Whistler RBC Granfondo
The 6th annual Granfondo Whistler is happening tomorrow Saturday, Sept 12th. 7,000 cyclists from around the world will enjoy a no interruption and no cars, ride from downtown Vancouver to Whistler along the world renowned Sea to Sky Highway in their own dedicated bike lane.
Participants start in Stanley Park at Brockton Point, wind through Stanley park on the two-lane road, climb for 1km up Prospect Point hill to the Stanley Park Causeway. Once on the causeway, riders will enjoy spectacular views over the Lions Gate Bridge and up Taylor Way to reach the upper levels Trans Canada Hwy having a right of way at all intersections. Then the journey begins along the beautiful Sea to Sky highway all the way up to Whistler.
The ride will start at 6:50 AM and is a total of 122 kilometres. If you’ve ever driven the Sea to Sky Highway you know the massive hills that these bikers will have to climb, there is a total of 1700m in elevation gain. From past participants we’ve heard that the Taylor Way hill is one of the most challenging, as it’s a steep hill right at the start of the ride. To name a few other challenging areas, there’s the Furry Creek hill, a big climb out of Squamish and the Cheakamus Canyon section. Along with the massive hill climbs, there are extraordinary views to be had along the way and lookouts to stop and take a break at. One of our favorites is the Tantalus lookout between Squamish and Whistler.
Riders from beginners to advanced will be taking part in the event, and they are free to travel at their own pace. There is also the Medio Fondo which ends in Squamish and is a total of 67 km.
Lodging Ovations would like to wish everyone taking part in the Granfondo tomorrow Good Luck and to Have Fun! We will be cheering you on as you pass through Creekside!
See the full schedule at the RBC Whistler GranFondo website.
