What's in store

Race day

  • 2nd Saturday of September
  • 55km, 122km, 152km options
  • North America’s largest Gran Fondo
  • Vancouver / Whistler, BC

Expo, swag & package pickup

  • Friday September 4
  • Canada Place, Vancouver
  • Pick up your race package, swag, plus discover vendors, giveaways, promos, merch and more

Build up & afterwards

Get involved throughout the summer with training clinics, brewery parties, event week shakeout rides, contests and much more.

Afterwards, take advantage of slowdown wellness activities to help ease the transition back into real life.

Loyalty program & Ride Club

Earn a permanent loyalty reward of between 5-15% off when you ride more than 2 events.

Plus, with Ride Club, see your comprehensive rider profile showing your participation and achievements

Registration Includes

Your registration covers the cost of ensuring a traffic free lane between Vancouver and Whistler, as well as:

  • Swag bag
  • Medal (Forte XL version)
  • Nutrition support
  • Medical support
  • Sweep support
  • Mechanical support
  • Post-ride celebration
  • Post-ride meal & drink
  • Chip timing
  • Results, leaderboard and age group rankings
    Pre event rides, expo etc

Event Day

Course and categories

RBC GranFondo Whistler is a point to point (Vancouver to Whistler) cycling event for all categories except the Medio (start and finish in Whistler).

There are 3 distance categories with details on the race distances page.

The course features a fully traffic free lane from Vancouver along the famous and spectacular Sea to Sky highway.

In addition to the categories above, riders can choose:

  • Alta Classe upgrade (VIP all-inclusive lounge package + first across the bridge)
  • Military/service-people reduced entry / Invictus Games Alumni
  • U23 pricing ($100)

Bag drop

At the Expo the day before the ride, you’ll be able to drop a bag that will be waiting in Whistler at the finish area.

Note, there is NO bag drop at the startline except for Alta Classe riders.

Many hotels have a baggage room to hold the rest of your belongings until you return. We recommend visiting the Solutions desk at the Expo or emailing info@rbcgranfondo.com if this does not work for you.

Aid stations

All categories are well served by aid stations located approximately 25km apart.

Aid station services include: athlete food and hydration, water, real food (see Nutrition Guide), mechanical, medical, toilets, bike parking, waste stream separation + great volunteer vibes and signature surprises.

We strongly recommend planning to be self-sufficient on event day. Bring full water bottles to the start line, know which nutrition brands will be available and familiarize yourself with them before the day, plus pack your own pockets with bars, candy etc based on your preferences. Think of aid stations as supplements to your own strategy.

Rider Support - event day

On course, we provide the following services: roving bike marshals for general help, roving mechanics for minor bike issues, fast medical response, chip timing, semi-live tracking, participant photography, sweep vehicles. Static medical and mech support will also be present at all aid stations.

In the event build up, we’ll share videos and posts featuring tips on nutrition, hydration, race prep and rider safety etc on our social channels @rbcgranfondo, through ambassadors and on the blog.

Virtual

We offer the choice to participate in the RBC GranFondo Whistler virtually!

Virtual riders have the 7 days of event week to ride 122km anywhere in the world and submit their times online.

You’ll receive the same physical swag and medal as in-person participants, mailed directly to you.

In addition, virtual riders will still contribute to their Ride Club and Loyalty reward tallies.

Participant tracking

We offer semi-live tracking through the RTRT.me app. When you pick up your race package and get assigned a number, we’ll email you a link to your unique tracking link to share with your loved ones.

Finish line experience

Enjoy the thrill of having your name called out crossing the iconic Whistler finish line flanked by thousands of cowbell-ringing fans - you’ve earned it!

Next up, you’ll find bike parking, medals, bag pickup and changing rooms waiting for you in Lot 4.

On the other side of the bridge on the Olympic grass we’ve built you Celebration Plaza. Here, there’s food and drink, music, sun chairs, kids’ activities, massage, team and clinic meetup tents, merchandise, re-registration offers and the Alta Classe lounge.

Ceremonies

Join us for the high-energy awards ceremony at 1pm! 

The fastest riders from the event’s different categories will be joined by special guests for the feature podium presentation, complete with champagne spraying.

Prizes & results

Different categories offer different prizes - for specific prizing information, see the Race Distances page.

All finishers will receive a bespoke commemorative medal, including an XL version for 152km Forte riders.

