Buckle up bike fans, it's time for another Friday edition of the XFondo news raven. Do we have a doozy for you..

XFondo joins the Same Game Challenge

As an events company, in late 2023 we successfully applied to be part of this year's National Same Game Challenge, run by the federally funded organisation Women and Sport.

The Same Game Challenge is a program aimed at empowering sport leaders with knowledge and tools to tackle gender inequity and help make Canadian sport more inclusive. 

Running until August, you can read more about the Challenge here. We are both grateful to be embarking on this journey as well as learning how we can better our own practices while working for greater gender equity within cycling.

Ruckus's mission

This year we are all kinds of excited to be joining forces alongside Ruckus Racing.

Ruckus are a super friendly forward-looking team based out of Vancouver BC who want to encourage more women to race, redefine what racing means and remove the common barriers that females face.

Over the coming months, we'll be co-sharing stories, tips, reels and much much more with Ruckus to support this joint mission.

In the meantime, grab your beverage of choice and listen to Ruckus Racing's co-founder Elliot Kulach as she sits down with the Platform podcast to discuss what it means to create an inclusive environment for women in sport.

Trails, they be being built!

The Sea to Sky trail which much of the XFondo Whistler course makes use of is a thing of beauty. Some of you who've ridden it might also have some choice curse words to throw at it, but always from a place of admiration.

Over the past couple years, conversations have been taking place with the intention of extending the trail to reach all the way to Pemberton, requiring planning, consultation, a whole bunch of people to agree with each other and then find a way to fund the act.

And guess what? It's looking like there's a good chance it'll be ready for XFondo Whistler 2024! So, what are we cooking up?

Here's the plan: the extension will allow us to bring a third distance category to your favourite all-terrain adventure challenge. The new category will be the longest one on offer and we reckon it'll take the average superkeener around 4 hours to conquer, turning back for home around the Suicide Hill section. Make no mistake, this thing is going to have a kick on it.

Once the snow melts and we get a chance to ride the finished piece, we'll be back with more details on category name, distance etc, as well as let you know how to sign up or switch to it. There's a chance it's not fully ready for 2024, but if we can make it happen, you bet your lowliest dollar we will!

All that trail riding needs a place to park your pegs

So, you've just conquered many kilometres of bumpy, challenging, swooping terrain. Your caboose has been buffeted upon the saddle many times. The lactic acid is saying its hellos.

But all is not lost. Because now you've got a cold drink in hand, the smell of the BBQ sweetly wafts over towards your new best friend (the beer garden adirondack chair) and the tales of the trail are being told. Even better, you don't have anywhere to be for the rest of the day.

Why? Because you and your comrades took the smart AF decision to book a spot at Blackcomb Springs Suites, where a double bed and queen pullout couch with kitchen and balcony go (exclusively for XFondo participants) from just $149 per night. If we hadn't already used a meme earlier in this email, you better believe the INVEST! button would be making a showing.

Pet friendly and only a short hop from the event, including Friday night's package pickup and RMU happy hour, it's the best booking decision you can make.

Speaking of good decision making...

A quick heads up that if you haven't secured your place already, prices for XFondo Whistler June 15th 2024 go up in a little under two weeks.

You've got until 23:59 on Wednesday Feb 14 to secure lower rates. Of course, why wait until the last minute like an uncouth fool?

After all, it's Friday. Time to kick off work early, treat yourself to a little something-something, and plan all the real fun you're going to have this year. Raven, out.

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