Dave Paul The second annual Bluewater International Granfondo is getting ready to roll. Organizers announced details of the cycling race and participation event last week. This year’s big race will be held Aug.
Dave Paul
The second annual Bluewater International Granfondo is getting ready to roll.
Organizers announced details of the cycling race and participation event last week.
This year’s big race will be held Aug. 6, with Mike Weir Park again serving as the hub of activity.
The inaugural last year was an enormous hit with registration selling out six weeks in advance.
“Now we’re trying to take that momentum and build on it,” said race chair Ken MacAlpine.
The maximum number of participants has been increased to 750 from 500, and that number could even rise to 800 riders, he said.
There are also plans for more entertainment and post-race celebrations at the park, with details to follow in coming months.
The race is again a fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Hospice and Palliative Care at Bluewater Health. Last year, about $30,000 was raised.
MacAlpine said the money comes primarily from registrations while sponsors help cover what’s needed to stage the race.
About 150 volunteers made last year’s event an overwhelming success, he added.
“This race is run entirely by volunteers. All the money that comes in goes toward the race and to our charities.”
This year’s proceeds will sponsor a palliative care forum in Sarnia later this year featuring three world-class speakers, he said.
Competitors are expected from across Canada and parts of the U.S. Though not part of the American granfondo circuit, Sarnia affiliated itself with the U.S. events so competitive cyclists are aware of it, MacAlpine said.
He also hopes to have several nationally ranked junior Canadians at the event, which sees racers timed using chips they carry over varying course lengths.
The longest course is 150 kilometres and divided into sections. The shorter courses are 100 and 50 kilometres.
The shortest is used primarily by the non-competitive and novice cyclists, which was the most rewarding feature of the Bluewater Granfondo, MacAlpine said.
A large number of participants were new to the sport and many became emotional when they crossed the finish line.
Training sessions held last year showed a growing enthusiasm for cycling, he said.
“Initially, we were expecting maybe 15 people to come out, but we ended up with 50 or 60. Eventually, we were getting over 100.”
A total of 10 training sessions will be held again this year, beginning in mid-May, at the intersection of Blackwell Road and Blackwell Sideroad.
