About Us
GranFondo Canada, founded by Neil McKinnon and Kevin Thomson, is dedicated to producing quality road cycling events that provide a memorable cycling experience to cyclists of all levels.
GranFondo Canada plans to bring more gran fondo rides to a number of locations across Canada. Stay tuned for more information or visit: granfondocanada.com
Our Team
Kevin Thomson
Co-Founder and President of GranFondo Canada
Kevin has been organizing public and corporate events in BC since 1992. As president of Carpe Diem Adventures for 7 years, he introduced people to the pleasures of hiking, cycling, ultra-running, mountaineering, paddling, air sports and many bizarre things like underwater running with cinder blocks, speed golf and jog-a-lagers. Most recently, he was the Director of Operations for the BC Bike Race from 2007 to 2009.
In 1999, his thirst for adventurous challenges led him to become the first person to run across Canada without a support team which turned out to be more of a logistical challenge than a physical one. After that adventure, managing special events for other people has
become his permanent passion.
Hails from: Montreal, Quebec
Neil McKinnon
Co-Founder of GranFondo Canada
Neil is an avid athlete with a passion for running, triathlon and biking. His racing pursuits have included Ironman Canada, Vineman California, Alcatraz Triathlon, Sea2Summit, Novo Coli (Italy), and numerous Test of Metal and marathon finishes. Neil's other passion is the business of sport; he is the founder of Sports and Social Clubs of Canada that currently provides sports leagues and activities for over 30,000 Canadians weekly.
Hails from: Ottawa, Ontario
Stéphane Delisle
Director of Events, Planning & Integration
With more than 15 years of experience at all levels of sport management in Canada, Stéphane enjoys working on the integration of the many pieces that bring events to life. Stéphane has worked with a number of Canada’s national and provincial sport organizations in addition to being recruited for Mission Staff duties at the Canada Games, Pan Am Games and four Olympic Games.
Prior to joining GranFondo Canada, Stéphane worked on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games .
A cyclist since he was a kid, Stéphane is excited to be working to support the team that is responsible for the many moving pieces that come together to deliver the rides that we’ve all
been dreaming about.
Hails from: Port Colborne, Ontario
Alex Hermosillo
Project Leader, RBC GranFondo Whistler
With over seven years of experience as a project manager, Alex brings strong critical thinking and problem solving skills to the GranFondo Canada team. His particular focus is on the development and implementation of systems that make a project more efficient.
Alex enjoys all sports but has recently turned his focus towards road cycling and may take up racing in the near future.
Hails from: Mexico City, Mexico
Penny Lidstone
Operations
Penny has fourteen years of experience in event management, marketing and promotions. She has worked on a variety of projects from grassroots initiatives to large corporate programs. Penny is also an avid triathlete and runner and is excited to work with GranFondo Canada as it enables her to combine her love of sport with her professional experience.
Hails from: Nelson, British Columbia
Magi Scallion
Operations
Cross country skiing, running and cycling are what Magi considers to be her hobbies even if she has competed at an international level in cross country skiing and running and completed many mountain bike stage races. This love for sport, coupled with ninja-like organizational skills, led Magi into the world of events.
Magi organized numerous events in the Banff-Canmore region of Alberta before working in at the Canmore Nordic Centre where for four years she was involved with events, marketing, and volunteer coordination.
Hails from: Nova Scotia
Kaliegh Blake
Operations
Kaliegh Blake joined the GranFondo Canada team in April 2011 and managed the inaugural RBC GranFondo Kelowna. She previously worked on UCI cycling events in Australia including the Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships in Canberra. When not organizing sporting events she dedicates her time to being a novice cyclist, snowboarder and pilot.
Hails from: New South Wales, Australia
Douglas Smith
Cycling Operations
Doug began his career in construction but left it at the young age of 32 to follow his passion and be part of the cycling world. He managed bike shops in Edmonton and Calgary then became a sales rep for Trek Bicycles. After a few years with Trek, Doug left to start his own agency where he introduced a long list of product lines to Canada including Zipp Wheels, Hincapie sportswear and Argon 18 bikes.
Doug brings his knowledge and passion for cycling and the cycling industry to GranFondo Canada. He sees events through the eyes of a cyclist and how to make the adventure more enjoyable for all.
Hails from: Edmonton, Alberta
Neil Macleod
Volunteer Coordinator
Neil is a proud Scot who loves to participate and compete in all sports and events. Having worked for over a decade on the development of schools and community sport he is passionate about promoting the role played by volunteers. He has a wealth of volunteer management and event experience built up over seven years with Sportscotland's Active School's initiative and most recently the 2011 International Children's Games.
