The Koops Classic Granfondo road race on Sunday, June 22 is not just a race for serious cyclists.
It's an event that promises to have mass appeal for bike riders of all abilities.
Riders have a choice of making a return trip from Prince George to Purden Mountain resort and back covering a 125-kilometre course, or the traditional 60 km route from Purden to Prince George, a road that ends at Pineview elementary school on Old Cariboo Highway.
"We've tweaked the race to try to improve the numbers, it's meant to give the average everyday rider a supported ride," said Matt Thomson, the Prince George Cycling Club's road racing director.
"A racer can go out and do either distance, 125 km or 60 km, and there's food at the turnaround points, there's tech support and it's just all about people going out and doing a beautiful ride. This nice thing about this is you can be as competitive as you want or just take your time."
According to Thomson, it will be the first granfondo race ever held in northern B.C. The idea to have a race that includes riders of all abilities has its origins in Italy in the early 1900s. He said the Prince George race will provide an longer-race introduction for local riders who plan on entering granfondo series events planned for this summer in several southern B.C. cities.
Last year's 40th annual Koops Classic road race was cancelled days before the race due to road construction along Highway 16, which caught race organizers unaware. Thomson and two other riders went out on a chilly October day to ride the course, which he admitted was one of the toughest rides he's ever done.
"We kept it alive but it was very cold," Thomson said.
The club has consistently been drawing between 25 and 30 riders for its weekly road races and time trials. Thomson said if they could get 50 riders for the Koops event it would be considered a huge success.
The June 22 race starts at 9 a.m., when the 125km granfondo riders leave Pineview school. Ten minutes later, the half-distance (mediofondo) riders will start from Purden. The fastest racers on the 125km course will require about 3 1/2 hours to finish.
The cost to enter is $25 for PGCC members and $60 for non-members. Go to pgcyclingclub.ca for more information and to register online or, for a $5 discount, register at Koops Bikes, 1659 Nicholson St.
