Press Release
(For Immediate Release)
On Sunday, September 10, the organizing committee's tireless work and countless volunteer hours were honored as hundreds of cyclists took to the road for the sixth edition of the Gran Fondo Baie Sainte-Marie (GFBSM).
A wave of positive comments flooded Gran Fondo's social media pages after the event, widely praising the outstanding hospitality and exceptional organization. Pam Doucet, Chairperson of the Gran Fondo Organizing Committee, and Director of Community Development for the Municipality of Clare stated: “I am so proud of our team who work all year to plan the event, the volunteers who selflessly give their time, the community of Clare who supports us and the participants who show up to make the event a success. Gran Fondo 2023 was an absolute success!”
Due to planned renovations to the Clare Veterans Centre, the event was held on the Université Sainte-Anne campus this year. Total Race Roster registrations climbed to 796, of which 681 participated. Astonishingly, 55% of participants attended the GFBSM for the first time. Moreover, statistics account for a healthy mix of local and out of province registrations. More precisely, 229 registrations, or nearly 30%, were out of province and can be broken down as follows:
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Furthermore, local registrations climbed over 500 with nearly 300 cyclists from the Halifax Regional Municipality and roughly 225 from Southwest Nova Scotia.
Over 900 meals were served to both cyclists and volunteers. The most popular dish was the lobster dinner with 641 meals served, followed by 236 pork meals and 47 vegetarian chillis.
As far as results go, 5/6 of the top finish times were completed by Nova Scotians, the sixth being awarded to a fellow Atlantic Canadian. Results for best male and female performances are tabled below.
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MALE |
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Race |
Name |
Division |
Time |
Location |
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Gran (128 km) |
Colin Van Zoost |
M40 – 49 |
3:28:56 |
Dartmouth, NS, CA |
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Medio (67 km) |
Josh White |
M20 – 29 |
2:00:01 |
Victoria Vale, NS, CA |
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Piccolo (35 km) |
Michel Doucet |
M60 – 69 |
1:14:49 |
New Edinburgh, NS, CA |
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FEMALE |
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Race |
Name |
Division |
Time |
Location |
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Gran (128 km) |
Dania Tamayo Vera |
F30 – 39 |
4:07:03 |
Stratford, PE, CA |
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Medio (67 km) |
Sandra Sullivan |
F60 – 69 |
2:08:47 |
Enfield, NS, CA |
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Piccolo (35 km) |
Kathryne Finnemore |
F40 – 49 |
1:24:57 |
Kentville, NS, CA |
Larry Peach, Marketing Coordinator for the GFBSM, and Tourism Manager for the Municipality of Clare states that “It was a thrill to see everyone again, so many smiles and so many new participants. It was a pleasant surprise to see that 30% came from outside of Nova Scotia in a tough economy, and that 55% were first-time participants. Those numbers show me the event still has room to grow in the future!” In that regard, the next Gran Fondo Baie Sainte-Marie will only be held in 2025 due to the uncertainty in the availability of an appropriate venue for such a large-scale event. We’re already looking forward to holding the event again in a couple of years and we hope to see even greater numbers in 2025!
Click here to view the race results.
Media contact:
Pam Doucet
Director of Community Development
Municipality of Clare
902-769-8149, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.