It is all about the expansive and dramatic terrain for cyclists.

鈥淚 like the course. I like that you鈥檙e really going to an awesome tour of the area,鈥� said Kelly Servinski of Squamish, who crossed the finish line to complete the 160-kilometre Granfondo distance with Axel Merckx. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not professional riders. It鈥檚 a lot of fun, it鈥檚 hard. The scenery is beautiful.鈥�

Servinski, among 2,500 riders in last Sunday鈥檚 event, said the people cheering on the riders from the sidelines provides a great atmosphere, as does the camaraderie with the other cyclists.

鈥淧enticton is a beautiful place to come,鈥� he said.

琉璃神社鈥檚 Peter Watson completed the 92-km Mediofondo distance and rode the course as a guide. He was asked by organizers to assist riders. Carrying extra equipment with him, Watson changed three tires and helped a couple of riders with dropped chains.

鈥淚t was really fun to see a different aspect of the race,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ypically I鈥檓 more towards the front row and fast. Today was all about cruising along; chatted with people. It was really cool to see. Everyone was smiling.鈥�

Penticton residents Sunette and Perold Louw finished the 55-km Cortofondo together.

鈥淚 think the drafting is a lot of fun. Just the spirit of the fondo and everybody is welcome,鈥� said Sunette, of what she likes most about Granfondo which was her third time participating. 鈥淚t is always quite a high just to be part of the event. I think if you feel strong, you can ride hard. If you feel like you are not strong, you can ride slow and still have a good time. It鈥檚 a very dynamic atmosphere.鈥�

Her husband added its nice to ride in the crowd, but he also enjoys the drafting aspect and 鈥渇lying down the highway.鈥� He said the event creates a nice atmosphere.

Trevor Linden, president of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks, who completed the 160-km Granfondo distance, has participated every year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always a great day here in Penticton,鈥� said Linden. 鈥淚t was hot, but it was nice. I like to work hard and then eat hamburgers after.鈥�

Merckx said it was another great year for the event as he received a lot of positive feedback from participants, the City of Penticton, sponsors and volunteers. The most important thing to Merckx is that everybody had a great time.

鈥淭here is a lot of enthusiasm behind the event,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are really proud of what we have done over the last seven years. We couldn鈥檛 have done it without the support of the city. That is important to us. The feeling that I have is that it is actually becoming the city鈥檚 event. This is their event. It鈥檚 really cool to see people rally behind that.鈥�

The event concluded Monday with a volunteer appreciation night.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge part, an important part of our event,鈥� said Merckx. 鈥淲e want to be thankful to all the volunteers.鈥�

Piccolofondo a hit with families

The Piccolofondo on Saturday attracted 300 kids.

鈥淚t is a huge part of our weekend,鈥� said Merckx, whose wife, Jodi, is behind organizing that event. 鈥淚t brings a lot of enthusiasm, not only to the participants, but I think to the local community also. A lot of local families sign up their kids. It is a cool event to be part of.鈥�

William Lemieux, nine, experienced glory on the hot day, winning his race.

鈥淭he race was hard. It was just quite easy to win,鈥� said William, part of a riding group in Calgary.

The Piccolofondo is free for kids 12 and under as they participate in a race as small as 400 metres up to five km in a loop past Okanagan Lake and around Gyro Park.

Apex Mountain Hill Climb

Between 40 and 50 cyclists rode the Passo Apex Hill Climb Race last Saturday, which is 12 km featuring an elevation of 861 m with an average gradient of 7.9 per cent. said it is worthy of the Tour de France. Merckx agreed it was a difficult climb.

鈥淚 took my time. It was a nice ride up there. It鈥檚 kind of a nice warm up for the fondo,鈥� said Merckx. 鈥淚鈥檓 just looking to have a good time with some friends.鈥�

Merckx, who competed in the Tour de France, said the climb reminded him of the famous L鈥橝lpe d鈥橦uez climb in France. Merckx said Apex Mountain road is pretty steep in the beginning, hard in the start, and it gets better towards the end.

鈥淚t gets less steep towards the end of the climb,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wider and less switchbacks. On the grade side, it really reminds me of that climb.鈥�

sports@pentictonwesternnews.com
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