While Lee Agur was not planning to ride 2300 participants off his wheel at the 12th Okanagan Gran Fondo on Sunday 14 July, that is exactly what the local multi-sport athlete did to earn a solo victory at one of Canada’s biggest cycling events.
“I went out front and was seeing who would join, and then I was kind of waiting, waiting and then no one joined. So I did the dumb thing and went into the headwind, 40km out was probably not the wise decision, but I was lucky today,” Agur told Penticton Western News after crossing the finish line.
Using his intimate knowledge of the 150km route through British Columbia’s wine region, the 38 year-old was able to keep the chasing peloton at bay, pointing a solo finger to the sky in front of his cheering family as he stopped the clock in 3:38:48 with an average speed of 39.26 km/hr. Just over a minute behind Bradley Bickley (3:49:57) claimed second place, with Scott Bohachyk (3:50:35) in third. 47 year-old former WorldTour pro Svein Tuft (3:51:19) was seventh.
31 year-old American Megan O’Boyle (PLATFORM PRO CYCLING) won the women’s race, finishing 31st overall with a time of 4:02:13. Jessica Yeoman and Erin Tolfo were next in that order, both recoding a final time of 4:06:24.
Brendan Reid (3:16:47 M) and Alison Kenward (3:25:01 W) won the 120km veloce fondo, while Garth Campbell (2:22:28 M) and Katherine Brown (2:33:51 W) were first in the 85km medio fondo.
The 13th Okanagan Gran Fondo will take place Sunday 13 July 2025 in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
Photo Credit: Deon Nel Photography
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