In addition, results will be available online complete with gendered and 5-year age groups rankings to see how you stack up against your peers!

Event shuttles

We offer passenger and bike shuttles returning to downtown Vancouver (Concord Pacific Place, 88 Pacific Blvd) after the event.

Passenger shuttles depart from 4pm on Saturday and from select hotels on Sunday morning.

Bike shuttles depart Saturday from 2pm with bikes available to pick up Saturday and Sunday (all bikes must be picked up by Sunday 3.30PM)

To book, visit Race Roster and click on the Store button

Photography

Professional photographers will be on course and at the finish line to capture your epic moments. Be sure to flash those grins!

You’ll be sent a link shortly after the event to find and purchase your photos.

Slowdown events

After Celebration Plaza closes, keep those good vibes going with our slowdown programming in tandem with the Audain Art Museum and Scandinave Spa.

You’ll be able to enjoy activities such as yoga, sound baths, lounge access and guided museum tours plus complimentary gifts, with ticket info emailed to you when registration opens.

A to Z Guide

Alta Classe

Alta Classe is the VIP, all-inclusive upgrade at RBC GranFondo Whistler. Enjoy:

  • Express package pickup service at VeloSpoke
  • First to start – be first over the Lions Gate Bridge after the racers depart
  • Stanley Park start line lounge
  • Event day bag check – drop a bag off at the start line and it will be waiting for you in Whistler
  • Celebration Plaza lounge at the finish festival with all-inclusive gourmet catering and drinks
  • Exclusive gifts from our premium sponsors
  • Expo and finish line massage
  • Plus more surprises!

Discover Alta Classe

Awards

RBC GranFondo Whistler has been the proud recipient of many awards since receiving its first: the City of Vancouver Special Event Award in 2011, one year after founding.

The event has won North America’s Best Gran Fondo award 5 times since 2017, and was recently honored by Mayor Ken Sim who issued a proclamation that the 2nd Saturday in September is to be known as Gran Fondo day in the City of Vancouver.

Charity

We are partnered with the YWCA’s Gear Up program, which participants have the opportunity to donate to during registration.

Gear Up aims to provide youth from ages 15-30 with the skills and experience to become a certified bike mechanic. The 13 week program includes skill development workshops, honorariums for completed milestones, one-on-one job search support, and more.

Group / club incentives

Register as a club or group of 5+ and receive access to discounted pricing.

Learn more

Event combos

We run other events that you’ll love including XFondo Whistler and GranFondo Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

Register for 2 events at the same time and save 10%

Register for all 3 and get 15% off!

Events must be in the same calendar year and discounts cannot be retroactively applied.

Register for a combo

Expo

Pick up your race package, swag, plus discover vendors, giveaways, promos, merch and more. 

VeloSpoke Bike Expo is the day before the event - and when things start feeling that bit more real!

FAQs - Frequently asked questions

Got questions?

Most of the questions you will have about the event as a participant, potential participant or spectator are covered in our FAQ section. 

FAQs

Gift entry

Give the gift of the Fondo! You can send a full registration or contribute towards the cost of one to your friends and loved ones. 

You’ll get sent a code via email that can be instantly redeemed.

Select the gift entry button

Group / club / St. Regis Cup incentives

Register as a club or group of 5+ and receive access to discounted pricing.

CLUBS

Clubs affiliated with their provincial body (e.g. Cycling BC) receive fixed pricing year round at the January tier level (super early bird) via discount codes.

To request discount codes for your club, fill out this form

TEAMS/ GROUPS/ CORPORATE (5+ RIDERS)

If you’re a group 5 or more riders entering as friends, a company or simply not organized as an affiliated club, you qualify to receive discount code pricing at the previous tier at time of form submission (e.g. submit form June 1st, get Jan-April pricing)

To request discount codes for your group of 5+ riders, fill out this form.

ST. REGIS CUP

St. Regis race team riders now receive fixed pricing year-round at the Gran Fondo 122km January tier level (super early bird) via access codes.

To request access codes, team captains fill out this form.

History

RBC GranFondo Whistler first took place in 2010 as a legacy event of the 2010 Winter Olympics that also benefited from the improved construction along the Sea to Sky highway to Whistler.

Meaning “big ride” in Italian, Gran Fondos have been popular in Europe for decade as a recreational challenge involving a mass ride of 100km distance or more.

