000 feet in 23 days.

“I rode 57 percent of the distance I will have to ride this summer, but with about 30 percent of the climbing,” he says.

Then there is the downward portion.

“You can hit 50 mph on the downhill without even trying,” says Dominey, who estimates he will burn about 8,000 calories a day. “I have never ridden anything like this. I don’t even like riding long-distance a whole lot. “You have to be able to get through it. You are trying to expend as little energy as possible because you have a long way to go.”

France is a long way to go for a bike ride. This one is special, though, for Joe Dominey.

“This has been a pie-in-the-sky dream of mine,” he says. “Now I am getting the chance.”

Those interested in supporting Joe on his journey can go to the following link.

► ◄

Readers: what are your thoughts? I would love to hear them in the comments below. On the comments entry screen, only your name is required, your email address and website are optional, and may be left blank.

Follow me on X (formerly Twitter).

Like me on Facebook.

Find me on Instagram.