The wheels are in motion for this weekend’s 2018 Prospera Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan (PGAMO), which culminates with 2,400 riders leaving the starting gate Sunday morning in downtown Penticton.
And while there are similar events held throughout the country, according to race director Jeff Plant, this one is extra special.
“We like to distinguish ourselves as being a truly destination event, this is something where you just don’t come to ride the cycling event, you come to experience all that the region has to offer in terms of tourism, wineries, outdoor experiences, beaches and all that sort of thing,” said Plant. “We’re now in our eighth year and we’ve established ourselves as a very successful event. We’re quite proud of how well this represents Penticton and the region.”
Starting Friday (July 6) is a two-day Granfondo Cycling Expo at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and package pickup for riders from 1 to 7 p.m. with a rider briefing set for 5 p.m.
The two-wheeled action gets underway Saturday with the Passo Apex Hill Climb race starting at 9 a.m. at the base of Apex Mountain Road and running to 11 a.m.
“We have about 50 riders who will be racing up Apex, which was something new last year,” said Plant. “They loved it. We designed it for people who wanted an extra challenge. We thought they’d like to tackle something a bit harder for the weekend.”
Also on Saturday is the kids’ Piccolofondo, which is a fun event for the younger set, running from 2 to 4 p.m. and starting at Gyro Park.
New this year, according to Plant, is the reconfiguration of the start/finish line which instead of Main Street will be at Okanagan Lake Park.
Riders will line up on Lakeshore Drive at Main Street for the start.
Axel Merckx, the Belgian Olympian and Tour de France racer who the event is named after, will be in attendance again this year along with some of his team members. Axel’s father Eddy Merckx is a five-time Tour de France winner.
Start time for the main events is 7 a.m. Sunday which features everything from a casual ride through the scenic countryside to the heart-stopping action of the pro riders.
The 160-kilometre Granfondo features a more than 1,600-metre elevation rise, starting up Vancouver Hill, along Highway 97 to Summerland then back through Penticton to Oliver on to the White Lake Grasslands Protected area, passing 34 of the country’s top wineries along the route.
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The newest ride category is the 126-kilometre Velocefondo, which officials describe as a stepping stone for riders in the other two events, Cortofondo (55 km) and Mediofondo (92 km).
The huge range of participants come mainly from B.C. Plant estimates about 90 per cent (mostly from the Lower Mainland) with a significant draw from Alberta and a “smattering” from other provinces as well as Washington State, Australia and Europe.
Women make up about 34 per cent of the total ridership.
“We encourage people to come down and check it out and come down and enjoy the beer gardens and the entertainment,” said Plant.
To facilitate the event there will be a number of road closures along portions of the route and the public can see the times and locations on the PGAMO website.