Gran Fondo Guide on Tour: Riding the Stunning Sea to the Sky Highway
Cordially invited to ride the iconic RBC GranFondo Whistler, celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2024!
Photo: High 5’s and good vibes only at the 15th Annual RBC GranFondo Whistler. Check out the Kits Eyecare.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”, Neale Donald Walsch
I was rudely awakened by the Air Canada Boeing 777 touching down at Vancouver International airport, full reverse thrust kicked in. It’s the first time I’ve been on plane since, uhhhh, you know that thing happened in 2020? I forget now.
I grabbed my luggage (containing mostly cycling gear) and headed to immigration, the officer asking me, “What’s the reason for your visit Sir?” I replied, “I’m riding the RBC GranFondo Whistler”. His eyebrows raised and said “Just You?” I paused, smiling, trying not to be a smart ass and quipped “Just me and around 5,000 other cyclists”. He chuckled and waved me through. I jumped on the Sky Train to the waterfront in downtown Vancouver. The weather was stunning over 23C (75F) and not a cloud in the Sky.
After a short walk I arrived at the 4-star St. Regis Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Vancouver, built at the turn of the last century and one of the event’s long time sponsors. I was met by the very affable and always sharply dressed and smiling Brent at the door. I actually arrived at the same time I had left local time, having flown over the UK, Greenland, the Arctic Circle and all of Canada in 9 hours. A short 7,500 km journey for the Boeing 777.
Photo: The very comfortable 4-star St. Regis Hotel in downtown Vancouver, long time Sponsor
That evening I was invited to a VIP reception where I finally had the pleasure of meeting chief enthusiast Neil McKinnon, founder of RBC GranFondo Whistler and Oliver Cartmell Event Director. I got to meet so many interesting people who’ve been a part of this amazing journey from its inception which started after Whistler hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. This included senior staff from the Royal Bank of Canada and the 4-star St. Regis Hotel. The enthusiasm, pride and passion for the event was truly electric. It felt like one big family. The wine flowed all evening.
The next day I had to get out and stretch my legs and walked down to waterfront to watch the Sea Planes landing and taking off. Neil rang me and I met him back at the hotel. He had kindly lent me a Cervelo R5 to ride the Gran Fondo. I couldn’t thank him enough.
I put my pedals on, roughly set the seat height, got changed, grabbed my helmet and hit the streets. Vancouver is a cyclist’s paradise, there are dozens of dedicated bike lanes and off-road trails around the city. I found myself cycling over the viaduct out of town. I had a whole dedicated bike lane to myself. The R5 was light and responsive, the sun was shining, and I was easily overtaking traffic.
I went back to the hotel and went out to find a bike shop. There’s literally dozens. The penny really dropped, Vancouver (like the rest of Canada) love bikes, cycling and the great outdoors. I picked up a spare tube and a few special gels for the Fondo just in case.
After breakfast at the hotel the next day, I made my way over to the convention centre in Canada Place to the VeloSpoke Bike Expo and packet pickup. I got to meet a lot of passionate cyclists and volunteers. Part of my swag in Alta Classe was a pair of KITS Eyecare. Loads of colours, I went for blue frame and lenses to match my white Helmet.
There was no way I was riding the Fondo without a jersey! So I went and bought one from the merchandise racks at the VeloSpoke Bike Expo which filled the whole downstairs of the Convention Centre. I was gifted some electrolyte tablets from Decathlon that came in very handy.
Photo: Me and Chief Enthusiast and founder of RBC GranFondo Whistler, Neil McKinnon (RHS)
Shake Out Ride
That evening, Neil’s partner Sian led our small group of VIP’s across town to Concord Place for the Shake Out ride and Pre-Party. One of the main benefactors of the event, TaG Cycling, were out in force to get us registered and split into groups for a ride around Stanley Park. Around 600 cyclists turned up. Brandon from Team Tag Cycling led our group across town towards the park. It was a beautiful evening and the park was full of people walking, running, cycling. Brandon was lucky enough to have raced in Belgium through the team and the donations made by the Fondo. We talked St. Regis Cup team tactics and who were the favorites.
Chatting went out the window (and so did my sense of collective group riding!) as we hit the small climb in Stanley Park. I was itching to open up and give the R5 a full test drive. Surely enough, natural selection took over and I was in a small group of guys giving it full gas up the climb and down the descent. I backed off on the descent as the R5 is super light and carbon brakes take some getting used too. At the cross roads, the guys were going around again so I joined them for another lap.
After that I joined in another group who were heading back to a bike shop in town. They told me when to turn east backs towards the Hotel. Getting around Vancouver by bike is a breeze, bike lanes everywhere on a grid pattern. So many off-road bike trails too. You can ride across the whole of Canada!
