Your criticism of the GranFondo [Editorial: Dear GranFondo Whistler published Sept. 5]. suggests that it is a problem requiring an all-or-nothing solution.
I participated in the GranFondo for the first time last year, and I’m also a former resident who looks forward to visiting friends and family in Brackendale every year. The enthusiasm, cheering, and support from the Squamish residents lining the road was amazing, and at odds with your opinion piece. There was one family near Garibaldi Highlands barbecuing bacon and handing it out to the riders!
It’s too bad that GranFondo’s planners seemed to have overlooked Squamish. For example, the Squamish rest stop was set up in a nondescript portion of the highway near the Cat Lake entrance.
Why not get some marketing value and set it up in the more spectacular section near the Chief? Why not include some local businesses in the setup and operation of the rest stops? Most importantly, the planners didn’t have any options for those of us who needed ourselves, our bags or our bikes picked up and dropped off in Squamish before and after the race; we only had options in Vancouver or Whistler, forcing us to depend on friends for rides, or rent or borrow a vehicle.
Perhaps if some of these issues (and others) could be addressed by the GranFondo planners, it would be a lot less wearying for the residents of Squamish.
Peter Amelunxen
Former Squamish resident
