For the 15th year, RBC has been the primary supporter of the RBC GranFondo Whistler, one of the oldest and most popular fondo events in North America. 

Alongside 5000+ riders and over 300 RBC’ers, Aaron, James and Eric set off at 7am and enjoyed the “Goldilocks” weather conditions along the scenic Sea to Sky Hwy. Eric has done this event 7-8 times so knew the course well and how his body reacts to it. He had a game plan in his head and a great year of training and racing in his legs, so was prepared for this last battle of the season.  James and Aaron were trying to better their previous times in 2022.

In bike racing, not often does a plan become reality, but when it does it is absolute magic! Eric recounts his race... "For the first half, I kept my powder dry but with 10km to go and not wanting the finish to come down to a sprint, I attacked three times on the rolling hills coming into Whistler Village. Although I didn’t get away solo, the attacks dwindled the group down to five remaining riders."  In the end, Eric finished 3rd in the sprint finish (3h31m) and took the coveted “Yellow RBC Jersey”, the Russ Cook Memorial Award, for 3rd time as the fastest RBC’er.  Congrats to David Collings and Steven Liesch (1st & 2nd overall) and Dawn Torroba (1st RBC woman) on their performances!!!  Aaron and James finished in 3h58m and 3h50m respectively, beating their previous times.

Although Eric didn't hit his stretch goal of winning the overall, he was thrilled to have hit all his mini process goals along the way. What does he attribute to this success:

• Goal Setting – long-term, medium-term and daily/weekly goals… the short-term goals can be seen as process goals and are the most important (it also leads into the next point)
• Consistency – identify what will help you perform and attain your goals… practice these actions/activities every day, make them habits of your routine.
• Marginal Gains – for cycling, it’s easy to just say ride your bike more… but think about all the other factors (nutrition, sleep, cross training, recovery) as small gains in all these areas add up!
• Execution - give yourself the highest probability of success, do the work!

This process example is applied to cycling, but it’s also effective in our passion for helping people enjoy their money. Our three-step planning process implements these best practices to achieve clarity, stability and confidence for our clients.

People travel from all over the world for this iconic event that combines the best of Vancouver with cycling, an activity that can change lives. The physical benefits are obvious, but the mental/emotional benefits are real and can positively impact our lives.  We're proud to work for a company that invests in these values. Along with their long standing event sponsorship, RBC donated $65,000 to the YWCA Metro Vancouver Gear Up program which provides youth the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in the cycling industry. Thanks to all the RBC volunteers and cheerleaders along the route for making this event a memorable one!