Goodbye Fondo

The Banff Fondo is behind me, and with that marks the last ride my road bike will probably see this year. Not a 3-peat, which I have no excuse for other than someone else rode much stronger. The good news is that certain someone was Trev, who wholly deserved his ride-along with Nic Hamilton and all the associated glory. Great to see Trev get called up for recognition he deserved and also nice that the “title” of this non-race participation event (tongue in cheek) was kept in the ATB/BD&P family. It was also fitting as Trev has coached our client group over the last 8 weeks and brought some real value to them, probably helping each one more comfortable with their Fondo rides. That embodies the essence of these large events and I am glad ATB/BDP have figured it out.

 

The event on the other hand, continues to suffer deteriorations as it matures. The use of “neutral” shepherd motos and narrow bike path in this year’s event seems to me like signs of the event losing its social licence to operate in the Banff Park. I assume that these were road closure mitigants, but 1500 nervous people (with predominantly low pack skills) on a bike path sounded like recipe for disaster (I think it turned out fine). Even among our more experienced riding group, the mid-road halt of a lead moto 50 meters from the finish line was incredibly dangerous.

A final note on Banff Fondo: I still think this event is awesome. Nowhere else do you get 1500 participants across the full spectrum of cycling interest and capabilities. That is one of the most positive signs of growth in the sport today that I can think of. The experience on the day is great, and I feel you reconnect with more of your “racing” friends at this event than at the real races throughout the year. A bit of a homecoming for Alberta Cycling. RBC gave a big sponsorship check to the ABA, spreading the goodness further.

 

Lots of wins for all, and just a few question marks for the future. Only time will tell. But as per every year, still a great wrap-up and marking a change of the seasons…