Fondos/RTCC = Great Wildebeest Migration?

Seems like every time one of these runs someone dies or is critically injured. It's like when the herbivores get to the river in the BBC documentaries and they bust across and inevitably one or two gets eaten by an alligator.

RBC Fondo airlift

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that these types of events shouldn't happen. What I am wondering is if that's part of the attraction of the events, that way around the water cooler/law office power lunch people can ask them: "hey, didn't someone die on that bike thing you did?"

Any fondoists care to comment?

Ya totally, everybody looks forward to talking about all the people that got hurt.

If you don't live,y'aint gonna die!

bet 10x as many people get hurt in the bikepark everyday..

$300 to ride a bike on a highway with a bunch of people that likely ride their bike 10 times a year… The 10 days before this even…. Blows my mind. Versus $30 for the Westside Funduro. I just can't get around the value statement for riding a bike down a public road.

That said, on the way back from a Bounce party, we got to join for the 4km ride from Function to Creekside… Which made me wonder how many people just jump in at West Van and do it for free, as they can't actually kick a cyclist off a public road and RCMP certainly won't force them to ride in the narrow restricted vehicle traffic lane. We were instructed to just ride in and stay to the right.

bet 10x as many people get hurt in the bikepark everyday..

My wife flys the air ambulance. Every time there is crankworks, 2 medivacs a day from the park. Otherwise it is 1 every 2 days from when the park opens until it is closed. You can count on it. Way more injuries per use from bike park than fondo. I still wouldn't pay 250 to ride to Whis.

Betcha the Fondo organizers just cake it with these events. Its $250 to ride from downtown, $250 to ride from Squampton, and $500 for VIP from downtown, plus all the corporate teams.

Its damn sketchy to be riding down a hill at 60+km/h in traffic wearing little more than some painted on nylon and some foam on the top of your head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL4iVQyp9L4

Was going to enter but other plans came up, figured I'd do it just to do it once.

Not really sure what the point of this thread is, but if your goal was to act like an elitist dick online, you came pretty close to succeeding

How many souls where crushed by Phil Chew?

It's the annual thread posting.

Every year after the Whistler Fondo.

waits for zed to complain he couldn't get to the beer store cause the road was closed

How many souls where crushed by Phil Chew?

Quite a few. He went by our street at a pace that would be just around four and a half hours I think. Guy on his wheel had a face that said…fuck this, I might as well take up knitting. For those who don't know. Phil Chew is well past 60 and lost a leg a long time ago. Was it cancer enduramil? One tough soab.

I don't expect people that don't road ride a lot to understand the attraction. It costs a lot to enter but it also costs a lot to put on. But I wouldn't pay money to go up a lift and ride only down. Not when the whistler valley is full of amazing free trails that aren't crowded. That said I see why people love the park.

Quite a few. He went by our street at a pace that would be just around four and a half hours I think. Guy on his wheel had a face that said…fuck this, I might as well take up knitting. For those who don't know. Phil Chew is well past 60 and lost a leg a long time ago. Was it cancer enduramil? One tough soab.

Yes it was Cancer back in 1977. What is not mentioned is before he became the BC Disabled Ski Team coach…he became a successful commercial fisherman.

Still recall back in 95 seeing him at the finish of the Cheakamus Challenge. As I recall, after hearing that thought unless I breakmy frame or break my left Femur. Any DNF excuses are now invalid.

I don't expect people that don't road ride a lot to understand the attraction. It costs a lot to enter but it also costs a lot to put on. But I wouldn't pay money to go up a lift and ride only down. Not when the whistler valley is full of amazing free trails that aren't crowded. That said I see why people love the park.

I used to look at the roadies and chuckle thinking that I was somehow more gnar-core than they were because I didn't wear lyrca and rode down mountains. In approx. 2 years time I went from never really pedalling to owning a 29er hardtail and a road bike today.

i rode from van to whis yesterday , started at the top of taylor way at 8.00 am . . . apparently there was some kind of mass participation event going on because by the time i got to lions bay there were more and more riders on the road .

by the time i got to the furry creek hill i could tell i was in the middle of something big . by that time i had passed a guy on a unicycle , a handcycler , a whole bunch of folks who were going to be on the road for a long time ( and knew it ) , and a bunch of people who were only just beginning to grasp the magnitude of what they had undertaken .

one of the first persons i passed was a woman stand up climbing out of lions bay , and not enjoying it . i advised her to get off the big ring , to which she replied " how do i do that ? " her english was not good , but i was able to get her to stop and get off the bike while i proceeded to give her a front / rear derailleur 101 . she was totally ignorant of the fundamentals of her own bike , which was a new entry level carbon framed trek .

a lot of the participants are out there doing something they might never have attempted before , and seeing the increased numbers of riders on the sea to sky shows the new growth of ( road ) cycling .

if they weren't so damn expensive i might even consider entering one , but as it is , i'll just enjoy riding along on a beautiful day with the thousands of others on a closed road . sure it'd be nice to get the pin , use the facilities along the way , and bask in the reflection of the ride with the others at the end in the beer garden , but it ain't 275 bux worth , at least to me .

weird , 5 km north of squish would be an uphill section , but those fast guys could hurt themselves anywhere i guess .

big challenge in those events is the combination high motivation , reasonable to good fitness , and ZERO bike handling / group riding skills .

on my ride yesterday , i was starting way , way off the back so in any situation i was the one overtaking so i could assess and set up each pass . even after squamish , i was only passed ( and stayed passed ) by two riders .

great ride , highly recommended .