Neil's sporting achievements include the completion of two New York City Marathons (while wearing a kilt) as well as having played semi-professional soccer with some time spent on a scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia. He also loves golf, tennis, mountain biking, orienteering and volleyball and looks forward to getting involved in road cycling in the future.
Hails from: Glasgow, Scotland
Lester Tiro
Project Coordinator
Lester Tiro is a sports enthusiast with a passion for biking, running, surfing, kiteboarding, snowboarding, and climbing. Lester has an education in Geographic Information Systems and Business Management and will be assisting the GranFondo Canada team with the project tools required to deliver great events. He has travelled extensively and has lived in four countries.
Hails from: Jakarta, Indonesia
Dr. Sian Spacey
Medical Director
Dr. Sian Spacey is a clinician-scientist in the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Spacey combines clinical practice with basic science research and has been the Director of the Clinician Investigator Program at UBC since September 2005. She's an avid athlete with a love for the outdoors and has competed in road and mountain bike races, adventure races and running events. She's heading up and implement RBC GranFondo Whistler's medical program.
Hails from: Victoria, British Columbia
Lindsay Carswell
Director of Revenue, Marketing & Communications
During his 15 years in marketing, Lindsay has spent a great deal of time focusing on the marketing of sport and events. In an agency setting, he has negotiated and managed client sponsorships with sport properties that include National Hockey League teams, motor sports, PGA golf, professional soccer and the Olympics. He also spent time as the Director of Marketing and Corporate Programs for the BC Lions Football Club in the Canadian Football League.
At GranFondo Canada, Lindsay leads the sponsorship program, as well as the marketing and promotion of each GranFondo Canada event. He is a sports enthusiast with a passion for health and fitness.
Hails from: Eastern Ontario
Alison Liebel
Manager of Rider Experience
Alison’s enthusiasm for sporting events started with organizing the transportation logistics for the BC Bike Race in 2007. Seeing the thrill of competition and watching racers achieve their personal goals is just so much fun, Alison jumped in to working with TOIT Events on the Fall Classic ½ marathon, Turkey Trot and Chip's Not Dead Yet Race. She's seen the birth of the gran fondo movement in North America starting with the RBC GranFondo Whistler and has helped thousands of riders get to the start line as the Athlete Relations Manager for GranFondo Canada.
Hails from: Campbell River, British Columbia
Chelsea Johnston
Rider Experience
Chelsea has played a variety of sports all her life growing up in Welland, ON but played basketball competitively at both the College and University level. Her experience of sports is coupled with an education in Human Kinetics - Sports Management and Special Events Planning. Her first major sporting event was planning the CCAA Women’s National Basketball Championships. Chelsea is an avid member of the community through spectating, participating and volunteering for numerous events.
Hails from: Welland, Ontario
Matt Freeman
Sponsorship and Business Development
Matt Freeman has spent the past 15 years as a corporate communications professional strategically planning for some of Canada's largest and best-known brands in a range of industries. Matt has been closely involved with GranFondo Canada since 2009. Outside the boardroom, he is a passionate cyclist, triathlete and outdoors enthusiast.
Hails from: Toronto, Ontario
Mark Lavigne
Sponsorship and Manager of VeloSpoke
Mark brings a wealth of sales and business development experience to GranFondo Canada. Working for large and small companies in Canada, Europe and Africa, Mark's 15 years in international sales experience has touched all facets of sport.
Mark worked with several Olympic sponsors on their activation during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and most recently he produced the inaugural VeloSpoke Bike Expo. Mark has joined the team at GranFondo Canada to secure sponsors and develop partnership programs.
Hails from: Cornwall, Ontario
Michael Kwon
Marketing & Communications
As an alumnus of SFU’s Communication program, Mike joined the GranFondo Canada team in March 2011. After stints in broadcast television and experiential marketing, Mike realized that sports marketing was the perfect fit for him. Similar to his colleagues, he shares a common interest and passion for sport and consistently strives to improve his fitness.
Mike is responsible for handling the day-to-day Marketing and Communications operations of each GranFondo Canada event, as well as managing sponsorship activation.
Hails from: Coquitlam, British Columbia
Naomi Ashton
Accounting
Naomi Ashton was raised in Canmore, Alberta where she was able to benefit from the ample outdoor activities the mountain town has to offer. She moved to Vancouver in 2011 to complete her accounting degree and enjoys climbing, running and working out on her free time.
Hails from: Canmore, Alberta
