Graphix Diva Meets World: GranFondo Banff

A passion for cycling and some keen co-workers, friends, and clients led me to the GranFondo Banff this year! Team IBM entered 15 people, with more cheering us on along the way.

Beautiful day to ride (thanks for pic Suzanne!)

The event is super fun - the organizers pull together a great course, stock their aid stations with more fresh food and snacks than some grocery stores, and the participants get to ride 145km with some of the top cyclists in the world (pro teams are fun to watch as they freight train past!) and cyclists from around North America.

Fun to share cycling with clients

It was an early start to the day, as we wanted a group pic under the starting archway at 6:15. It was fun to show off our snazzy team jerseys! We snapped a bunch of pics in the dark, then spread out according to our corrals; you pick a corral based on your estimated finish time. Six of us claimed some real estate in corral #4, the goal being to finish between 4.5 and 5 hours.


Team IBM is ready to roll

Team IBM at the Start Line

Fellow Spin Sisters Suzanne and Sarah entered the event, I had the pleasure of joining Suzanne (also on Team IBM!) in Coral #4 for some pre-race chatter. The group in corral #4 trashed-talked a bit, quelled some nerves, downplayed our cycling abilities, and agreed to have a fun day.

Always fun to ride with a 'Sister (and friend and co-worker)

The race started at 7am. Our first climb for the day started right out of the chute, and by 8 minutes into the ride, the morning chill had left my legs and I was working hard up Tunnel Mountain. Plenty of riders in the mix, it required a lot of focus to stay upright, not touch wheels, and find a clear space to ride. The course came down Tunnel Mountain, where I came across an IBM rider who had started with the Alta Classe, as special designation for an enhanced Fondo experience. We chatted briefly, then turned right, and headed back up to Lake Minnewanka for an out-and-back. This is where I got my first glimpse of the pro teams and leaders as they descended - wow, so smooth, so fast, clumped together in a peloton to save energy and go fast. Beauty in motion. The out-and-back was also a good chance to scope out where the others on the Team - looking strong! I was loosely riding a peloton at this point, holding Ryan's wheel whenever possible to conserve energy, but also taking my turn as lead rider. Pelotons are fun: it keeps your brain engaged in the ride, gives you a chance to pull with some strength and also follow along for a recovery without losing speed. I prefer a peloton with people I know, as it can also be very dangerous. When you ride in the draft position, or slipstream, you can easily touch wheels, causing a crash. I steered clear of crashes today, but saw the results of a few riders who weren't so lucky.

After Minnewanka's descent, we lapped through the town, where spectators and accidental tourists rang cowbells and cheered us on. Then we were on the long out-and back from Banff to Lake Louise along the 1A, which had been closed to traffic for us. This route is a gradual uphill for 48km, with a couple of spicy uphills to keep it an honest ride. There was a small headwind, it was uphill, I did my best to hold on, but I could feel my hips and glutes started to talk back - after all, I haven't spent much time on my road bike this year, and I was starting to feel it.

The turn-around point at Lake Louise was situated at the top of a big climb. So a few of us stopped, gathered food, did minor repairs, and were ready to go, when the boys from Team NetAp asked if we wanted to ride a paceline. Hellya!

Off we went, a short climb followed by the beginning of a beautiful, long, sustained ride on an open mountain road. I took my turn at the front of this 7 person paceline, passed off to none other than Alex Steida, and held on while the others took turns pulling the group. I had a couple of turns out front, did my best to hold my own rate, and pushed forward. The pain in my legs melted, and we were flying: my Garmin tells me we averaged 43km/hour on this section for approx 35 minutes. Ultimately, there was a short uphill, and I just couldn't catch the group at the top of the hill (to be fair, neither did a few others!), so we let 4 of the riders, a mix of Teams, roll into the distance. Those of us who were left reformed a new group, added some riders, and rolled toward Banff.

The final 10km were tough: fatigued legs, some rolling terrain, and a nasty crash gave me pause... but the pull of the Finish Line was in my belly, and I pushed forward. It was great to see my kids at the line, a few high-fives from those team members already done (I think there were 3 of you), and a hug from Ryan. We parked our bikes and wandered to the beer garden and BBQ for some celebrations!

I had not anticipated that I would "race" the event - as it turned out, I had plenty of gas in my tank, my legs were full of zip (although they are certainly fatigued now that I'm done!), and it was a beautiful day to ride! What a great day!

Results?
450th overall (more than 1600 people toed the line)
16/171 in my category
34/446 women
Total time: 4:50:20 to ride 145km.

A few more pics to share: