This is what I am training for – the 2016 Whistler Gran Fondo, one of the items on my Cycling Bucket List.
What is a gran fondo?, you ask.
“Gran fondos are mass participation cycling events that have enjoyed incredible popularity in Europe for decades and are gaining momentum in North America. Loosely translated from Italian, gran fondo means “big ride”. These rides are often a hundred kilometres or more and designed for a large number of cyclists at a variety of skill levels – everyone from the competitive cyclist to the amateur enjoy these events. The rides are judged by the challenges they offer: steep climbs, long distances and a combination of the two.”
I found the above video on YouTube last evening. I have watched either the start or finish of the ride many times but have never experienced the ride itself. This video provides a sense of the ride, the speed of the lengthy descents, and the effort required on many of the climbs. During the ride, the cyclist’s cadence, speed and power output are displayed as well as the grade of the climbs and descents – all helpful information for a guy in training.
If you are not a road cyclist, the video is worth watching for the views alone. The Sea-to-Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler is one of the most picturesque rides in the world.
PedalWORKS 
This is an awesome goal to add to the cycling bucket list. In fact, I might have to start one of those lists myself.
Thanks Anthony. We need goals. They keep us focused. Good luck with your list.
It’s a great ambition. Here in England, “gran fondos” are known by a French name, “sportif,” Anglicised to “sportive.” I did my first one a few years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Thanks for this. I have wondered what a “sportive” is. I have completed a lot of “centuries” but never one this much elevation gain.
Having watched the video I’m sure that 2bikesborg will agree that the British sportive is a different beast to the Whistler Gran Fondo. We’re mostly on secondary roads following tangled routes that take you up hill and down dale to get in every climb in the area. Any single ascent is often only tens of metres, but after 100 miles you’ve typically faced a cumulative total of 1500 metres plus. To be honest I hate every single second of them (I’m a sprinter not a climber) but when I reach the finish line I’m thinking about entering another one.
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