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Ride on, Sea to Sky

The skinny-tire tourist offers Whistler and the Sea to Sky corridor another market as the tourism industry continues to look for ways to beat the recession
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In a region known for epic mountain bike trails and one of the best bike parks in the world, more than 4,000 road warriors clearly indicated last summer in the inaugural GranFondo that road riding is the new two-wheel rage in the Sea to Sky corridor.

And as Whistler, like so many in tourism, continues to grapple with capturing new markets or sustaining the ones it has some are looking to road cycling as a way to draw visitors and mega events such as GranFondos.

There can be little doubt that Whistler is one of B.C.'s economic engines contributing $1 billion annually to the province's overall tourism revenue.

And though it attracts over two million annual visitors, it is always looking for outside-the-box ways to get more, especially as tourism numbers show that recession is still haunting the industry.

Tourism Whistler's vice-president of marketing, Arlene Schieven, is a former competitive road cyclist and she gets how Whistler could cater to the skinny tire crowd, especially as she considers the huge success of last year's GranFondo to Whistler.

She started racing in Penticton and won the Canada Cup national cycling series in 1991 and went on in 1992 to compete in many races, including three in Japan.

"I first moved here in 1995 and I was the only one here out on a road bike," said Schieven.

"And now you see them everywhere. It has been quite a transformation, obviously especially with GranFondo.

"I love seeing so many people get into road cycling.

"When I lived in Penticton I saw what the Iron Man did for that community and I'm seeing a little bit of that happening here with GranFondo even just with the bike stores now. It used to be hard to find a road tube and now they are all carrying things for both road and mountain. You can see the transformation happening."

Schieven believes the GranFondo could have the kind of impact on Whistler that Iron Man has on Penticton.

Tourism Whistler provided support to the GranFondo organizers when planning started.

It successfully lobbied to have the word Whistler included in the event title and Schieven said TW also worked with the GranFondo organizers to promote overnight stays connected with the event.

As a cyclist, Schieven understands that Whistler isn't going to become a top road cycling destination because the highway is too dangerous to ride for leisure.

"I think we're somewhat limited by the lack of roads, to be honest," said Schieven.

But the organization is still working to capture any cyclists who come and is eager to work on events such as GranFondos to grow visitor numbers.

A page on the TW website offers information on six ride routes. One of the suggested routes is the Tour de Whistler, a 52-kilometre route with 1,300 metres of accumulated elevation gain. Visitors to the TW road cycling page at whistler.com can print a ride and map that displays the nine hills on the circle route around the community.

The other TW recommended rides are; Whistler to the Olympic Park, Whistler to Pemberton, Whistler to Squamish and two rides from Pemberton out to the Meadows or Joffre Lake Park.

Hello B.C., the website maintained by Tourism B.C., offers one Internet page dedicated to cycling in Whistler. The page includes information on the Valley Trail and a number of other rides in or around Whistler.

According to Tourism B.C., the peak cycling season is from April to October and readers of the page are reminded of B.C.'s helmet law.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) also provides information for tourists looking for a cycling adventure.

Last year's GranFondo saw riders gather early one crisp September morning on Georgia Street in Vancouver with one thing on their minds: Whistler.

The racers raced and the more laidback riders went at their own pace, some pulled into every rest stop to use all the amenities and others set a quick pace determined to push themselves.

At the scenic Porteau aid station where my family and I volunteered we heard it all from the lycra-spandex clan. Some complained about the climb they had to do up off the highway to reach our aid station. Others went on about the great time they were having. Many thanked us for our offerings of fruit, energy drinks, mechanical support and first aid.

The level of enthusiasm was high and the energy viral that memorable day in September at the parking lot normally used by Deeks Creek hikers. The lot was transformed into a rest stop complete with a breathtaking view of Howe Sound.

The popularity of mass group riding is on the rise and the visibility of road cycling is growing thanks to the "big ride" concept around the continent. Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor joined the trend last year when the massive group of cyclists rolled 120 kilometres from Stanley Park to Village Gate Boulevard in the successful RBC GranFondo Whistler.

The biking event is an Italian concept. GranFondos are group bike rides that bring together mostly recreational cyclists for a trip that is usually at least 100 kilometres with elevation changes and an overall elevation gain. The rides usually also include a race element for competitive cyclists.

"It is the middle age guy with money and instead of having a mid-life crisis and buying cars, they're buying bikes now and they like this style of event," said bike touring company owner Robbin McKinney of Vancouver.

McKinney, the organizer of the Sea to Sky Mountain Bike Trail Challenge, said he saw hundreds of people riding in Vancouver after registration opened for the 2010 GranFondo.

 

Entrepreneurs welcome

Whistler cyclist Tony Routley sees an opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to give road warriors more of what they want.

Routley loves riding the Sea to Sky Highway and feels the route is becoming more popular.

