I am assuming it is safe to say that very few (read: NOBODY) made the trek out to Penticton this past weekend for the inaugural Axel Merckx Granfondo? I can hear the questions now: Who is Axel Merckx? What the heck is a “Granfondo”??
Answer to the first question: a former pro cyclist with an incredible pedigree, being the son of arguably the best cyclist ever, Eddy Merckx. Axel was no slouch himself and rode for a number of top teams in his day including Mapei, Domo and Telekom.
Answer to the second question, straight from Wikipedia:
“ A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually.
Cyclosportive is short for the French term randonnée cyclosportive (the spelling cyclosportif is sometimes also used but cyclosportive is correct as randonnée is a feminine noun in French). The Italian term gran fondo is commonly used for these events in the United States.
Sportives are cycling's cousin of running’s marathon; rather than racing other participants, many cyclists use sportives to challenge themselves in a personal battle against the distance and then ultimately, the clock. Also like the marathon, the top placed riders in a cyclosportive ride the event like a race and there are prizes awarded and considerable prestige for top place finishers in events like La Marmotte, L'Étape du Tour and the Ardechoise.
A cyclosportive falls between a traditional cycle road race and a non-competitive randonnée or Audax event. Riders normally carry a number and the time they take to complete the course is recorded. There is usually an upper time limit within which the course must be completed (unlike many randonnée events, there is no lower limit preventing riders from completing the course quickly). The already lengthy course will traditionally include climbs and difficult riding conditions, adding to the merit of the event (e.g. the cobblestones of the Paris–Roubaix).
The routes will usually be well sign-posted and/or marshalled (some cyclosportives take place on roads which have been closed to motor traffic for the duration of the event), riders will be able to use feeding stations positioned at intervals along the route to replenish their food and drink supplies and mechanical and medical support may also be provided. Some attract thousands of participants - since 2000 l'Etape du Tour has offered places to 8,500 riders each year.”
What it boils down to is a wicked excuse to rally a ton of people together for a fun day on the bike, and encouraging everyone to get of the couch and out for a long day of exercise . Now that we have that out of the way…Axel’s Fondo was a huge success and drew over 2000 riders out in great weather and in a superb setting in the Okanagan. Looks to me like everyone had a blast…anyone out there thinking that we need one of these in the Atlantic Provinces? Hmmmm.
Big thanks to Tri NB friends Eddie and Janice D. who were there volunteering for the event and were able to snap a few quick pics at the rollout in the morning. Cheers!
http://www.granfondoaxelmerckx.com/
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