Ovando Gran Fondo Canceled Amid Fundraising, Access Changes

Although Ovando was recently recognized for the community's welcoming attitude and hospitality toward cyclists, one of the major cycling events that used the town as its base fell victim to last year's fire season and the realities of declining fundraising.

Last fall, as the enormous Rice Ridge Fire burned through the hills north of Ovando, the Missoula Symphony made the call to cancel their annual early-September Ovando Gran Fondo mountain bike ride.

"I think the decision at the time was a relief," said Missoula Symphony Association Executive Director John Driscoll. "Their priorities at the time were a lot larger than worrying about 150 bike riders on the road."

Some residents in Ovando assumed it was just temporary, and that the Gran Fondo would return in 2018, so the announcement last December that the race had been canceled permanently came as a surprise.

Blackfoot Angler owner Kathy Schoendoerfer, who is usually active in helping cyclists, said she didn't really have anything to do with the fully-supported Ovando Gran Fondo, but was disappointed to hear it was being cancelled permanently.

"It was cool seeing all those people coming through town. They were happy," she said.

Driscoll said the popularity of the ride, which served as a fundraiser for the symphony, had started to subside before the fires canceled the 2017 event.

Driscoll said the Gran Fondo, which began in 2012, was a huge event for the symphony, but it peaked a couple years ago. Openings for the ride sold out quickly and riders were very involved in fundraising. But he said fundraisers tend to have a life span, and they felt the Gran Fondo had reached its expiration date, as its popularity appeared to be subsiding.

He said part of the reason came from competition.

"We were one of the few fully-supported mountain bike rides in the region when we started, but like any good idea, it caught on," he said. As other organizations in the Northwest began hosting similar rides, the "market'" became saturated and the Gran Fondo began to fizzle out.

"Registrations were down. Fundraising was almost non-existent by the riders," he said. "We rely on the riders to actively fundraise to make the event any sort of a fundraiser."

He said the possibility the Gran Fondo may not continue was raised last summer at a meeting with Ovando-area landowners whose property the route crossed.

Although she didn't take part in that meeting, Ovando teacher Leigh Ann Valiton wasn't as surprised as some to see the Gran Fondo come to an end, based on a conversation she'd had with Missoula Symphony Board of Directors Vice President Jim Valeo while coordinating the use of the Ovando School back in 2012.

"When they started that, the people who were in charge... said they usually go five years in each place. They did that in the Philipsburg area. The riders want a different experience," she said. "(2017) would have been the fifth year, but with the smoke and the fire, I think that dissuaded so many people. It was just a good year to say, 'OK, Mother Nature has spoken.'"

Although Driscoll didn't mention it, another factor may have been a new route planned for the ride, necessitated by the loss of access to a ranch north of Ovando. Valiton said it would have covered more difficult terrain near the end of the ride, which may have put some of the riders off.

"For those enthusiasts who look for those challenges, it would have been good, however the average age of the cyclists was, I think, 55-60 years old for the Gran Fondo," she said.

Ultimately, the Rice Ridge Fire had the final say last year.

Valiton said the Ovando Gran Fondo's use of the school helped them fund the student's annual Montana History trip. She's optimistic that something new will come along.

"Maybe it's just gonna change. Maybe the funds will just come from a different area," she said.

One possibility is already on the horizon, thanks to the town's reputation in the cycling community. She said a cycling group from Oregon is planning an overnight stay there in 2019 for a group of 300 riders and 50 support staff.

Driscoll said he also hopes the Missoula Symphony can find a way to keep working with Ovando.

"It boils down to, we love the event, the social part of it getting to know the riders, getting to know the community of Ovando. That was the highlight," Driscoll said.  "I would love to see the symphony continue to serve Ovando or at the very least continue some sort of relationship with Ovando school."