"I spend a lot of time on that highway, that is for darn sure," said Routley while in New York participating in that city's first GranFondo.

"The highway upgrades have made it better for cycling, especially between Whistler and Squamish."

The mountainbike racer turned road-rider thinks the highway is a cool stretch of pavement where cyclists can go fast for long periods.

Routley said he sees a market for organized touring on the highway.

"Because of Team Whistler I get e-mails from people that are coming to visit and they ask all sorts of questions," said Routley. "They ask where they can ride their bikes. They know there is mountain biking going on but they don't really see us much as a road area so they are asking road questions. There are more people looking to our area, which is good for tourism."

Routley has been participating in Tuesday Team Whistler rides on the highway for a few years and his experience has him believing there is strength in numbers for those brave enough to ride Highway 99 between Pemberton and Vancouver.

Similar group and club rides take place regularly throughout the Sea to Sky corridor.

Cycling company tour operator Peter Weiland also enjoys the speed the Sea to Sky highway offers riders but he has some concerns about the ride as a tourist offering.

"For the destination tourist, I think it is a little too busy, that road," Weiland said.

Weiland's company, Rocky Mountain Cycle Tours, offers European tours. He also offers tours in Canada, including a supported eight-day ride for avid cyclists in top physical form from Lake Louise to Lillooet, Pemberton and Whistler.

The ride at the end of August is 1,000 kilometres in length and Weiland has offered the tour in the last three years. The ride participants spend a night in Pemberton then ride to Whistler and from there Weiland said the tour participants have the option of riding with him to Squamish so they can say they rode from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean. He said many of the participants did the optional leg to Squamish last year.

Weiland has no plans to offer other Sea to Sky Highway tours even though he wishes he could.

For the last 16 years McKinney has also organized a fun ride along the Sea to Sky Trail so he knows the local riding market. His companies also offer tours throughout Europe and Asia though his clients are mainly old and slow and generally willing to pay up to $3,000 for multi-day trips of up to 60-kilometres of riding a day.

Safety first

McKinney and Weiland agree that Highway 99 is busy- much busier than the roads they use for the tours offered in Europe. They both said the biggest barrier to offering successful tours on the Sea to Sky Highway is the speed of the vehicles on the route.

Routley said European country road drivers expect to be held up by cyclists and instead of honking and giving a single finger salute when they finally pass, the European drivers smile and wave as they navigate with care around groups of cyclists.

The slow pace of the country roads and the culture on those roads is ideal for companies offering bike tours.

The local GranFondo promoters know that is what cyclists are looking for when they do a long ride so they promised a route rivaling the scenic vistas of the Alps with a climb of 2,400 meters (almost 8,000 feet) and a safe lane separated from vehicles. They also promised aid stations, roving mechanical assistance and lunch in Squamish.

The key to it all is the dedicated lane for bicycles.

"I think that is the reason the Fondo thing took off," said McKinney. "Most people I talked to just wanted to ride it closed."

Routley knows the safety concerns first hand.

"I had a guy in a transport truck get out and start swinging at me after he ran me off the road with his truck," said Routley.

A number of signs encouraging drivers to share the road with cyclists can be seen along Highway 99. Routley said Team Whistler played a role in getting those signs in place to raise awareness of the cyclists on the road.

"I think there's still more that could and should be done," Routley said with confidence. "I think, actually, the driver's test should have a question about cyclists on the road."

McKinney said his tour participants are encouraged to take some very basic safety precautions.

"We do a bike talk when the trip starts and each day we remind people of the importance of riding single file and being aware of cars and when you do a shoulder check not to turn into the traffic," McKinney said.

Each of his guides carries a mobile phone and a first aid kit on tour. The ride leaders are trained in first aid and they are familiar with how to reach emergency services in the region.

For McKinney, choosing the tour routes is a key part of his safety program.

"I don't want people to ride with traffic if I can help it," he said. "There's two reasons; one is I'm worried about the liability of taking someone on a road if it isn't suitable and I know they aren't going to enjoy it if there's traffic and cars flying by at high speeds."

Safety concerns on Highway 99 aren't lost on Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed. He recently wrote a letter to the provincial Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Blair Lekstrom, lobbying to make Highway 99 safer.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler is calling for wider paved shoulders, more bike lane logos painted on the shoulders, a bike lane stripe painted along the highway and signage alerting drivers to be aware of cyclists.

No response to the mayor's letter has been received from the province yet.

GranFondo participants were kept well away from vehicles travelling on Highway 99 during the mass group ride last year. Neil McKinnon, A GranFondo organizer and one of the partners in TOIT Events, said the company hired by TOIT to manage traffic during the GranFondo Whistler used more than 15,000 pylons. Miller Capilano Maintenance Corp. followed a traffic management plan that called for a lane to be kept open for vehicular traffic and controlled by slow rolling company vehicles.