Photo: The amazing Squadra volunteers in the Alta Classe check-in at the VeloSpoke Bike Expo
Mad Dogs and Englishmen out in the mid-day Sun
Up at 4:45am for breakfast and we’re rolling across town with our charming guide and hard-core cyclist Sian McKinnon. An amazing sunrise greeted us on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. I slipped into the dedicated Alta Classe area, racked my bike and grabbed a coffee. You could feel the anticipation rise as the St Regis Cup race started.
We were up next, I wished my fellow VIP’s good luck as Neil fired the gun and off we went. My strategy was to get to the finish line. The Gran Fondo is 122km (around 75 miles in English money) and packs in nearly 2,000m of climbing. I hadn’t done anywhere near enough long training rides mainly down to lack of time as a busy entrepreneur. I typically do 2 or 3 rides a week of around 25 miles with some gravel and short sharp climbs thrown in. I knew at some stage I was going to suffer with hot weather kicking in later that day. Turns out it hit 30C (86F) in the sun in the afternoon.
Any sense of strategy slowly went out the window after the short climb out of Stanley Park and onto Lions Gate Bridge. Gradually moving to the very front of the bunch, I High5’d all the girls on the bridge riding stationary bikes as they all shouted encouragement! The view from the bridge was breath-taking.
Photo: Crossing Lions Gate Bridge traffic free was a real highlight!
Pretty soon I’m right at the front and were looping back round under the bridge, as we hit the slip road and enter a completely deserted freeway. I kept looking back instinctively checking for cars.
It was surreal. Boom, reality slapped me right across the face. I’m riding on a freeway all to myself and 5,244 of my new cycling buddies!
A really fast group went past with around 20 riders. I had the sense not to jump on the back and waited for another group that matched my pace. There was around eight of us. I did turns on the front as we settled in and rode together. The Sea to Sky Highway was a pretty fast ride, long gradual climbs and then some really fast downhill which was deceptive because there is 2,000m to climb.
My group sailed past the first feed station after around 20km. We were still warming up. I stayed with this group until the second feed station where I stopped and grabbed a can of Coke. I didn’t feel like eating, in fact I struggled to eat all day and ended up drinking a lot of Coca Cola due to the heat (my Achilles heel).
Drivers heading up to Whistler beeped and cheered us all on! People at the roadside cheered us on! I pretty much tried to High 5 nearly everyone I passed which included police men and women, medics and even a DJ who was randomly playing at the side of the road!
I’ve got to hand it to the organizers, every junction was marshalled by the police, and the whole lane was separated or coned off for cyclists only. Some larger faster groups started passing me. I kept going at my own pace on my own when not working in a group where possible.
This worked out really well as I got to the feed station at Squamish after around 45 miles. I could feel the sun coming out. I took on more Coca Cola and pushed on. It was around the 50 km to go mark that I started to suffer. There was less shade and I could feel myself getting hot so I had to climb at my own pace. At the next feed station, one of the kind volunteers, tipped several jugs of cold water over my head which felt so good! I gave her my wrist band which said "You are valued". I pushed on.
Photo: Group Suffer Fest, only a cyclist knows that collective group camaraderie, working together taking turns
The standard of riding was really good and it was great to get into some good groups. On the flatter sections I was always at the front pulling.
The crowds of people, marshals, police and medics going through Squamish cheering us all on lifted my spirits and I High5’ed as many people as I could!
I really suffered with around 30km to go there was no shade as temperatures hit 30C. I wasn’t the only one suffering. Some had to stop. Some were walking. Faster groups came past, I continued riding at my own pace or riding in a group.
The feed stations were amazing, so much food and choice, racks to hang your bike and toilets. Bike spares and mechanics sorting out issues. One of the feed stations had put out little paddling pools. I literally jumped in and sat there and poured water over my head. That feeling of cold water evaporating was just heavenly.
There were some sections of the ride that instilled fear in your heart. You’d crest a climb, or come round a corner and wham, there’s two miles of steep climbing ahead with hundreds of cyclists grinding away in the distance, what a sight!
Having ridden many Gran Fondo’s all over the word, I knew from experience to ride within myself so I didn’t blow (bonk). So on some of the steeper climbs in the direct sun, I rode at a slightly slower pace and then picked up speed on the flatter sections.
With 10km to go my spirits lifted even higher and so did my pace. I started passing a lot of people. I guess I had been saving a bit for the end. Little did I know there was quite a few climbs in the last 10 km as I turned into Whistler Village. I thought I was on the home straight and raised my hands in the air as hundreds of people cheered. There was actually another left hand bend, I came round with my hands in the air (there was no one next to me) much to the surprise of the crowd and I rode under the bridge to the finish line.
Photo: Someone shouted Cipollini! I was stoked to finish and down a few cold Beers!
I guess I was elated to finish and survive the heat of the day knowing I could cool down, get changed, relax and grab a few cold beers. Party time!
