Various cycling races happen in the Lower Mainland between the late spring and early fall. Some are fundraisers and some are more competitive and/or grueling races.
Cycling Events in Metro Vancouver
Biking is a popular activity in Vancouver (especially when the weather is nice). For those who really enjoy it there are a couple major racing events to take part in. There are also some less competitive cycling events that help raise money for good causes.
GranFondo Whistler
“Gran Fondo” translates from Italian to English as “big ride”, and that’s certainly an apt descriptor of the RBC GranFondo Whistler race! Participants can choose between three different routes. Those are the Medio (55 km), Gran Fondo (122 km) and Forte (146 km). All of them end in Whistler, with the latter two beginning in Vancouver and travelling along the beautiful Sea-to-Sky Highway. The 2026 edition of the event happens on Saturday, September 12.
The two longer races get underway just after 6:00 am, beginning in Stanley Park. Riders then bike over the Lions Gate Bridge before heading west towards Horseshoe Bay and up the Sea-to-Sky. Both races finish at Whistler Olympic Plaza. The extra distance for the Forte route is because once riders get close to Whistler, they first take a detour up Mount Callaghan, before then coming back down and rejoining the main route.
Medio participants start their journey at 9:00 am in Whistler, cycling down the Sea-to-Sky and then through the beautiful Callaghan Valley before circling back and finishing alongside the Gran Fondo and Forte riders. It’s certainly not a walk in the park (55 km is a lot!) but the Medio is much more accessible to families and those of various skill levels compared to the other two routes, which are meant for serious bikers only.
After completing their race, participants enjoy some festivities at the Whistler Olympic Plaza. There are plenty of food and drinks as well as live entertainment. The top finishers receive medals at an awards ceremony early in the afternoon. There are also shuttles available for riders (and their bikes) to be brought back to Vancouver.
The cost to participate in 2026 is between $275 and $300 for the Medio (depending on when you register). The two longer races cost between $450 and $550.
Go to the RBC GranFondo website to learn more.
Gastown Grand Prix
Founded in 1973, the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is one of the most historic cycling events in the Lower Mainland. Held in the heart of Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, the 1.2 km course loops around Water Street and West Cordova Street. The women’s pro race consists of 40 laps, while the men’s pro race is 50 laps.
Spectators can watch from just about anywhere outside of the race barriers. The 2026 Grand Prix is set for Wednesday, July 8. It costs between $60 and $70 to compete in one of the pro races, and just $10 to compete in one of the youth races that take place prior to the main events.
The youth races begin at 5:10 pm, followed by the official opening ceremonies just before 6:00 pm. The women’s pro race is at 6:15 pm, followed by the men at 7:30 pm. The final awards ceremony is at 9:00 pm. When they’re racing the cyclists hit some high speeds and race very close together.
The Gastown Grand Prix used to be part of BC Superweek, a series of similar races that took place at a number of different spots across Metro Vancouver in July. Since the pandemic only the Gastown race has been a regular event. The Tour de Delta might come back in 2026 but details are scarce. The Giro di Burnaby, meanwhile, has returned in the form of a small, kids-only race called the Girolino (which happened on June 14 in 2026).
For more information on the Gastown event, click Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix.
Rotary Ride for Rescue
An annual fundraising event put on by the Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise, the Rotary Ride for Rescue takes riders on a journey up Cypress Mountain. The event has its name as it raises money for North Shore Rescue and Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue. Some of the money also goes towards Rotary Club projects.
The 2026 Rotary Ride of Rescue happened on May 30. This year’s event raised more than $110,000! A couple hundred people or so typically participate in the bike race itself.
There are different options for cyclists at the event, as the Ride of Rescue has both a course for road bikes and e-bikes, as well as a separate one for mountain bikes. The former is 16 km long while the latter is 11.5 km. Both of them are difficult routes, heading up Cypress Mountain from the Cypress Village Pop-Up and finishing near the tubing park.
Afterwards there’s a post-race celebration at the Cypress Village Pop-Up including a free breakfast and a bike wash and repair station. To ease the strain on tired legs there’s a shuttle to bring riders back down from the mountain to the celebration area. The ride starts at 9:00 am, and the festivities run until noon.
Click Rotary Ride for Rescue for more details.
Rotary Ride for Hearing
While similar in both its name and its function as a fundraising event, the Rotary Ride for Hearing is run by a different club. Put on by the Rotary Club of Vancouver, the Ride for Hearing happened on June 14 in 2026.
The event benefits a number of different charities and other organizations, including the St. Paul’s Hospital Rotary Hearing Clinic. Over the last 40+ years the Rotary Club of Vancouver has helped raise more than $4 million to help Canadians with hearing disorders!
The Rotary Ride for Hearing starts and finishes at Vancouver’s Spanish Banks. There’s the “family ride” which is 7 km long and heads to Jericho Beach before turning back and returning to Spanish Banks. That ride begins at 9:00 am. There’s also the 100 km course that begins at 5:30 am and includes up to nine laps around Stanley Park!
All participants are encouraged to raise at least $350, and there are prizes to be won following the end of the biking. The more money raised, the bigger the prizes on offer!
Check out the Rotary Ride for Hearing website to learn more.
Other Information
To learn about running races in Metro Vancouver, see our article about Metro Vancouver Running Events. For information about when and where to watch live sports in the region, check out our Vancouver Sports Calendar.