"It is a herculean effort to create a safe environment for the event to take place," said McKinnon.

Miller Capilano's traffic management plan worked well and McKinnon heaped praise on Miller Capilano.

"They had to actually physically change some of their vehicles to accommodate the capacity for pylons and dropping cones and all that stuff," McKinnon said. "They had to weld stuff on and change things. They had 90 people working through the night to put all that stuff down. It's unbelievable. We didn't even know."

McKinnon joked that they did eventually know - when the Miller Capilano bill arrived.

 

Impact measured

An economic impact study of the GranFondo was done last year. Conducted by a company form Ontario, it was commissioned by Tourism Whistler in partnership with the event organizers.

"It came back with a net GDP influx, admittedly a very conservative number, of $3 million," said McKinnon. "I think, again conservatively, we expect to double that because it doesn't take into any consideration pre-Fondos and people riding the course ahead of time.

"It doesn't really take into consideration support. It doesn't take into consideration a lot of bike sales and stuff in anticipation of the event. And it is really hard to measure out of province and out of town travellers."

Corsa Cycles in Squamish supported the inaugural ride. The store hosted a pre-Fondo social and cycling event in Squamish last August. The event featured a group ride followed by a barbeque. The bike shop gave participants an opportunity to test drive new demo bikes.

The bike and barbecue was just one connection the Squamish store had to the GranFondo and Corsa wasn't the only sponsor offering special events that generated economic spinoffs not captured in any studies.

A summer 2006 study done between the North Shore and Whistler gives some insight into the full potential impact of road cycling in the corridor. The study found that nearly $10.3 million came into the economy from non-residents using the mountain bike trails in the region. In that same season, the Whistler bike park generated an estimated $16.2 million in non-resident visitor spending in Whistler.

McKinnon sees future opportunity in the road cycling.

"We're at the infancy of the potential of road cycling and events," he said. "We have under our development right now numerous other scenarios that will be coming forward soon."

The GranFondo Canada website operated by TOIT currently indicates GranFondos for Alberta and Ontario are coming.

 

Bigger and better

McKinnon and his team are preparing for the 2011 edition of the GranFondo Whistler with some interesting new twists planned.

Bob Roll, a former pro rider and commentator best known for his television work during the Tour de France, will be involved in the pre and post ride festivities. Roll is also planning to ride to Whistler as a participant.

Former Premier Gordon Campbell was a honourary marshal last year and this year, according to McKinnon, Campbell plans to ride.

McKinnon described Campbell and former Highways Minister Kevin Falcon as big supporters. He said the event had Falcon's support in 2007 when it was pitched to him.

The organizers, said McKinnon, have created a two-day expo for participants during the ride package pick-up process. Planning is underway to create more activities in Whistler the night before the ride to encourage family and friends of the riders to go to Whistler early.

Efforts are also being made to move the cyclists through Squamish more quickly. The rest stop in Squamish was located at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre in 2010. The centre was busy on event day and McKinnon said the feedback from Squamish made it clear the impact on the community has to be reduced.

McKinnon also said work is underway to build on the finish line festivities organized last year.

The event has come a long way since 2007 when the idea was first discussed.

McKinnon said that when the concept started moving forward the goal was to sell 2,000 entries. Three weeks after registration opened almost 1,000 entries were purchased, the new maximum was pushed from 2,000 up to 4,000 and by mid-April of 2010 the event was sold out.

According to McKinnon, the idea of a mass citizen ride on the Sea to Sky Highway was hatched long before the GranFondo concept had caught on in other cities on this continent.

"In May of 2007 there was no Ride To Conquer Cancer at that point, there were no GranFondos and the word GranFondo wasn't on anyone's vernacular," said McKinnon. "There was nothing on the radar for cycling."

When the creators of the event were working on the concept they wanted to create some excitement that would challenge people and get them on their bikes to train regularly.

"It has to be something that is almost inaccessible," said McKinnon. "In our office we call it the 'unobtainium.' It is that spot you can't do unless it is organized for you."

The provincial government, according to McKinnon, believed from the start the event would be good for the economy. McKinnon and the concept supporters viewed the highway improvements as new infrastructure worth celebrating. McKinnon pointed out money was invested to build the new bike lanes on the highway and the government supports healthy living so it makes sense to create an event using and promoting the lanes. The provincial government didn't charge the event any fees to use the highway.

For McKinnon, the measure of success for the GranFondo is found in the level of interest next year.

McKinnon and his team, my family included, will have 7,000 cyclists who will vote with their cycling shoes on. If they all have a great time this September and they share their stories of a great experience with others, by McKinnon's measure of success, it won't be a stretch to have 10,000 cyclists registered for the 2012 event six months ahead of the third big ride along the Sea to Sky Highway.

"I think the biggest success is people want to come back," he said.

"People vote with their feet. If you are always cognizant of that then I think you have a sustainable event."

 

 



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