The Gran Fondo Badlands grew again as about 1,500 cyclists pedalled their way up and down and through the valley last Saturday, July 5.
The Gran Fondo Badlands has continued to take on momentum, and this year was the largest yet, and the third year that TransRockies has been organizing the event.
Aaron McConnell, President and Chief Cycling Officer, tells the Mail, they had about 1,500 riders, almost doubling the result of the last year, which was around 800.
“We did cap it at one point. We sold more entries than 1,500, but we always expect a few no-shows," he said.
The Gran Fondo offers the full Gran Fondo experience of the Brontosaurus, a 163-kilometre ride that spans from the Bleriot Ferry on the west and passes Dorothy on the east. It also has the options of the 100-kilometre T-rex course, the 75-kilometre Triceratops course, or the 50-kilometre Velociraptor course.
Upon returning to the Badlands Community Facility, riders enjoyed a beer garden, lunch, medals and even live music, making it a festival-like atmosphere. On the previous Friday evening, there was also fun with youth and women's rides, as well as a strider parade. There were also several vendors on site and a pre-event meeting.
“We built up the Friday with more of a registration setup and pre-riding,” said McConnell.
The Gran Fondo Badlands has become a destination event for many riders. There were a few local riders on the course, including Jim Milman, who might have been one of the most senior riders, but there were also riders from throughout Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Washington, California, the NWT and Mexico.
“The cycling here is really spectacular, it is a really beautiful ride, the roads are relatively quiet, so it makes for a nice day out on the bike," said McConnell. He adds that the event went smoothly.
The Bleriot Ferry, which was down for repairs, was up and running by race time.
“There are a few capacity things we need to work on, but overall it went well."
