0.2°C Light Snow 
In the litany of things raved about by the 2,300 participants in Pemberton’s Slow Food Cycle Sunday, it’s hard to know where to start.
There was the spectacular natural beauty on display throughout the 50-kilometre bike ride along Pemberton Meadows Road. There was the unique opportunity to learn where our food comes from, and meet the farmers who work hard to make it happen. There was the joy of sharing all of that with family members and friends new and old.
Most of all, there was the obviously shared sense that the whole thing was a ton of fun.
The cyclists who flocked to the Pemberton Valley for the fourth annual event on Sunday (Aug. 17) enjoyed all of that and more, basking – or baking, in some cases – in the bright sunshine that broke through the early-morning clouds and chased the gloomy forecasts away.
Slow Food Cycle co-organizer and co-founder Anna Helmer said she was thrilled with the boundless enthusiasm displayed by participants, farmers and community members alike.
“This year more than ever, I thought the people just had a ball, and the community seemed really into it,” Helmer said. She said she heard nothing but rave reviews from the cyclists of all ages who delved into Pemberton’s farming culture.
“I’m so impressed with all of our farmers, and all the vendor participants,” because they put on such a great display and handled the crowds so warmly, Helmer said.
At a roadside table early on in the ride out from the old community centre, Pam Cook and Scott Lattimer of Free Range Organics were kept hopping with the demand for their fresh garlic. Several groups of cyclists pulled off the road as soon as they saw the table laden with the freshly picked buds and stalks, saying that they always stop to buy from Lattimer and Cook.
“(The event) is a lot of fun, people are really enthusiastic,” Cook said, adding, “It gives people a good feel for the Valley.”
She said garlic is a particularly good thing to buy local, as it otherwise has to be imported from China, coming farther than anything else to get to our tables.
Lattimer said they get a lot of repeat customers with the Slow Food Cycle, mainly coming from the corridor and the Lower Mainland, and he enjoys the social feel of the event.
“It’s sort of fun to have a little festival feeling,” Lattimer said.
At the four-kilometre mark, a stand with drinks, baked goods and clothing operated by the Pemberton Valley Coffee Company was packed with people already in need of a break or hydration.
Vancouver’s Karen Benson, who tried out one of the hula hoops lying around at the stop, said she heard about the event from a friend, and came up from the city with a group on Saturday (Aug. 16) to camp at Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park. Asked why she wanted to come, Benson had a simple and heartfelt explanation.
“I like bikes and biking, I like the whole idea of the slow food movement and I like Pemberton,” she said.
Rob Moore of Brackendale, waiting in line for drinks, agreed with Benson’s rationale. He said he came with his family for the “good food, and supporting the community.”
Across Miller Creek and the Ryan River, participants gobbled up tasting plates with fresh vegetables and homemade spreads at a Riverlands Farm stand. Serving customers from behind the baskets of carrots, potatoes and hot peppers, Babar Javed said they pretty much ran out of the organic vegetables grown by Jesse Fromowitz after serving about 250 people by midday.
Javed said some people were curious about the farming methods, and others were just enjoying the day.
“(It’s) absolutely fantastic… I think it’s a really lovely event,” Javed said, praising it especially since he himself is new to the Valley.
The Across the Creek Organics site offered potato platters and lemonade spritzers, as well as baked goodies courtesy of Simply Delicious Bakery. As four-year-old Tyler took a break after his seven kilometres of riding his bike and eight-year-old Jake rehydrated with a spritzer, mom Katie Bennett said her family came up from North Vancouver with a group after a great experience last year.
“We made a point of coming back this year because it was such a great way to spend the day as a family,” Bennett said.
The many stands at Helmer’s Organic Farm were a huge hit, overflowing with people buying and asking about potatoes, looking at the ducks and lining up for Lucia Gelato’s ice cream. Gabriella Chrapavy, a sous chef at Whistler’s Four Seasons Resort, came with a skilled team to sell servings of a locally sourced dish: smoked wild sockeye salmon with a potato rosti and heirloom tomato salad made with organic products.
The salmon was gone by 2:30 p.m., but the cyclists were still snapping up the rostis made with sieglinda potatoes from the Helmers’ farm. Chrapavy, a member of the slow food movement, said she found the event well attended by an “awesome” crowd.
“People are definitely interested in restaurants using local products,” Chrapavy said.
The meat also disappeared quickly at Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef, where all 600 burgers were sold between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Owner Bob Mitchell said he didn’t expect to sell out that fast, but he thoroughly enjoyed the busy day.
“Everyone’s having a great time,” he said.
The end-of-the-line farms such as Shaw Creek Farms and the Denise Van Loon Family Farm were no less busy. The Los Farm offered honey bubble gum and other treats, while the Van Loons sold the much-enjoyed Pemberton fries, pies and fruit salads.
Michelle Beks of Shaw Creek Farms said this was by far the busiest Slow Food Cycle yet. She sold out of all her vegetables, and husband John answered many enthusiastic questions about potatoes and the business of farming. Beks said she saw people biting into the fresh zucchinis and cucumbers right there in the yard.
“(The freshness) is something we take for granted, but some people don’t get that,” she said. She thinks it’s great that the event “is raising an awareness… of where your food comes from. It’s amazing how many children don’t know.”
Whistler’s Jacqui Brusset said she loves the opportunity the event offers to learn about farming and food techniques while reconnecting with friends.
“The other cool thing is you get to see the farms,” she said, praising the Slow Food Cycle values and support of the local organic farming community.
The only rider-raised concern stemmed from the necessity of sharing Pemberton Meadows Road with cars. Some vehicles had to wait patiently behind herds of cyclists, as not everyone was diligent about sticking to the right of the road, while some riders were nervous about the speed of cars zipping by young cyclists.
Anna Helmer said the event’s traffic management plan is getting better every year, as attendance increases, and suggestions are welcomed. Helmer hopes the community will really get behind the event as it continues to grow in popularity, because they’ll need the help to handle the numbers.
“This is a really manageable number for us at this level, and then we have lots of plans for next year,” she said, adding, “It doesn’t seem to be fading.”
The next Slow Food Cycle Sunday will be held on Aug. 16, 2009.
