Submitted by the
Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary Club
With the deadline
to register for this year’s Kootenay Rockies Gran Fondo counting down to 11:59
p.m. Aug. 31, another entertainment headliner has been added to the big party
taking place at the end of the event Sept. 7.
Singer-songwriter
and Juno Award winner Barney Bentall will join the local group “The Testers” at
the party, which takes place at the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino, the
starting and finishing point of the event.
“How cool is
that,” says Al Davis of the Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary Club, which is organizing
the event along with major sponsor Taylor Adams Chartered
Accountants.
Bentall last
appeared at the Peterborough Music Festival Aug. 6 and rose to fame as a solo
artist founding the Legendary Hearts in the mid-1980’s. He later became a
rancher in B.C.’s Cariboo region recording hits such as “Gift Horse” and “Flesh
and Bones” and formed a new band The Bonaparte’s. orse Horse
Some 300 riders
are expected to register for the second annual fondo which consists of three
courses; the “Piccolo 57 km, the Medio 102 km and the Gran 152 km. All the
routes run from St. Eugene to Kimberley along the Rails to Trails bike route
with the longest also taking in Wasa and Fort Steele before returning to the St.
Eugene Pavilion for the windup dinner and party.
In recent years
Gran Fondos have become a world-wide phenomenon with some participants treating
them as a race and others as fun recreational events. In addition to prizes
awarded, Fondos are often used as fund-raisers, which is the case which is the
case with Rotary, which will use the money raised for various Rotary charitable
projects as well as donating some of the money raised to the Northstar Rails to
Trails Society.
Registration can
be completed online in less than five minutes at www.KRGF.ca . Any other
information registrants need can be found at the Kootenay Rockies Gran Fondo
site on Facebook.
In addition to a
continental breakfast, every rider in the event will get a swag bag with a
T-shirt, water bottle, mini-flashlight and a course map to help them through the
route. There will also be prizes awarded for the Best Team Spirit and King and
Queen of the Mountain Award for the fastest time up the grueling, Fort Steel
Hill.
The event is
expected to give a major boost to the local economy with participants coming
from all over the Kootenays as well as Alberta, other parts of Canada and the
western US.
All participants will receive:
ReplyDeleteA fully supported and traffic-controlled ride on some of the most scenic roads in the Kootenays.
Continental breakfast.
An authentic 2014 Kooteney Rockies Gran Fondo Dri-fit T-shirt.
Signature rider swag bag.
Full mechanical support throughout the duration of the ride. We'll get you back to the finish line safe and sound.
Several aid and medical stations along the route complete with food and beverages. Our aid stations will provide you with the energy to get going again. And our roving medics are there to assist should the need arise.
Secure bike parking during post-event celebrations.
Complimentary baggage check.
Bike wash after the ride.
Post ride meal.
Post-event activities and entertainment for you and your family.
Final results will be posted by category.