Event organizers are taking action to enhance security and safety at this weekend's Peach Classic Penticton Triathlon after a vehicle crashed into multiple cyclists at the recent Okanagan Granfondo, leaving one dead and two others seriously injured.
The Peach Classic event, first held in 1983, comes to Penticton on Sunday (July 20). It returns to the same city that hosted close to 2,000 cyclists on July 13 for the Granfondo.
Race director Dave Michael said organizers have printed extra Race in Progress signs and recruited additional motorcyclist escorts wearing reflective vests to improve safety at the Peach Classic event, in the wake of last weekend's tragedy.
"We're all kind of shell-shocked about it," Michael said.
RCMP confirmed a fatal crash took place near White Lake Road and St. Andrew's Drive, south of Penticton, during the Granfondo. Two additional cyclists sustained serious injuries and were transported to local hospitals.
Michael added that this weekend's Peach Classic will also have multiple British Columbia Triathlon race officials monitoring the action, a doctor on scene at Poplar Grove pump track (along the route), and a full transitional medical team.
"We have a traffic management plan, like any event, and it was obviously reviewed months ago, but now we are looking at it again and saying 'where can we add anything more,'" Michael said.
The Peach Classic Penticton Triathlon 香蕉视频直播� to include a 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-km bike ride and 10-km run 香蕉视频直播� returns for its 42nd year on Sunday with a record number of athletes. After setting a participation record last year with 499 athletes, this weekend's race will feature a whopping 788 people.
Michael credits the race serving as a world championship qualifier for the sudden spike in participation. It has been run by the Penticton Tri Club since 2023.
"We'll have people here from across the province," he said.
Sections of Lakeshore Drive will be closed for the event starting at 5:30 a.m., according to the city. Cyclists and runners will be sharing the road for the majority of the event, between Penticton and Naramata.
Anyone driving in the area Sunday morning is also asked to slow down and watch for traffic-control personnel.
"Due to recent events, the city and event organizers have conducted a thorough review of the traffic management plan and have implemented additional precautionary measures to enhance/reinforce event safety," city officials wrote in a press release on July 16.
The race itself kicks off with its swim portion at 7 a.m., near Rotary Park Beach. That will be followed by biking and running courses along city roads and the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) Trail toward Naramata and back.
Cyclists will also be seen travelling up Vancouver Hill and along Naramata Road, drivers are advised.
"Thankfully, due to the start time of the event, most of the cyclists are off the course by 10 a.m., well before the roads see an increased level of traffic on a Sunday morning," Michael said.
