A massive bike race will cause multiple detours and road closures in Vancouver, including the Lions Gate Bridge.
The RBC GranFondo Whistler ride from Vancouver to Whistler takes place on Saturday, Sept. 7, welcoming over 5,000 cyclists in the event's 15th-anniversary ride.
Considered the largest bike race of its kind in North America, the Gran Fondo route winds over 122 km from Stanley Park to Whistler Village, including 7,500 feet of elevation. Competitors have five rest stops along the way.
A more challenging version of the race, the Forte, kicks off at 6 a.m. and also commences in Stanley Park and ends in Whistler Village. However, it gains additional elevation along the route (10,000) and includes an extra water stop on Cypress Mountain.
A family-friendly bike race also commences and finishes in Whistler, called the Medio. It is 55 km and gains an elevation of 2,740 feet. It starts at 9:15 a.m.
The event also includes special VIP race packages that include special "skip the line" features and other race perks. There's also a race for people with classic bikes that follows the same route and schedule as the Gran Fondo.
Organizers say drivers can expect delays between West Vancouver and Whistler between 5:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on race day. Drivers should prepare to stop during the large-scale cycling event and follow traffic control personnel orders. As riders pass through the course, "rolling re-openings will occur."
Drivers will have north and southbound access to Highway 99 but speed limits will be reduced to 60 km/h on sections between Vancouver and Whistler.
Motorists should plan trips "well in advance, drive with caution and follow signs."
Vancouver traffic detours and road closures
- Stanley Park Causeway and Lions Gate Bridge – The causeway and Lions Gate Bridge will be closed to northbound traffic, from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. Motorists are advised to use the Ironworkers Memorial/Second Narrows Bridge. One southbound lane will remain open on the Lions Gate Bridge and causeway.
- Stanley Park Drive – Access to Stanley Park Drive, from Georgia Street, will be closed from 4:30 to 8:30 a.m.
North and West Vancouver traffic detours and road closures
- North Vancouver/Marine Drive – Westbound Marine Drive will be condensed to a single lane between Capilano Road and Taylor Way, from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Southbound access to the Lions Gate Bridge will remain open via Marine Drive eastbound from the West Vancouver side.
- West Vancouver – Marine Drive and Taylor Way intersection – Access to Taylor Way will be restricted for intermittent periods, from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Highway 1 – Both eastbound lanes on Highway 1 will be closed between Taylor Way and Horseshoe Bay, from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Motorists are advised to use Marine Drive eastbound.
- Cypress Bowl Road in West Vancouver – 600 cyclists will travel along Cypress Bowl Road with police escorts up and down the hill. Cypress Bowl Road will be impacted from 6:00 to 8:30 a.m. Organizers recommend motorists avoid Cypress Bowl Road during this time.
- Highway 1 westbound at Exit 2 (at Horseshoe Bay) – Westbound Highway 1 traffic and northbound Highway 99 traffic will be re-routed via Exit 2 to Old Highway 99 (Horseshoe Bay Drive). Traffic will enter Highway 99 northbound at the Pasco Road Highway 99 access. The detour will be in effect from 5:30 to 11 a.m.
- Ferry traffic and Local Horseshoe Bay traffic – Horseshoe Bay traffic will be re-routed to Marine Drive through West Vancouver, from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m.
- Horseshoe Bay at Highway 99 Junction/Heavy Truck Restrictions – Eastbound heavy truck traffic travelling between Horseshoe Bay and Taylor Way and Highway 99 southbound will be re-directed to a temporary storage location at Horseshoe Bay, from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. Heavy truck traffic will be restricted from Marine Drive, through West Vancouver, and during this period drivers can re-enter Highway 1 when the eastbound highway lanes are re-opened.
- Highway 99 southbound/Pasco Road/West Vancouver – Southbound Highway 99 traffic will be re-routed at the Pasco Road exit, via the Old Highway 99 route (Horseshoe Bay Drive), to Marine Drive in West Vancouver, from 5:30 to 11 a.m.
Highway 99 – Horseshoe Bay to Tunnel Point – Counterflow traffic adjacent to cyclists will be in effect at Tunnel Point, with one lane northbound and one lane southbound available for motorists, leading to single-lane alternating traffic for 2.6 km, from 6:30 to 11 a.m.
Other street detours and road closures will be in effect from the portion of the race in Squamish and Whistler.
Can you drive to Stanley Park for the race?
Vehicles are not permitted in Stanley Park on Saturday morning. Participants who want to be dropped off should choose a safe spot on West Georgia Street or a quick stop in the parking lot on Denman St. and Bayshore St; it is a paid parking lot.
