Banff Gran Fondo

The alarm sounded at 5:30am… a rude awakening for Saturday morning, but already pre-determined to give me just enough time to eat a makeshift breakfast and roll to the hotel lobby in time for our 6:15 group departure. Fortunately I had foresight: not to bring a breakfast, but rather to ensure I had packed a thermos of Artigiano’s finest “Shot in the Dark” so my wake-up routine could at least have proper caffeination!

 

Ashley & I rolled down to the start on Banff Ave, and any grogginess was washed away by the sight of everyone assembling and anticipating. I said hi to lots of other Alberta racers and cycling community faces, and it was time to start rolling.

 

I was really interested to see how the Smart-Stop p/b Mountain Khakis team would treat their starring role as guest professionals. It turns out they were the perfect ambassadors and probably one of the Fondo highlights for everyone around them. It started by leading us up Tunnel Mountain and Minnewanka at high tempo, but just controlled enough that those serious rider/racers could stick on. They rode the front all day with 2-6 guys at any given time, and other riders would join into their paceline as they pleased, or sit on and enjoy the resulting 42km/h average speed. The value to everyone around was being treated to their presence and the experience of riding 144km in just 3:30!

 

The other awesome benefit of being a pro team in a Gran Fondo is that when you call a pee break  - everyone obeys! I distinctly remember on the way out to the turnaround I intentional pulled with two of them for quite a while, just so I could influence a second nature break.

 

On the way back from Lake Louise I made sure to put in one big dig on the climb where the 1A splits. This was mostly to attempt something other than a sprint result, but our group of ~20 regrouped and consigned to the inevitable. Even though the Fondo is “not a race”, everyone knows what happens when you hand out numbers and designate a finish line. So the pace stayed high until about the Smart Stop boys sat up with the finish in sight, and the sprint was on. I used last year’s experience to my benefit and was fortunate to “win” the non-race.

 

With the Smart Stop presence, nicer weather and full route with no bear closures, I think it was a win for everyone. It was awesome have Erik and Chris along for the ride in our select group, and Erik delivered the goods as well for 7^th place, so that was a double-win for our BD&P hosts, who put on an awesome event as our hosts. The sight of 1200 riders, each excited in their own way for the day is a win for cycling. Ashley was super pumped that she finished in over 30km/h (and me too), and Cindy had a great ride as one of the top females.

 

Beer gardens and visiting all afternoon, before home and bed – exhausted from the early morning, but well worthwhile.