In the twilight of the third annual GranFondo Banff, the president of RBC GranFondo wants his ride to become a fixture in the Banff community for the next 50 years, and says it will help define Banff in the eyes of the cycling world.
“Similar to running in the 70s, where cities were defined by their marathons, what’s happening now is cities and towns are being defined by their granfondos. What marathon is to running, granfondo is to cycling,” Neil McKinnon said.
The third GranFondo Banff sold out again, as 1,500 riders paid $250 each to ride the 152-kilometre course, which toured Tunnel Mountain, Lake Minnewanka and Bow Valley Parkway.
Organizers had six contingency routes ready to go in case of wildlife encounters, and had two close encounters this year. A herd of elk crossed the Lake Minnewanka road, which nearly stopped the ride this year, but passed before the peleton came near, and a bear was spotted near Vermilion Lakes. In years past, grizzly bears and bighorn sheep have caused the ride to be delayed or re-routed.
That’s part of the charm for McKinnon, who says wildlife is one of the reasons people gravitate toward the Banff event.
“What could be more spectacular than cycling in an enclosed national park … Today we flagged for elk, and I came across some coyotes. What defines us in Canada is wildlife and the great outdoors,” McKinnon said.
While McKinnon’s event in Whistler attracts 7,000 cyclists, the Banff event is capped at 1,500 riders and this year the route was changed to avoid disrupting Banff Avenue during the 7 a.m. start, and finish. The race continues to work with the town of Banff and Parks Canada to improve the race each year, while the community continues to debate the appropriateness of such events in a national park.
“The route changes sent us up and over Tunnel Mountain, circumventing the downtown area, provided more opportunities for the town of Banff. It also mitigates a lot of issues,” McKinnon said. “We consider it a privilege to be here and will continue to improve the ride. We hope we’re back for a fourth, fifth and 50th year.”
As the battle for recreational dollars continues to heat up, events such as the GranFondo Banff have more and more competition. Locally, similar races have recently started in Canmore and Highwood Pass, while new obstacle course events such as Tough Mudder and others continue to draw more athletes. McKinnon said the Banff granfondo will endure because of its unique location.
“Cycling is growing in Alberta. Ninety-five per cent of our participants come from outside the (Bow Valley) region,” McKinnon said. The thing that people have the least amount of is time. They want to choose an experience that will resonate with them.
“If they have the opportunity to do something that is epic or grand in scale, hopefully they will choose this event. Being in Banff is a special location. We execute second to none. We can create experiences others don’t have the capacity to do.”
Although the granfondo isn’t technically a race, times are kept. Pro rider Nic Hamilton was the first to cross the line, finishing the ride in 3:55:20, right alongside Trev Williams of Calgary. Denise Ramsden of Vancouver was the top female finisher. She stopped the clock in 4:03.4.
Tara Kabatoff of Canmore was the top local female finisher and second female overall, crossing the line in 4:15:58.
Chris Taylor of Canmore was the top local rider in 10th overall. He finished in 4:03.03, two seconds ahead of Neil Evans of Banff.
