JASPER – Athletes of all levels will be flocking to the Rocky Mountains to partake in the Grand Fondo Jasper and Banff Jasper Relay.
Both events are hosted by MultiSportsCanada and take place on June 7.
“They both complement each other,” said Trevor Soll, owner and director of MultiSportsCanada. “Obviously, cyclists do run, but it is basically two separate groups of athletes that get involved with the events.”
The two events have taken place on the same day ever since the Banff Jasper Relay Society had handed over its event to MultiSportsCanada several years ago.
“Before that, we were not necessarily competing on the same day but sort of sharing resources, so then it just fell under my umbrella, and it kind of made sense to keep the same date, since we had the same resources involved anyway,” Soll said.
Started in 2014, the Grand Fondo Jasper is Canada’s only fondo to take place inside a Canadian national park and involves cyclists racing down the highways south of the Jasper townsite.
This year, there will be a 165-km Grand Fondo, a 100-km Medio Fondo and a 65-km Piccolo and e-bike Fondo. Both the 190-km Forte Fonda and the 126-km Leg Burner were cancelled due to the aftermath of the 2024 wildfire, which has closed Edith Cavell Road and a portion of Highway 93A.
Registration for the Grand Fondo is down slightly this year, but Soll noted the Forte Fonda had only catered to a small group of athletes, and those who had signed up had the opportunity to switch events.
“The Leg Burner was a new event that we had added last year,” he added. “It was a bigger group of athletes, but at the same time, they were able to switch it to the other distances, making their lives a little bit easier at the end of the day.”
The Banff Jasper Relay is completed in 15 stages that are split into two phases completed simultaneously. The south phase starts at Castle Mountain Junction just north of Banff and ends at Saskatchewan River Crossing, while the north phase goes the rest of the way to Jasper.
Teams of 15 can complete the entire route, or smaller teams can just tackle either the north or south phase. The wildfire has not affected the route.
“Attendance is looking to be similar to last year, so I think the feedback over the last couple years has been really good for the event,” Soll said. “The only difference is people running toward Jasper will have a different visual aspect once they cross those set areas.”
Although there is a shortage of hotel rooms in Jasper post-wildfire, Soll said limited and pricey accommodations have always been a hurdle.
“We’re still dealing with the same situation, just with a smaller inventory, but I haven't had any feedback from athletes saying, ‘Hey, there's nothing available,’” he said. “Things are always available. It just comes down to when they book and how much people are willing to spend.”
The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum is volunteering to help run the Grand Fondo, while the Jasper Rotary Club will look after the relay in support of the Hinton women’s shelter.
Soll invited residents to see the Grand Fondo cyclists start their race at 7:30 a.m. on June 7, along Bonhomme Drive in front of the Activity Centre. Anyone wishing to volunteer can reach out to MultiSportsCanada or the volunteer groups.
