Folks from far and wide are attending the biking competition Sept. 27 that showcases the ‘amazing scenery.’
Squamish’s Sea2Sky Gravel Fondo is returning this month, as part of the inaugural Cycling BC Provincial Gravel Championships.
The Sea to Sky’s gravel road cycling competition, first launched in the Squamish Valley in 2022, is currently open for registration, inviting cyclists of all abilities to participate.
Starting in Brennan Park’s gravel field (39555 Loggers Ln.) on Sept. 27, novice cyclists to championship competitors will have the option of three routes:
Piccolo / Beginner Fondo (approx. 30 kms)
Medio/ Intermediate Fondo (approx. 55 kms)
Full Fondo/ Expert (approx. 85+ kms)
“The Full Fondo has a lot of climbing, so it’s not as easy as the distance would make it seem,” the Fondo’s website states.
Event director and founder Dean Stanton said this year’s routes will go up Valleycliffe and the Mamquam Valley; the beginners will finish at Ring Creek Road, then come down via Garibaldi Park Road, whilst the “medios” will continue up Mamquam Forest Service Road for nine miles, and the full fondo will continue to the end.
Stanton, who has been gravel cycling since 2014, said he started the Fondo in Squamish to “showcase the amazing scenery.”
He described gravel bikes as “old mountain bikes (with) road bike bars on them, and fat dirt tires,” or if a mountain bike and road bike had a baby.
“I would say (the Fondo) is a modern version of Test of Metal (a 67 km cross-country biking competition discontinued in 2016) … Pre-pandemic, gravel bikes were just being made.”
Stanton confirmed that this year’s competitors will receive warm food, and two sets of prizes will be up for grabs, honouring both competitions.
He recalled that some of those registered so far are coming from California, Montana, and Washington (U.S.), as well as Vancouver Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and the Yukon.
“There’s a few people who are pretty elite, but the vast majority of people are just out to have a fun day, and just get started in Squamish,” Stanton said.
“The demographic is almost 30 per cent female. We’re always trying to get that as high as possible.”
Those competing in the Cycling BC Gravel Championships must be valid Cycling BC members on the date of the event, the website notes.
Folks can register individually for the Sea2Sky Gravel Fondo online for $110, $165, and $220 for the beginner, intermediate, and expert fondo levels respectively.
Pre-event details, team registration, and season prices are also listed.
This year’s Sea2Sky Gravel Fondo will take place at Brennan Park on Sept. 27 from 6:30 a.m., with racing beginning from 7:30 a.m. The course will close from around 2:30 p.m. or earlier.
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Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.