The oldest Gravel Fondo in Western Canada is back in Penticton after its pandemic, with dozens of cyclists hitting the KVR trails. Kettle Mettle Gravel Fondo event manager Dean Stanton said they were excited to be back in town with the bike race. “When we first started this years ago, it was pretty small. Now it has grown and has more and more people,” he said. “It’s great to see the whole thing grow and come back and look to the future and build it bigger and bigger.” A Gravel Fondo is a bike race that takes place primarily on gravel and dirt with at least 85 percent on gravel/dirt and less than 15 percent on pavement. The event brings participants from across Canada and the United States to Penticton. “I would say 85 per cent or more of the people at this event are from outside the Okanagan. We get almost 25 percent from Alberta and we get Americans. Right now, because we are still post-Covid, we only have a few Americans. But before COVID we were getting more from Montana, Oregon and Washington.” Stanton said the event draws people because of the views along the KVR and the friction. Participants bike the 50K from Chute Lake to East Kelowna or the 100K or 130K from Okanagan Lake Park. “What was interesting this year was that we actually had more locals than we’ve had in the past. There were probably at least 10, or 20, from Penticton and another 10 or 20 from Kelowna. It’s usually not that high,” Stanton said. “It feels like a kinship with other sports at the moment, cycling is a booming growth area so it’s good to be in what I’m doing.” Stanton made the event after noticing the growing Gravel Fondo trend in the United States and trying one for himself. “I looked at the Okanagan and Penticton and I thought the Kettle Valley Rail Trail would be perfect … It’s a pretty iconic great tourist route.” The team also runs the Cowichan Crusher Gravel Fondo on Vancouver Island and the Sea to Sky Gravel Fondo in Squamish. “Now he’s promoting tourism and gravel and everything throughout BC.” Also in the Okanagan Valley this weekend is the BC Multi-Day Bike Race, September 16-22. With nearly 250 kilometers of singletrack and 9,411 elevation gain over the seven days, competitors will tackle terrain around Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Silver Star Mountain, Vernon, Apex Mountain and Penticton and Naramata.