BC Superweek 2013

The Gastown Grand Prix (July 10) has served as a launchpad for young career cyclists since its inception in 1973. Notable winners include a 19-year-old (pre-crucifixion) Lance Armstrong in 1991, and three-time champ and Beijing Olympian Gina Grain (2005, 2006, 2008). The event has seen inconsistent sponsorship over the years-its most recent hiatus being 2009 to 2011-but as of last summer, the race once known as the Tour de Gastown was back on track with over $1 million in support from local tech company Global Relay. Watch from a (relatively) safe distance as 150 neon-spandex-clad pro cyclists speed by at over 50 kilometres per hour, bumping elbows and shoulders, wheels spinning just inches apart on the slippery, cobbled path. The sweet spot to watch (for sadists, anyway) will be the hairpin turn at Water and Cordova. The Gastown competition is part of the larger B.C. Superweek, a series of nine Lower Mainland races over 10 days (July 5-14) including the Tour de Delta (July 5-7), UBC Grand Prix (July 9), Giro di Burnaby (July 11), and Tour de White Rock (July 12-14). For more information, visit: BCsuperweek.ca