PEIThe end of the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike is welcome news for travellers, but for some who had planned to attend P.E.I.’s Gran Fondo cycling event this week, it came too late.‘It was disappointing for us as organizers, but… even more disappointing for the participants’Amir Zuccolo, the project manager for Gran Fondo P.E.I., says many people from Western Canada had to drop out of this year’s event due to the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike. (Thinh Nguyen/CBC)The end of the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike is welcome news for travellers, but for some who had planned to attend P.E.I.’s Gran Fondo cycling event this week, it came too late.The airline and its 10,500 flight attendants reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to end their contract dispute. Union members must still vote to approve the deal.Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday morning, grounding hundreds of flights, and Air Canada management locked the workers out shortly after.Staff were told to return to work after the tentative deal was reached, and some flights resumed Tuesday night. However, the airline has said it could take up to 10 days for schedules to return to normal.The situation has disrupted the plans of many who planned to travel to the Island for this week’s Gran Fondo, hosted by Cycling P.E.I. on Aug. 22 and 23.”It was disappointing for us as organizers, but I think even more disappointing for the participants,” said Amir Zuccolo, the event’s project manager.”Training for such a big ride is a months-long commitment and endeavour and so you really invest… a lot of yourself into getting ready for something like this.”Strike causes ‘ripple effect’Gran Fondo P.E.I. features 150-kilometre and 100-kilometre cycling routes. Participants are timed and can choose whether to push for a fast finish or simply enjoy the ride around the Island. Cyclists have up to seven hours to complete their chosen distance.Zuccolo said this year’s event was set to see the largest turnout since the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 260 registered riders. But because of the strike, about 35 participants dropped out.Gran Fondo organizers say this year’s event was supposed to see the largest turnout since the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gran Fondo P.E.I./Facebook)Some cyclists from Ontario managed to rebook their flights, Zuccolo said, but many from other provinces were forced to cancel.”Unfortunately a lot of the people from out west had to cancel their accommodations and cancel their flights, and there really is like a ripple effect,” she said. “People cancelled their pet sitters, cancelled their car rentals and then to go ahead and try to rebook and reorganize all of that on this short timeline.”Zuccolo said she hopes Cycling P.E.I., which is a non-profit organization, will at least break even despite the drop in participants.Proceeds from the Gran Fondo support programs that teach children how to ride bikes and promote cycling safety.Watch for cyclists this weekendZuccolo said everything else about the event remains the same this year — organizers haven’t changed the courses, and about 230 cyclists are still taking part.She also asked Island drivers to be mindful of cyclists on the road this weekend.”We do remind our riders to ride in single file and be very cautious about motorists,” she said.Charlottetown Police Services will lead cyclists out of the city. After that, the ride will be guided by the event’s lead motorcycle and driver, with the Department of Transportation monitoring at key intersections.With files from Island Morning
Some cyclists drop out of Gran Fondo P.E.I. event after Air Canada strike disrupts travel
