Dear all,
Take your place around the bonfire and cozy up for the debut of the handpicked XFondo ambassador program!
Many of you will know XFondo well by now, despite the event only being birthed in 2022. For those who prefer to hear things from the mule's mouth, it's a let-your-hair-down style community-centric biking event where we throw at you a varied bag of seriously fun but challenging terrain in BC's backyard for people who either know the off-road gravel world already or are looking to take things up a notch after growing familiar with their road bike adventures.
TLDR; latest vid to get you a great sense of what XFondo all about (1min):
We are pumped to bring an atmosphere where riders look after each other, gather together to tell stories and discover all kinds of great new friends. The soundtrack is classic rock, the star of the show is the start/finish party village and the cherry on top is the ride challenge that'll leave you purring... and out of breath.
It's a blast of an event to put on, and we can't wait for more people to sink their teeth into it.
Key info
Name: XFondo Whistler
Location: Start/Finish at Spruce Grove, Whistler BC
Date: 3rd Sat in June (2024 event on June 15th)
Distance: 46k ("Shorter"), 60k ("Longer"), + working on a to be announced even longer distance for 2024!
For: Predominantly gravel bikes, also welcomes MTB eg hardtails
USP: "Ride everything", eg road, gravel, trail, dirt - on one course to provide a real test of your skills. Also, just for fun, riders run a short distance to their bikes at the start ("Le Mans start", in honour of the famous motor race).
Logos, branding elements & style guide
You'll find vector logos as well as simple low-res logos for social media here.
Taglines
Taglines we use: "Dare to be dirty", "Ride everything", "Road, gravel, trail, dirt"
Style guide
Fonts & usage
Website (has course maps, details, newbie guides etc)
Photos
Find photos organized by year and photographer name
Videos
Find the most recent XFondo footage, including pre-made social reels.
Social
You'll find us on X, facebook and instagram @itsxfondo
Hashtag: #xfondo
Causes
XFondo is proud to support community initiatives. As well as partnering with many local suppliers, vendors and sponsors, we champion several banner causes:
Moosehide Campaign - (Indigenous-led grassroots movement to engage men and boys in ending violence towards women and children). XFondo riders are all given a vegan moosehide pin to help spread the conversation.
Same Game Challenge - (internal organizational gender equity). As an events company, we are enrolled in the federally-funded Women and Sport program The Same Game Challenge for 2024. Our goal is to better understand how we, as an events operator, can support, encourage and keep more women in cycling.
WORCA - Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (trail and offroad cycling advocacy). XFondo riders can choose to donate to WORCA during registration and help maintain the lands we ride on.
Zero Waste via AWARE - Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment - AWARE help to manage our recycling program and reduce the impact of XFondo as much as possible.
Ambassador badges
Download these and display on your social profile / email / content etc (if you like!)
Discount codes for your audience
You will shortly be sent your sharable $20 discount code by Andrew directly via email.
Please feel free to share this with those you interact with!
Final note!
Thank you for being a part of the XFondo family and helping to spread the stoke.
As mentioned, this is a joy of an event to put on, both as a riding challenge but also as a place to gather afterwards with rhapsodical vibes and an easygoing "life is for living" feeling. It's made from the fabric of Friday-mindset thinking, and we wouldn't want it to be any other way. Our goal is to grow the event to new locations with the same spirit, and we'd love for you to be a part of that journey too.
In the meantime, look out for further updates, grab a beer and crank some tunes as you cast your eye over the previous rider guide which sounds far less serious than this here blog post. All that's left is to look forward to June - it's gonna be even more of a doozy with you in tow.
Yours in dirt,
The XFondo team, spearheaded by Yogi the highly distractable dog
