GranFondo USA Series Changes from Colnago to Cannondale, Part II

Part I

The official announcement came today of the main sponsorship change of the GranFondo USA from Colnago to Cannondale:

Cannondale and GranFondo World Find Cadence In New Global Partnership

"GranFondo World and Cannondale Announce New Partnership. Twelve Event Cycling Experience Begins in April with GranFondo Cannondale San Diego.

Cannondale has announced its global title sponsorship of the 2012 GranFondo World series, produced by Star Events. The company will remain the official naming partner and cycling company for all GranFondo World events until 2014. An Italian-inspired experience is comprised of twelve long distance, mass participation cycling events. This year’s GranFondo World series will include six all new United States based events in San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Vail, Reno and Miami. The first event of the year will be the GranFondo Cannondale San Diego on April 15th.

“We’re excited to partner with Star Events as the Global Title Sponsor of the 2012 GranFondo series,”
 said Bob Burbank, Global General Manager, Cannondale. “These events are well-matched to the goals of Cannondale – to provide cyclists the ultimate inspirational riding experience.” Every participant in a GranFondo USA event will wear a timing chip in order to ensure the full route is completed, to score athletes over the toughest climb, and award King and Queen of the Mountains prizes in every age group. GranFondo participation is open to recreational and competitive amateur cyclists.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cannondale to the GranFondo family. Cannondale has a deep history with Italian cycling as well as the best race products available to consumers in the world,” said Chairman, CEO, and Founder Georg Hochegger. “Our partnership with Cannondale will make the GranFondo World series a truly unforgettable cycling experience.” Participants will enjoy a custom-sublimated cycling jersey, commemorative medal, well-stocked aid stations, traffic-controlled intersections, and a post ride-Italian feast, topped off with a celebratory glass of Prosecco.

To learn more about the GranFondo Cannondale series and to register for the events, please visit www.granfondousa.com. GranFondo participants receive an early discount rate of $99 if booked by February 22nd.

The 2012 series dates include:
U.S.
San Diego, CA: April 15, 2012

Los Angeles/Beverly Hills, CA: June 10, 2012

Philadelphia, CA (ed. note: PA): August 12, 2012

Vail, CA (ed.note: CO): August 19, 2012

Reno/Lake Tahoe, CA: October 14, 2012

Miami, CA (ed.note FL): November 18, 2012

Europe
Bad Kleinkirchheim: May 27, 2012
Valberg-Col de la Bonnette: July 15, 2012"

ABOUT GRANFONDO WORLD
The GranFondo World label is owned by Star Production SARL, a Monaco based company specializing in organizing high quality sports events that are focused on fun, social responsibility and environmental protection. GranFondo World presents authentic Italian-inspired pure cycling events in San Diego, LA – Beverly Hills, Philadelphia, Vail, Reno and Miami. www.star-events.cc



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Jan Ullrich at Gran Fondo USA-Miami

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist, will be participating in the final round of the 2011 Gran Fondo USA series at the Gran Fondo Miami on November 20th, 2011.

"After some private difficulties in the past, I have found the love for cycling again. Cycling was always the most important part of my life and I now find it enjoyable again," said Ullrich. "The sport of cycling provides a certain lifestyle as well as an additional quality of life through health, fitness and pleasure. Moving forward I would like to share this with others and the concept of “Gran Fondo USA” fits perfectly within this goal. At some points during my professional career, I was not able to enjoy the simple pleasures of racing over different terrain, the camaraderie with my teammates and at some points the hard effort was no pleasure at all. Today all this has changed and the values and philosophy of the professionally organized Gran Fondo USA series fits perfectly with my objectives and values to have fun while still being competitive”, Ullrich said.

More information about the Gran Fonda USA-Miami at www.granfondousa.com

Photo: Pantani, Ullrich, Virenque in 1997 Tour de France

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,100 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

Gran Fondo USA’s Grand Finale in Miami

Get ready to ride in the first edition of Gran Fondo Colnago Miami, taking place Sunday, November 20, 2011 in Miami, the final destination of the Gran Fondo USA series for 2011.

“We extend a warm welcome to the first edition of the Gran Fondo USA in Miami, a destination well known in Italy and where Italian products are icons of design, elegance and technology” says Marco Rocca, Consul General of Italy in Miami. “This initiative is a wonderful opportunity to introduce, through a sporting event of great appeal, a superb Italian industry still to be fully discovered. Thanks to the organizers of Gran Fondo USA for including Miami in their American Series 2011.”

“The success of our events is based on adapting the ‘Made in Italy’ theme to the American cycling community,” says Gran Fondo founder Matteo Gerevini. “We choose metropolitan areas with a strong vocation to our sport and committed to becoming Bicycle-Friendly Cities.” Registrations are pouring from all over the world: Brazil, Canada, Porto Rico, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, UK, Singapore and 35 different states! The four events of Gran Fondo USA are now part of Star Events, a company based in Montecarlo with a portfolio of 30+ events worldwide in triathlon, cycling and running. The 2011 series also included Gran Fondos in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

Sponsors include Colnago, Alitalia, FSA, Campagnolo, Fulcrum, Gaerne, Speedplay, Cuore Italiano, Villa Sandi, the Italian Consulate General in Miami, The Italian Trade Commission, The Italy America Chamber of Commerce of Southeast, GU Energy, Il Borro and Castiglion del Bosco wineries (owned by the Ferragamo family), Maxxis, Italy Bike Hotel, and Il Palagetto winery.

Riders will start in Coral Gables at 7:00 am and can choose to tackle one of three courses, riding first through urban Miami, rich in Spanish architecture, and then moving into agricultural and palm tree growing areas, catching memorable views of tropical flora. Cyclists will test their endurance and battle against wind, heat, and humidity. Rest stops, especially for the long course, are situated at some of South Florida's best known tourist locations: a beautiful historic estate, a beloved fruit stand, and one of the largest test gardens in the US. The last leg of the ride runs parallel to the water, as the courses heads again toward downtown Miami, before concluding in front of historic Miami City Hall, site of one of the world’s first air terminals, and featured in the new ABC television show “Pan Am.”

For additional information, visit www.granfondousa.com.

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,100 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

Gran Fondo USA Acquired by Star Production SARL

Star Production SARL, a Monaco based company owning the Star Events and StarTour labels, has purchased Gran Fondo USA which established the Granfondo Colnago series beginning in 2009.

“Star Events is committed to delivering high-quality sports events, accessible to all levels of competition, and we are very excited about this entrance into the American Market,” says Georg Hochegger, CEO of Star Production SARL. ”Gran Fondo USA is the leading company in mass cycling events in the US market, and offers an ideal platform to develop our cycling division, expanding the current focus of our company.”

Gran Fondo USA was founded in 2008 by Matteo Gerevini and Rob Klingensmith who launched operations in 2009 with a Gran Fondo San Diego, the first Gran Fondo in the United States. “The success of our rides comes from our attention to details and our strong commitment to the ‘Made in Italy’ theme,” says Gran Fondo co-founder Matteo Gerevini. “We are proud of this partnership with Star Production, which will bring our operations to a new level and enable us to expand the series to other major cities in the coming years.” The Gran Fondo USA 2011 season includes San Diego, which was completed in April, and upcoming rides in Los Angeles (June 26), Philadelphia (August 14), and Miami (November 20).

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, watching and touring during the Giro, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,900 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.