Riding down the canyon in the morning sunshine alongside thousands of friendly riders and surrounded by mountain ranges at untold speeds (my speedometer stopped working after 40 clicks), I only had one thought - phenomenal.
Part race, part mass ride, the 120-kilometre route from Vancouver to Whistler welcomed 4,000 cyclists to the Sea to Sky Highway Saturday (Sept. 11) in celebration of a unique challenge of spectacular and unforgiving terrain.
"Today we had the chance to define the GranFondo," said organizer Kevin Thomson. "And how did we define it? We provided an unimpeded route for cyclists as the priority vehicle, the only unimpeded mass ride in all of North America."
Many riders were locals, but the event also attracted cycling enthusiasts from all over North America, including San Francisco, Halifax, Toronto, Houston and even Honolulu.
Squamish was well represented in the ride with 14 women and 37 men. I and four other Squamish residents completed the 60-kilometre from Squamish to Whistler.
The mass ride also included a giro component of 144 racers.
Chris Christie was Squamish's fastest male with a time of three hours and 23 minutes.
Christie said riders were giddy with excitement from the outset.
"It was definitely a highlight to ride across the Lions Gate Bridge and have it all to ourselves," said Christie. "But really, it's a novelty to host a race like this in the corridor."
Squamish more than held its own with five local competitors arrived less than a second behind the leader, including Trek Red Truck Racing's Leah Kirchmann who came in second in the women's division.
North Vancouver pro cyclist Andrew Pinfold, who competes for United Health Care, won the men's giro in three hours and 14 minutes. Not even a second behind, Nic Hamilton place second and Tim Abercrombie placed third.
Total Restoration's Leah Guloien won the women's race in three hours and 44 minutes, defeating Kirchmann and Claire Cameron in third. All three were also less than a second apart.
I was ready for the Squamish to Whistler leg, but it was only thanks to the incredible generosity of several locals that I made it to the GranFondo start line at all.
The previous evening, I realized the bike I was supposed to use was out of commission so I rushed to Tantalus Bike Shop hoping they might have one to rent. There were none left.
That's when Squamish massage therapist Susan Chapelle offered to lend me, a complete stranger, her Kona Zing road bike, a swanky ride even next to the thousands of high end bikes entered in the GranFondo.
"You live here right? This is what small communities are all about," was the only explanation she offered when I gaped at her generosity.
Then it was the Tantalus guys' turn to step in -they adjusted the borrowed bike for free, and they threw in a free jersey to boot. Still reeling from my luck, I rushed down to Vancouver's Canada Place to pick up my number, timing ship and free goodies.
As the riders finished the first 60 kilometres, they had the chance to catch their breath and get some food at the Corsa Sosta rest area in the Brennan Park parking lot.
"Food, bathrooms and wine, food, bathrooms and wine," was blasted over the loudspeaker again and again.
Corsa Cycles, the Squamish Station midway sponsor, were on location with tools in hand for any dilemma that might arise.
Apples, bananas, cookies, power bars and nuts greeted the hungry cyclists, and Whistler's Barefoot Bistro had full pasta meals and wine for anyone who wanted a more hearty meal.
But riders didn't have a chance to stay very long since they had to maintain an average of 15 kilometres an hour throughout, or risk getting picked up by a pace car.
Heading under Kingswood crossing toward Alice Lake, riders within earshot joked about how long they had to go.
"This is the other hill," said one cyclist.
"Ha! You mean the other hill that goes all the way to Whistler," laughed another.
Squamish residents cheered on the participants through town, and one resident had a free chocolate fondue station set up at the Squamish Valley road intersection, although some riders regretted overindulging at the delicious rest stops.
"Three glasses of wine in Squamish may have been too much," said one rider as he puffed passed Brohm Lake.
Every 10 kilometres a sign was erected to let cyclists know how far they had come, and unanimous cries of excitement greeted each one.
"The support of everyone riding was unreal," said Vancouver participant Toby Russell. "One of my favourite parts was reading all the different jerseys as they went by that and making it to the top of Furry Creek hill."
Squamish Medio participant Michelle Steenssens,who finished in three hours and 24 minutes, said the ride took her love for biking to the next level.
"It was exhilarating, and everyone on the ride was so supportive, although not enough to push me up the hill," she said jokingly. "I'm going to sign up for next year's ride tomorrow."
Squamish's Wayne Smith, who has been racing for more than 30 years, rode the entire 120 kilometres. The route was very familiar for Smith, who used to ride a three-day race from Vancouver to Pemberton in the '80s. He said the road was a little different back then.
"Coming down West Georgia at 65 kilometres was an amazing experience," he said, "and I was riding with a great group the last 30 kilometres and it was great.
He said the ride's organization and the fact that they were able to actually close a portion of the highway was impressive.
"In all my years of riding, I've never seen organization like this."
At the finish line in Whistler, after climbing 2,400 metres, the looks of nervousness and excitement from the start line were replaced with exhaustion, relief and exhilaration.
Thomson commended his "sensational" team of organizers for their hard work and dedication. He said the timing for a GranFondo was right - so many people love cycling, and the spirit of special events is still strong after the Olympics.
"I've had adrenaline pumping through my blood all day," he said.
However, giving cyclists an eight-hour window to dominate a full lane unimpeded by vehicles or traffic regulations didn't happen without some traffic delays in Squamish and Whistler.
GranFondo Canada tried to mitigate the inconvenience with $500,000 in traffic management, according to Thomson.
He said he regretted the delays but thanked the communities for their support.
"We couldn't have made this happen without Squamish's support," he said. "We have to thank them for letting cyclists take precedence for the morning."
At the finish line, every rider received a GranFondo medal and then entered the celebration area where cover band Famous Players entertained tired participants and the grill sold burgers and beer.
GranFondo organized buses and bike shuttles for $40 per person and $30 per bike to take participants and their bikes back on Sunday. Anyone who wanted to head back Saturday either had to arrange their own ride or hop on the Greyhound.
The excitement was dampened when news came of a serious crash in the early stages of the ride. John Botelho, a 49-year-old accountant and triathlon race organizer from Victoria, rode over a drainage grate on the Upper Levels Highway blowing both tires and sending him careening into a concrete median. He sustained serious head injuries and at press time he remained in an induced coma at Lions Gate Hospital.