Now the biggest Gran Fondo in North America, only the second to be established on the continent, RBC GranFondo Whistler has won several awards, including best Gran Fondo in North America for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024. 

The event also won the rights to host the UCI GranFondo World Championships in 2020 - the pinnacle of Gran Fondo - and was set for record attendance from an international audience before events were forced to shutter in 2020.

Finally able to return in 2022, the RBC GranFondo Whistler celebrated the milestone 15th year edition in 2024, with 5100 riders scoring the event with a 97% approval rating via feedback survey, matching the rating from the previous edition.

Latest news

Get the Insider newsletter and see the latest developments on our blog.

Loyalty rewards

To thank you for your continued riding, we’ve introduced Loyalty Rewards. Loyalty rewards are a permanent 5-15% reduction on your registration fees depending on years ridden since 2023 (when we changed registration platform to one that had this capability).

Years ridden since 2023:

  • 2: 5% OFF
  • 3: 10% OFF
  • 4: 10% OFF
  • 5: 15% OFF

To learn more and how to redeem, click here

Media

Discover photo and video galleries from RBC GranFondo Whistler.

Military

We are proud to support our servicepeople. Wounded, sick, retired and serving members of the forces of any country can benefit from special pricing during registration.

Please select this option when signing up and bring your military ID to package pickup.

Military sign up

Nutrition Guide

We work with the Olympic level Canadian Sport Institute Pacific to ensure the right fuel you need at different parts of the ride are in the right places.

We’ve co-authored the official event nutrition guide so you can see what’s on course and what you should be consuming.

Nutrition guide

Partners

RBC GranFondo Whistler is proud to partner with a vibrant community of partners who support, enhance and allow the event to happen, as well as helping provide amazing experiences for participants.

Check out the partners page to see who works with us, and find out how to partner with us too.

Pre-events

Keep your eyes peeled throughout the summer as we bring you a range of free events such as brewery parties and rides to get involved with.

Ride Club

Ride Club is your permanent record of achievement at RBC GranFondo Whistler since the very beginning.

You'll find milestone badges to collect and share, certificates to download, and find all of your peers' achievements in one place!

Discover Ride Club

Rules and guidelines

Our goal is first and foremost your safety. Check out the event’s rules and guidelines designed to give you your best day on the bike.

Rules and guidelines

Save My Spot

With Save My Spot, pay a $150 deposit to pre-register for the event before paying off the remainder of your balance later. This helps to break up the price of registration over time. Choose Save My Spot on the registration page.

Shakeout Ride

2 days before the race, join us for a free shakeout ride and social hosted at Concord Pacific Place.

Details will be released via the Insider newsletter

Shop

Get more than just the look: celebrate your journey with our annual Gran Fondo cycling apparel and merchandise available on the store.

Sister events

We run other events! 

Check out GranFondo Riviera Nayarit (road) and XFondo Whistler (all-terrain).

Social media

Social media, eh? We’re on it.

Find us and follow along @rbcgranfondo

Sustainability

Since 2016 we have set a Zero Waste target at RBC GranFondo Whistler. Please help us maintain Zero Waste status by discarding all garbage in the appropriate bins, and consider choosing sustainable options wherever possible. Note, the course is cup-free.

Riders can also choose to take the optional green pledge during registration, which simply asks you to affirm your commitment to reducing impact wherever possible.

Swag

Your registration includes exclusive rider swag for participants at the event. 

Training

Boost your training with our tailored in-person and virtual 12 week clinics starting in early June.

You’ll find options for different skill levels and get the perfect structured preparation to ride Whistler in September and improve your cycling skills in a social setting.

Travel & hotels

Whether you’re travelling from out of town, looking for a place to stay or seeking the best promo deals, check out our travel page for everything you need in one place.

Travel page

Volunteering

RBC GranFondo Whistler relies on over 600 superhero volunteers to allow the event to take place.

For volunteering information and opportunities, see the volunteer page.

If you are registered but cannot ride the event and need to defer, you can volunteer to reduce your deferral fee by 50%.

Women: 30by30

Project 30by30 is our goal to see at least 30% female participation in the Gran Fondo field.

Discover this initiative here and stay up to date with progress via the newsletter.

Youth

Riders under the age of 23 on event day benefit from $100 registration.

Pricing will automatically unlock based on the age in your Race Roster profile upon registering, with age being verified via ID at package pickup.