British Columbia’s Whistler has been called “the best ski destination in North America,” but I’ve discovered it’s also one of the best places to explore by bike. Whether you’re six or 60, two-wheeled travel is the norm here for basic transportation and serious sport. With wilderness all around, it seems only natural to opt for pedal power.

In fact, every summer Whistler hosts Kokanee Crankworx, a mountain-bike festival that caters to the kind of adrenalin junkies who like to suit up in Darth Vader-like helmets and armour before hurtling straight down a vertical ski slope on two wheels. But even if you’re not into that kind of danger, join in on a rec level—rent a cutting-edge mountain bike (along with the requisite protective gear) from one of Whistler’s many bike shops and learn to “rock hop” down a dry creek bed.

Whistler has 200-plus km (124 mi) of single- and double-track trails. Start with the easy 30-km (19-mi) Valley Trail, then trade up to popular recreational routes like Cut Yer Bars and Train Wreck.

Or simply pedal from place to place. From Nita Lake Lodge, a chic spot to stay next to the new train station in Whistler’s original Creekside neighbourhood, it’s a mere four-km (2.5-mi) cruise along a pretty paved trail down to the busy pedestrian-only village for shopping, restaurants and nightlife. You can always ride the free local bus back if your legs give out—like the chairlifts that whisk you up to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Whistler buses are equipped with bike racks.

Accessing Whistler’s rambling neighbourhoods by bike is not only convenient, it helps to wear off all of the great food you’ll be eating while you’re here, which is why I’ve decided to come for the annual Slow Food Sunday Cycle (August).

Top chefs like James Walt of Araxi and Scott Thomas Dolbee of the Four Seasons Resort Whistler look to the nearby Pemberton Valley for the fresh, organic vegetables they showcase on their plates, and every summer locals celebrate that beautiful bounty on this rural ride.

I meet up with the crowds at the community centre in Pemberton, the working “bedroom community” to Whistler’s hotel and holiday-home heavy burg. We head down the flat highway that bisects the wide, lush valley to taste and shop at farms along the way.

Pemberton is famous for its potatoes, and we stop at Helmer’s Organic Farm for the organic Sieglindes, fried into crispy rosti and topped with cured sockeye salmon. Then it’s off to Across the Creek Organics where folks are dishing out four kinds of potato salad, including one drenched in an addictive cilantro-miso-honey dressing, also made locally. We load up with bags of freshly roasted coffee beans, bundles of crisp carrots and tiny eggplants, then pedal off to the next farm.

There are more than 2,300 riders on the road today: families with small kids in bike trailers and with training wheels, others with fat tires, still more on racing bikes—everyone slowing down to discover where their food comes from.

At North Arm Farm, I meet Jordan Sturdy, a ski patroller and organic farmer who also happens to be mayor of Pemberton. He supplies local chefs with an array of exotic veggies, from leeks and purple carrots to salsify and parsley root. Sturdy’s farm store makes a great destination for cyclists anytime; stop to refuel with gooey butter tarts or just to pat a pig and enjoy the views.

Back in Whistler, tired biking muscles need massaging, and there’s no better place for that than the spa at the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, where I work out the kinks and saddle sores with an aromatic steam of relaxing cedar and juniper that’s reminiscent of a First Nations sweat lodge.

Like many hotels here, the Four Seasons Resort Whistler caters to bikers—with secure bike storage, a bike wash and tuning station, and a laundry to deal with your mud-crusted clothing.

If you’re ready to take your riding skills up a notch, consider a guided lesson on the gnarly downhills at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. While it’s mostly men who don the “armour” you need for these steep and scary rides, they also offer Women’s Nights Mondays and Wednesdays.

And don’t worry if you show up for dinner scraped and bruised; biker war wounds are expected—and respected.

“Yeah, it was full contact, face to rock,” explains visitor Vanessa Murphy, sporting a shiner that elicits après interest from the waiter at upscale Araxi. “Cool. Nice,” he says, rolling up a crisp, white shirt sleeve to flash his own scabby road rash.

If you go:
Slow Food Cycle Sunday: Slow down and join the locals for a leisurely day of biking and tasting your way through Pemberton Meadows farms in mid-August (Sunday, August 15, 2010). Hotels have special foodie-friendly pedal packages. www.slowfoodcyclesunday.com

Check out the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and join a guided downhill biking lesson. Come to watch the biker action at Kokanee Crankworx or connect with the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association.

Nita Lake Lodge: Boutique lodge near the train station, with an excellent restaurant (Jordan’s Crossing) and well-appointed suites. From $139.

Four Seasons Resort Whistler: Luxury resort at the base of Blackcomb, with fine dining, a First Nations-inspired spa and menu, and the most comfortable beds in the country (perhaps the universe). From $265.

Araxi: Arguably the best place to eat in Canada; certainly the best in Whistler.

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