Driver charged one year after deadly Okanagan Granfondo collision

A man is facing three charges after a collision at a massive South Okanagan cycling race killed a rider and injured two others.

Penticton RCMP arrested Jonathan Crant today, July 20, just over a year after the collision in the middle of the Okanagan Granfondo’s 155-kilometre cycling course.

Police haven’t disclosed exactly what happened when a car emerged onto the course near St. Andrews by the Lake, but the July 13, 2025, crash killed rider Ava Choy and injured two others. With hundreds of participants still behind them, many passed the crash site as they continued to the end of the course.

Crant, born in 1973, is charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and two counts of causing bodily harm. No court date has been set yet.

Separate from the Granfondo collision, he’s also accused of driving while prohibited on April 20 in Oliver and will appear in court on that charge later this month, according to online court records.

“This has been a complex investigation requiring significant investigative efforts to collect, analyze and assess evidence,” Staff Sgt. Scott Hanry of Penticton RCMP said in a news release. “Our community was profoundly impacted by this event. Our thoughts remain with all family members and those affected by this tragic incident.”

The Okanagan Granfondo, meanwhile, did not return after the collision following a 14-year run. Organizers announced last October that costs after COVID, notably for traffic safety and event management, more than doubled and they couldn’t continue.