Being in Alta Classe my bike was racked for me, I grabbed a cold drink, grabbed my bag and luggage, got changed, grabbed another cold drink and made my way over the bridge to the Alta Classe lounge. Grabbed a few beers, swapped stories, sneaked in a quick massage, watched the St. Regis Cup Awards and listened to some of the live music.
I made my way to the Aava Hotel, showered, and get this! I jumped back on the bike and rode 10km to Green Lake on the Whistler Valley Bike Trail to Neil’s drinks party that evening where we exchanged stories!
I took me over 5 and 1/2 hours to ride the 75 miles with nearly 2,000m of climbing to get to Whistler. I was pretty happy with that with the training miles I’d managed to fit in. Compare that to the fast men and women in the St. Regis Cup who raced it in 3 hours 20 minutes! Sadly my time with lovely McKinnon Family came to an end, as we headed back to Whistler.
The 15th edition attracted 5,245 registered cyclists from around the world and an estimated 14,000+ combined riders and spectators, underscoring its status as one of North America’s premier cycling experiences (and now I understand why) cycling destination. For international cyclists like myself, I was taken aback with Canada’s love of cycling and the outdoors. I would definitely jump on a plane again and stay for a few more weeks.
RBC GranFondo Whistler is the type of challenge you can do again and again and improve on your performance. I met several riders who were trying to break the Sub 4 Hour Barrier. Over 700 women rode the event this year, with the organizers aiming for 30% female participation by 2030. Indeed Sian McKinnon and Michelle from my VIP group blew past me and “aced” their ride times.
It’s no surprise the event has been rated #1 North American Gran Fondo several times. With fully closed roads and impeccable organisation, its sets the standards bar so high that only a handful of other premier North American events can try and match. It’s an iconic ride worthy on every cyclist’s Bucket List.
“Registration for mass participation cycling events continues to grow at a steady pace annually.”
The 16th edition of RBC GranFondo Whistler takes place September 6th 2025. Register now and get training, you won’t regret it. Get out of your comfort zone now, it’s the only way you’ll grow. Here's to the next 15 years!
A huge thank you to everyone who made this possible:
Neil McKinnon, family and friends
Oliver Cartmell, Event Director
The Royal Bank of Canada
The St. Regis Hotel
The Aava Hotel
Team Tag Cycling
KITS Eyecare
Decathlon
Whistler Tourism
Photo: So grateful for being able to ride this iconic beast of a ride on closed roads! Pure bliss.
Week in Whistler
This isn’t the end of story. Seeing as I’d ridden all the way to Whistler, it would have been rather rude not to have stayed a bit longer as an International cyclist?
Photo: Nancy from My True North Yoga at the Sunday Slowdown at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler
After the excitement of the RBC GranFondo Whistler and the drinks party, I treated my body and soul at the Sunday Slow Down. Set in the tranquil Audain Art Museum surroundings, I choose a calming sound bath meditation by My True North Yoga.
Taking control of my breathing using Kundalini practices allowed me to “let go” of negative energy, negative thoughts, tension and completely detach from my body for several minutes immersed in a beautiful bath of sound.
I felt totally at ease, grounded and restored afterwards. Thank you Nancy.
I hired a bike from Gateway Bikes Whistler and rode the Sea to Sky Gravel Trail all the way to Pemberton and back.
From here I could see the snow-capped Mt Currie in the distance!
Most cyclists visit Whistler for the legendary MTB downhill runs at Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains. I was the only person on the trail from Lost Lake onwards.
The climb up to the top of the lake was a 20% staircase with 180 degree hairpins turns. Didn’t see any Bears or Cougars, what a shame. Thoroughly enjoyed the winding downhill single track from the top of Green Lake back down to Lost Lake.
If you love downhill Mountain Biking, Whistler is the place for you! You can get the lifts up to 2,158m and drop down on some crazy runs. You need full protective gear its gnarly dudes!
After my gravel adventure, I cooled off swimming in Lost Lake.
I hiked up the Blackcomb Ascent Trail that meanders through beautiful old growth coastal rain forest terrain from Whistler’s valley bottom to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain. It’s very steep, I walked a total of 6.2 km and climbed 1,200 metres.
I flew across to Whistler Mountain on the breath-taking Peak to Peak Gondola and back.
I visited the Lillooet and Squamish Cultural Centre and learned about the underground houses they still live in up at Mt. Currie, the canoes they make, and weaving the brimmed hats they wear, especially in winter, using the bark of Cedar trees.
There’s so much to do in Whistler, so why not stay after the Fondo and explore. There's a huge range of accommodation to suit all types of budgets. I used Whistler Tourism, an amazing online site, to book my accommodation, event tickets and a luxury coach back to Vancouver International airport which was only 3 hours away.
For International cyclists, staying in Whistler afterwards is a great way to extend your stay, explore the outdoors and have a nice break.
Until next time ...
