Early Sunday morning, while most of us were still snoozing, 1700 hardcore cyclists from around the region, the province and beyond gathered on the gorgeous Skaha Lake promenade in southern Penticton for the start of the 13th annual Okanagan Granfondo.
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It’s a pretty safe bet that every participant was exactly where they wanted to be. Whipping along still-quiet streets with their fellow riders in the cool early hours of a blue-skied summer day is precisely what road cyclists seek out.
And this was a special Granfondo. For the first time in years, the route had been appreciably altered.
Rather than a downtown start line and an early visit to Summerland, the 2025 event would see participants funnel quickly onto the aptly named Eastside Road on the stunning eastern shore of Skaha Lake, before tackling the rest of their journey through the South Okanagan.
There was just a hint a streaky clouds at 7 AM when the first wave of riders made its way across the starting line. Then another, and another and another and so on, each wave filled with happy faces and the mutual hopes that maybe today they'd pull off a personal best.
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Some would tackle the 35-kilometer Cortofondo. Others went for the 85-kilometer Mediofondo or the 120-kilometer Velocefondo. The wildly fit would do the full pull, the 155-kilometer Granfondo, which essentially took them to the border and then to the fruit basket of Kaleden before sending them back home.
All but the shortest of those routes would meet up again at the remote intersection of White Lake Road and Fairview-White Lake Road, within sight of the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in the virtually uninhabited White Lake Grasslands Protected Area.
Up there, it’s like a scene from the old West.
After merging, the riders, all nearing the end of their journeys and all with the big hills behind them, would proceed back to Penticton.
But at approximately 10:30 AM, on a section of White Lake Road typically so quiet that Google Maps hasn’t even photographed it, on a section of pavement most local road cyclists know and love for that very reason, the morning of unity was broken.
It was here, not far from the St. Andrews by the Lake Golf Resort, where the road has no shoulders but plenty of tree-obscured turns, that the unthinkable happened.
A car collided with a group of Granfondo cyclists.
PentictonNow encountered the scene within minutes of the incident and can say with all confidence that the impact was intense and the immediate aftermath shocking.
With no spot to pull over, we carefully steered through the confusion and called 911 when it was safe to do so.
Thankfully, one or more participants who'd either witnessed the crash or come upon it directly afterward had beaten us to it, and the first of many emergency vehicles would arrive in short order.
In all, we saw a pair of ambulances, a pair of fire trucks and at least two RCMP cruisers heading toward the scene on White Lake Road.
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Indeed, the first responder reaction, particularly considering the location and the very real fact that hundreds of cyclists were still on course, seemed nothing short of impressive.
Nevertheless, by mid-afternoon it was made official. One cyclist had died on the scene and two more had been rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Before the afternoon was out, Penticton mayor Julius Bloomfield, who'd delivered a few words in person at the start of the event so many hours earlier, had now delivered more.
“We are devastated by the news of this tragedy and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected," he said. "On behalf of Council and our entire community, we extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and every individual who has been impacted.
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"In times like these, words often fall short. It’s a time to come together with compassion and kindness – and to show support for those in need.”
Monday morning, the snpink’tn (Penticton) Indian Band also issued a statement accurately entitled "Standing in Solidarity After Tragedy at the Okanagan Granfondo."
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"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the cyclist who lost their life," said the statement, "and our thoughts are with those who were injured or affected.
"We also want to recognize and thank the first responders, volunteers, and bystanders whose swift and compassionate actions made a difference in a moment of crisis.
"This is a profoundly difficult day for many. Events like the Granfondo are meant to unite us in celebration of community, health, and personal challenge. Today’s tragedy is deeply felt—not only by those directly involved, but by the entire region.
"We stand with everyone impacted, offering our support as we begin to process this loss together."
For passionate Okanagan Granfondo Executive Director Jodi Cross, someone who’s managed to keep the numbers and the enthusiasm up for her race in an era where the popularity of large-scale endurance events has tailed off a bit, the news was devastating.
"This weekend was difficult," she said Monday morning. "We're heartbroken about the tragedy, and we're thinking about the family and friends of those impacted. Our hearts go out to them with deep sympathy and the grief they are facing.
"We're so grateful to the RCMP and first responders for their support, as well as our own staff and volunteers who helped yesterday."
What the statements don't address, however, is that road cycling, like many other sports, has its risks. Those who choose to bike on blacktop love the concept. And they choose to accept the risks and do what they can to mitigate them.
Sunday, even with all the manned and unmanned traffic control and warning signage dotting the course and even with proficient riders, the worst of those risks manifested themselves.
And almost instantly a glorious morning was turned to tragedy on a twisty bit of White Lake Road.
As for the results, it was emerging endurance sport star Lee Agur of Summerland, the same Lee Agur who co-owned Bad Tattoo Brewing 'til 2022, duplicating his 2024 performance by winning the 155K Granfondo distance.
This time around, Agur outshone chief rival Dustin Quigley of Kelowna by one minute, 26 seconds. The two were seen drafting one another for much of the event, but broke apart, perhaps for good, on the return trip from Kaleden at the ridiculously steep Twin Lakes Golf Course hill.
Agur also won last year's Kettle Mettle Penticton-to-Kelowna gravel bike race and finished fourth at the 2024 Peach Classic Triathlon.
Meanwhile, Cochrane, Alberta's David Marshall took the Velocefondo, Fort St. John teen Romeo Bowie edged out 40-something Andrew Gubbels by a mere four seconds in the Mediofondo, and 60-something Chris Rymaszewski took the shortie Cortofodo by a sizeable three minutes, 25 seconds.
We'll keep you posted going forward should we learn the cause of the crash, which at this time remains under investigation.
For more info on the Okanagan Granfondo, go here.
