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Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride
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Signed up for the Whistler GranFondo and thought I would see if any Slowtwitcher's are doing the ride. The thought of having a single lane dedicated to riders from Vancouver up to Whistler was just too tempting to pass up. That and I thought it would be a great yearly ride to do.

I have done STP (Seattle to Protland) 3 times and like the riding but this ride will have a lot more climbing so I have built a bike for the ride. That climb out of Furry Creek looks like a bugger and I have always thought it would be amazing to ride down it and can honestly say I have never wanted to ride up it. So my compact cranks, 12/28 cassette and 14 lbs. aluminum bike are ready for the hill. Now I just need to shed some unwanted weight (about the same weigh as the bike) and life will be great.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [BMAN] [ In reply to ]
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A bunch of people I know have been talking about this, but I'm not sold as of yet. $175 for a 120km ride that although in theory, one could do any day, but in practice would be quite unsafe as a solo undertaking. That section from Vancouver to Squamish especially, would be pretty sketchy without the protection of a closed lane.

I might see if I can round up some suckers to do another Whistler->Lillooet ride this year. I need to log some quality mileage before the end of June, and that was a blast!


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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Have thought of the Fondo - similar issues to you re: price for a long-ride.

Your Whistler - Lilooet looks good. If you're looking for people for that one down the road, pm me for sure. Given the amount of climbing I will be doing at IMC, I can use the practice!

In Reply To:
A bunch of people I know have been talking about this, but I'm not sold as of yet. $175 for a 120km ride that although in theory, one could do any day, but in practice would be quite unsafe as a solo undertaking. That section from Vancouver to Squamish especially, would be pretty sketchy without the protection of a closed lane.

I might see if I can round up some suckers to do another Whistler->Lillooet ride this year. I need to log some quality mileage before the end of June, and that was a blast!

-----------------------------------------------------------
"Chrissie wins because she trains really f'ing hard and races really f'ing hard and was blessed with a huge f'ing motor" Jordan Rapp
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I have done the North Van to Squamish ride on the old road and said I would never ride that road again. Almost got killed a few times that day. Now that I can ride the new road and have a single lane to do it safely, I am going to give it a shot. Should be a lot of fun and really is a one time (a year) option to do it safely. I did the Whistler -> Lillooet ride before and it is amazing and very few cars. Even if I only do the Vancouver to Whistler once, I think it is worth the money just to say I did it.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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A bunch of people I know have been talking about this, but I'm not sold as of yet. $175 for a 120km ride that although in theory, one could do any day, but in practice would be quite unsafe as a solo undertaking. That section from Vancouver to Squamish especially, would be pretty sketchy without the protection of a closed lane.

Back in the '90's we used to do that ride all the time. Sometimes all the way to Whistler, when someone else was going up in a car, but more typically out and back to Squamish from Vancouver. We must have been crazy or the traffic was such back then that it was not so bad. I will say this, it is one of the most spectacular roads that I have ever ridden on. The views out over Howe Sound are amazing and it's pretty challenging with a lot of up and down. When I could do the Squamish ride plus a trip up and down Cypress, I knew I was ready for a strong bike at IMC!!



Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [BMAN] [ In reply to ]
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Hey Brian,

I'm signed up. I've always wanted to ride that road but never wanted to risk it knowing how some people drive. There are a few others I know from here in Kamloops doing it as well as group I know from down at the coast. Now I have to decide what bike to ride.

Greg.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [BMAN] [ In reply to ]
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I mentioned on another post that I did the test run for this years event last year. There were about 15 of us. I had only been biking for 16 months by then. One of my favorite rides. Stunning route as Fleck mentioned. We did it in just under 5 hours.

We then had some really good grub at a burger place on Lake Placid Rd.

This and Mt. Baker are two rides I will be repeating this year.

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
We must have been crazy or the traffic was such back then that it was not so bad.


Come on, Steve. Mountain biking didn't exist outside of Mt Tam and Crested Butte back in the 80's unless you were friends with Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, or Tom Ritchie. No-one was going up Hwy99 in the summer other than a few mountaineers, climbers, and hikers. Even as recently as the early 90s it might have been viable (though still sketchy) - but nowadays riding that road between Horseshoe Bay and Furry Creek is just begging for trouble. You know me - I'm the guy who rode through the tunnel to Ladner for Christ's sake. If I say a road is too sketchy to ride, it's gotta be pretty bad...


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [BMAN] [ In reply to ]
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When I lived in Squamish, we used to do the Squamish to Whistler return all the time. I'd do Squamish - Pemberton return as a test-ride before IMC (it was exactly 180 km from my front door). I did Squamish to North Van return twice and both times swore I'd never do it again (obviously I didn't listen to myself the first time). But the greatest of all was Whistler - Lillooet and then take the train home. I don't think the train option is still available which is too bad. Me and a couple buddies get pretty sentimental whenever we reminisce about that ride. It truly is epic / awesome / gorgeous / unbelievable / etc. I've gotta do it again one of these years. And I still haven't decided about the Gran Fondo - will be eating cheese and drinking wine in France all summer. Not exactly optimal training I suppose.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [paddy-o] [ In reply to ]
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But the greatest of all was Whistler - Lillooet and then take the train home

Truly epic.

Done that a couple of times myself.


That would be an amazing Gran Fondo.



Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Khai, you were just in Whistler, so can you please tell me what the road is like? I haven't driven it since I left the area in 2002. It was always fine to drive, but from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish the shoulders didn't leave much room for bikes.
I might be game for coming down and doing this ride.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [jimmy d] [ In reply to ]
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I'm surprised at a few of the responses here. I rode the highway between Squamish and Vancouver a few times last summer, and I wasn't too concerned about it. The new highway is pretty good, they put in 1.5 metre shoulders for almost the entire length. The rumble strips are not on the white lines, so that eats up a bit of room, but overall I don't think it's too bad. The sightlines have been improved, and most of the thin windy bits have been straightened out.

The one dodgy spot that I can think of is at Porteau Cove. Northbound is particularly dodgy, because the shoulder is really non existant. You've got to hammer to get through there but it's only about 75m (?) long. Southbound at the same spot is similar, but ths shoulder is a bit wider.

I really like the area around Horseshoe Bay, because the cars all go over Eagleridge bluffs, so us cyclists have the old road pretty much to ourselves.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [snoozer] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, snoozer. I live in Alberta now but I still pay BC taxes so I watched with interest as the 99 North was improved. I assumed that the contractors would have put ina decent shoulder, so that's good to know.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [jimmy d] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
Thanks, snoozer. I live in Alberta now but I still pay BC taxes so I watched with interest as the 99 North was improved. I assumed that the contractors would have put ina decent shoulder, so that's good to know.

Well, thanks for paying for my highway!
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [snoozer] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, you're welcome. My tax dollars at work! I thought getting rid of the NDP would have ended all those capital projects. I love the new Skytrain from the airport, I must admit. I'll be in Vancouver again this week to close on our new place downtown. Did I mention the Property Transfer Tax!? Fluck me!
Have a nice day!
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [jimmy d] [ In reply to ]
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Honestly, with all the construction over the past 3 years that changed the road every other week, and the recent "temporary modifications" to the highway for the Olympics (they bolted in pylons to form asinine lanes that did not necessarily agree with the lines on the road) it's tough for me to give you an accurate assessment of the highway for a cyclist. For a driver, it's brand new asphalt (minus the divots and holes those idiots put all over the goddamned road where they fucked up water barrel placement) - so pretty sweet driving. My assumption is that they'll do the usual half-assed job at repairing the damage they did to the brand new highway, and that it will drive decently, but nothing like what it could/should have been.

For the most part I think the shoulders are pretty good - but I;d be wary of that stretch between Horseshoe Bay and Furry Creek. It might be better than I'm forecasting, but I don't have a lot of faith in our government, nor in the department of public works.


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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I drove up to Whistler (and back) yesterday, trying to pay some attention to the shoulder and what it would be like for a cyclist (on a non-fondo day).

I'll upgrade my recommendation from "pretty sketchy, I wouldn't do it" to "should be ok for the most part, though watch out in places".

~They've removed (nearly) all the cones and temporary lanes, eliminating much of the confusion.
~The majority of the route does indeed have a decent shoulder.
~With 2 lanes in many places, there is less urgency on a driver's part to squeeze through any gap and take unnecessary risks in the name of getting ahead of that slow clown blocking the road.
~As mentioned before, the worst part is from Lions Bay to Furry Creek. There are some areas where it's the rocky side of a cliff to your right (Northbound - cliff dropoff to the ocean Southbound), one lane, and a narrow if any shoulder (max 1.5 feet, tapering to nothing) - with the shoulders being covered in gravel and debris. Still, this is a pretty short section and highway be damned, I might be inclined to take the lane rather than risk some asshole in a 5tonne SUV tryin to squeeze past me while texting and eating a hamburger.

It's definitely doable, but only for those who aren't afraid of traffic, and who are willing to accept a bit more risk.


One thing that confuses me about the planned Granfondo, is that they promise to block out a full lane for cyclists - but in parts the highway is just one lane in each direction. What then?


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I have been in Whistler 3 times in the past 3 months. Every time we drive it, the road is better and better. I'm impressed with the modifications they have made. My husband and I are doing this ride, along with some friends from New England. It is truly stunning and the views are not to be missed.

Khai - I would absolutely love to do our Whistler to Lillooet ride again. That remains one of my favorite rides ever. I will be in Whistler all summer again. Let's do it!!!
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [diva] [ In reply to ]
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Khai - I would absolutely love to do our Whistler to Lillooet ride again. That remains one of my favorite rides ever. I will be in Whistler all summer again. Let's do it!!!

Just in case you missed the thread in the womens' but have an email notifier on this one, we're doing it again: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2780494


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Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I've ridden this route out into the Cheaamus several times over the winter and most recently about three weeks ago. One of my favourite long ride routes from home actually. Haven't done the whole epic Whistler and back thing for a bit though ;) With the new highway, I really don't think it's any sketchier than other long rides you can do from the GVRD. You avoid all the intersection hassles that you have pretty much anywhere else. There is one section near Porteau that is REALLY narrow and a few others where you have to watch for logging trucks and so forth but mostly, it's really nice and you can get down in the aerobars and go for it.
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Re: Whistler Gran Fondo Ride. Any ST'ers doing this ride [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Khai- I would be in but can't do it June 6th, doing Oliver 1/2 that day. Obviously the week after would be better then the week before, but don't base your date on me......Drew.
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