Let's face it - modern life in many ways seems off. Forget the impending shadow of AI, we now spend countless hours in the solo practice of staring at screens, while highly-tuned algorithms reward us for endless loops of scrolling and encourage beliefs in unrealistic social media comparisons. That sense of shared community and purpose we used to feel? We can sense its distance from where we currently stand.

Cycling lets us reclaim that place.

In this warp-speed world, the act of riding your bike reconnects you to a simpler truth. What is worthwhile and meaningful takes time. To take up a new sport or ride a Gran Fondo requires patience and practice; a stone mason carefully chipping away at their masterpiece. But when the time comes to realise your dream, it is orders of magnitude more marvellous.

Cycling brings us together. We support each other, camaraderie present through the kilometres, and discover new friends in the flesh as the weeks go by. We learn, grow and find connectedness rising in this shared adventure. We feel the electricity in the air before a group ride departs. Then come the things you look forward to: coffee stops, regroup-time stories, and the Pavlovian giddiness of baked goods rewards - all signaling a meaningful effort well done - on any given week.

The beauty lies in the simplicity. Just two wheels, pedals turning, and unabated freedom. A couple of basic tools here, a snack there, and our imagination can do the rest. The fresh air coursing along our skin as the road hums along below: that pure majesty that only being outside can bring. This feeling is a pull - a rising need to return to time and time again. We throw on a jersey, and off we go, just like that. Life suddenly grows richer.

And then, suddenly, at the end of a glorious summer: Whistler. The determination to complete the challenge. The throngs of supporters on the streets. The crescendo of cheers and cowbells to serenade your efforts that are not just achievements but indelible memories: moments that say "I was there, and I was alive."

It is unlike any other day of the year or any training ride you've experienced along the way. There is an energy - a collective current - that flows up the mountain as one. It is the power of coming together with thousands of others, united together through outward displays of goodwill, mutual presence and simply wanting the best for each other. We don't just ride the road, we share it.

It's the words of encouragement when the legs grow heavy. The unending tailwind of a volunteer army determined to see you succeed. The banners on the side of the road proclaiming love, pride and admiration for what you're taking on. These things are much more than anecdotes - they become the main reason why. The foundations that colour the story more than any stats or facts could ever hope to do.

Because the truth is, what cycling gives us is real. They're person to person, alive and unfiltered, far from any curated social feed. Sure, that can come later; our glorious moments captured forever to enjoy and share. But the living that happens in the actual moment; those earned endeavours; connected and co-experiencing with our fellow kin around us: that's why this all matters. That's what brings depth and meaning into life, and that's what choosing the bike allows us to access.

RBC GranFondo Whistler might be on Saturday Sept 12, but in truth North America's largest Gran Fondo represents the icing on the cake. What matters the most is the choosing of the journey, the saying yes to the adventure. All else flows from there, and it leads you somewhere pretty special - just ask anyone who's crossed that iconic, deafening, tears-of-joy ladled finish line.

So, how do you want to live in 2026?

The choice is yours.

Photos: Chris Dutton, Corey Green & Sterling Lorence

We acknowledge the land on which we work and ride is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Let's face it - modern life in many ways seems off. Forget the impending shadow of AI, we now spend countless hours in the solo practice of staring at screens, while highly-tuned algorithms reward us for endless loops of scrolling and encourage beliefs in unrealistic social media comparisons. That sense of shared community and purpose we used to feel? We can sense its distance from where we currently stand.

Cycling lets us reclaim that place.

In this warp-speed world, the act of riding your bike reconnects you to a simpler truth. What is worthwhile and meaningful takes time. To take up a new sport or ride a Gran Fondo requires patience and practice; a stone mason carefully chipping away at their masterpiece. But when the time comes to realise your dream, it is orders of magnitude more marvellous.

Cycling brings us together. We support each other, camaraderie present through the kilometres, and discover new friends in the flesh as the weeks go by. We learn, grow and find connectedness rising in this shared adventure. We feel the electricity in the air before a group ride departs. Then come the things you look forward to: coffee stops, regroup-time stories, and the Pavlovian giddiness of baked goods rewards - all signaling a meaningful effort well done - on any given week.

The beauty lies in the simplicity. Just two wheels, pedals turning, and unabated freedom. A couple of basic tools here, a snack there, and our imagination can do the rest. The fresh air coursing along our skin as the road hums along below: that pure majesty that only being outside can bring. This feeling is a pull - a rising need to return to time and time again. We throw on a jersey, and off we go, just like that. Life suddenly grows richer.

And then, suddenly, at the end of a glorious summer: Whistler. The determination to complete the challenge. The throngs of supporters on the streets. The crescendo of cheers and cowbells to serenade your efforts that are not just achievements but indelible memories: moments that say "I was there, and I was alive."

It is unlike any other day of the year or any training ride you've experienced along the way. There is an energy - a collective current - that flows up the mountain as one. It is the power of coming together with thousands of others, united together through outward displays of goodwill, mutual presence and simply wanting the best for each other. We don't just ride the road, we share it.

It's the words of encouragement when the legs grow heavy. The unending tailwind of a volunteer army determined to see you succeed. The banners on the side of the road proclaiming love, pride and admiration for what you're taking on. These things are much more than anecdotes - they become the main reason why. The foundations that colour the story more than any stats or facts could ever hope to do.

Because the truth is, what cycling gives us is real. They're person to person, alive and unfiltered, far from any curated social feed. Sure, that can come later; our glorious moments captured forever to enjoy and share. But the living that happens in the actual moment; those earned endeavours; connected and co-experiencing with our fellow kin around us: that's why this all matters. That's what brings depth and meaning into life, and that's what choosing the bike allows us to access.

RBC GranFondo Whistler might be on Saturday Sept 12, but in truth North America's largest Gran Fondo represents the icing on the cake. What matters the most is the choosing of the journey, the saying yes to the adventure. All else flows from there, and it leads you somewhere pretty special - just ask anyone who's crossed that iconic, deafening, tears-of-joy ladled finish line.

So, how do you want to live in 2026?

The choice is yours.

Photos: Chris Dutton, Corey Green & Sterling Lorence

We acknowledge the land on which we work and ride is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.