Joe Dominey with his mother, Jean, at her Astoria home.

When Joe Dominey took up cycling in 2005, he had no idea his newfound passion would lead him back to a place he loved so much.

Growing up in Astoria as the son of teachers Carl and Jean Dominey, Dominey was a decorated athlete at Astoria High School and Linfield University. He was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics second team All-American for his senior football season at Linfield.

Dominey said his interest in France started from his mother’s enthusiasm for music and studying different cultures. He spent time in France for the first time in 1984 and took French at Astoria High School.

After he graduated from Linfield in 1995 with a degree in mass communications, Dominey came back to Astoria to begin his broadcasting career.

“I was super fortunate to have the opportunity to be around for the 1998 boys basketball state championship run and broadcast it live on radio,” he said.

Though Dominey was happy being back home and calling games for his alma mater, the life of a broadcaster took over. He ended up traveling around the country working at different radio stations.

Dominey started cycling while working in Laredo, Texas. Since then, it’s become his passion and something he does every day.

“I was always asked by people if I was going to be a runner since my dad was the cross-country coach at Astoria High School, but I hate running with a passion,” he said. “I would always say running 10 yards and sacking the quarterback was enough for me.”

Dominey looks at cycling as a form of therapy.

“I love doing it,” he said. “It’s a way to compete and push myself without beating up my body.”

A 2020 biking accident and settlement allowed Dominey to fulfill the dream of many cyclists worldwide. He used the money from the settlement and made a one-month trip to France in 2022. The trip consisted of him riding the famed Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges.

Dominey, who lives in the Portland area with his wife, Shannon, and works as a painter for Bench Craft Co. in Tigard, is scheduled to make another trip to France in 2025 as a rider in Tour 21.

Tour 21 started in 2021 with the goal of raising $1 million for leukemia research. The tour consists of amateur cyclists from across the globe riding the exact route as the professionals in the Tour de France, the sport’s most prestigious stage race. Dominey is one of five Americans in the 2025 event.

He said being selected means everything to him since his mother has been battling leukemia

“My friend Keith Knowles rode Tour 21 in 2024 and that’s how I learned about the event,” Dominey said of the Beaverton cyclist. “I hope I can live up to the standard that he set.”

Dominey initially wasn’t sure if he wanted to do the grueling ride, but a little persuasion by his work colleagues and his wife was enough for him. He said he is training about 1,000 miles a month in preparation.

“My mom has defied the odds, but I’m not sure how much time she has left,” he said. “I’m grateful to work for a company that supports endeavors like this.”