EDITOR,
That was amazing. The whole GranFondo experience was something to enjoy and relive. Quite the experience and something to think about for next year - because there's going to be a next year. And probably the years after that.
Despite the doomsday predictions from a few disgruntled locals, and inflammatory comments from one of our elected officials ("We will not be held hostage," which I believe was either preceded or followed by "The sky is falling, the sky is falling") it appears no one was held hostage and life went on with nary a hiccup. Unless you count 7,000+ bikers rolling through beautiful Squamish on a gorgeous day as a hiccup. I consider it amazing exposure to a whole bunch of people with a fair bit of disposable income. Possibly not a bad thing.
One bad thing was that some moron scattered thumb tacks on the highway in the Alice Lake area, probably to prove a point. What might that point have been? That we can rival anyone when it comes to stupidity? That putting someone in hospital evens the score because you had to change your schedule?
One friend of mine ended up with a broken collarbone as a direct result of a flat tire. Another had his front tire mysteriously explode around Alice Lake. Another carried a tack some distance before he flatted. What if he'd flatted on a high speed descent? Would the score be even when someone is injured or worse?
Try looking at it with an open mind rather than through bitter lenses. A freak snowstorm could paralyze most of Squamish for a day, but no one would be crying about being held hostage. No one would be writing letters about how unfair it is. Everyone, or most everyone, would adjust to the new situation and life would go on.
Everything changes. You can be a part of that change or waste your time fighting it. If you have an issue with what's happened in town with the Fondo coming through, look for a solution. Stop complaining and stop vandalizing and try to make things better - for yourself and the cyclists who'll be back next year.
Alex Harris
Squamish
