A lot has changed since the massively popular cycling event formerly known as the Prospera Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan last weaved its way through Penticton and region in July of 2019.
The name, for one. When it unfolds this weekend for the first time in three years (thanks, pandemic), it will be under the substantially more streamlined "Okanagan Granfondo" banner. And that, says longtime director of communications Jason Curran, is due to a couple of things.
First, the event, going forward without Axel Merckx but with Jodi Merckx as owner-operator, has experienced a rebranding that Curran said, "better honours the region where we conduct it."
"It's the same organizing team and the same experience," added Curran. "We've been talking about rebranding for years."
Also missing from the new name is a title sponsor. And that's because Prospera Credit Union didn’t renew its sponsorship term -- which of course means there's a pretty big opportunity for a businesses to align itself with one of Canada's premier cycling events.
"We are absolutely looking for a new sponsor," said Curran.
Beyond that, there are a number of important alterations to the actual event too. Arguably the most important is the move to a "wave" start, the natural byproduct of an all-time record number of entrants: 3,000.
"It is a record," said Curran, "though the caveat is that we horoured registrants who signed up for 2020 and 2021 and rolled those over as well, and that's coupled with new registrants."
Accordingly, there are now simply too many bikes and riders for the roads, the highways, and the start chute at the foot of Main Street.
"This year is the first year we'll go to a wave start format, with waves starting at 6:30 as opposed to our previous 7 am start," said Curran. "We'll have successive waves that will go out in three-minute intervals. Smaller groups that should alleviate the congestion on the roads."
Curran confirmed that the fastest riders will be in the first waves and that wave sizes will vary according to the position of each wave in the overall group.
And that the wave concept is likely here to stay.
"We’ve been discussing the wave start for years," he said, "and we'll assess it post event, but it is the safest thing to do."
Wave starts, however, make starts and events longer. And that makes road closures longer. So for 2022, and likely succeeding Granfondos too, the opening "Vancouver Hill" climb has been eliminated.
"It's now effectively going to take us one hour for all the participants to get through the start line," said Curran. "So in the interest of reducing congestion and improving safety, we'll send riders through the start (at the traditional spot adjacent Gyro on Main), and then they'll be turning left along Lakeshore and out of city limits (toward Summerland)."
The move also knocks a few kilometers off each of the four distances. The Granfondo is now 153 km, the Velocefndo 121, the Mediofondo 85 and the Cortofondo 48. Beyond the revamped opening, none of the routes have changed appreciably.
Road closures Sunday include Main Street from Lakeshore to Westminster (5 am to 5 pm) and Main Street from Wade to Kinney (5:30 am to 4 pm).
But that's just the start. Suffice to say that if one doesn't absolutely need to drive through urban Penticton Sunday morning or afternoon, one probably should not.
Refer here and here for a thorough list of all other closures and closure times throughout the city and region.
Of course, a Granfondo weekend wouldn't be complete without the traditional kid/family component called the "Piccolofondo," and for 2022 it'll also look different.
Rather than Saturday afternoon, it'll be held from 9 to 11 am Saturday morning. And rather than looping through the streets surrounding Gyro Park, it'll run along Lakeshore Drive.
"We're extremely excited to return after a two-year pause due to the pandemic and precautions related to the pandemic," said Curran. "The positive outcome for Penticton and the whole South Okanagan is huge, both economically and socially, and we estimated there was $5.1 million in local economic impact from the 2019 event.
"Plus, we think the hospitality and tourism industry is also eager to get back to normal, and one way to do it is to host this sort of event."
One other thing. Registration for 2023 opens Friday. Go to the website for more info.
