The Creston Kootenay Lake Grand Fondo is on its way to the valley, with several rides for bikers of all abilities.
President of the Rotary Club of Creston and chair for the Grand Fondo, Don Low, says they are trying to call them rides and not races.
“This year, we have four different rides that you can choose from. The grand is the longest, and the piccolo is the shortest of the road rides.”
The Grand Fondo was started in 2019 and took a bit of a break following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year was their first year back.
“This is our third year and, for us, it is twofold. We want to bring people to the valley. We love the valley and we think it’s beautiful. We think we have something that people will like here. And we use it as a fundraiser for our local Rotary projects.”
This year, Low says they partnered up with the Lower Kootenay Band.
“We wanted to get the band involved more. The entire race is on their traditional territory and we wanted to get them involved a little more.”
“We’ve been lucky here with not a lot of smoke. We hope the weather will be great in late September. It’s usually beautiful. The leaves are starting to turn. It’s a fabulous ride up the lake and back. The views are unparalleled, so we really want people local and distant to support us.”
The fondo will take place on September 23. Those wishing to sign up can do so on the website.