Italian Gran Fondo Changes for the Better

Ex-professionals and ex-racing licensed amateurs will be banned from gran fondo competition for a period after five years after retirement. The announcement comes from the Consulta Nazionale Ciclismoin in an effort to return gran fondo events back to their roots.

Ex-professionals and ex-racing licensed amateurs may be registered as "cicloturisti" and can take part in such events as invited guests but may not be classified in the standings or participate in award ceremonies.

More work remains to be done but this is a step in the right direction.

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.  There are now more than 2,700 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.  

Vino Fondo, Missouri's Gran Fondo

The European cycling tradition of the Grand Fondo cycling experience is coming to Missouri's hilliest wine country on Saturday, May 1, 2010. The "Vino Fondo" event name reflects a traditional pairing of challenging riding and a tour of some of Missouri's best and oldest vineyards. The Vino Fondo will start in Augusta, Missouri, and will use the same roads and towns visited by the Tour of Missouri Professional Cycling Race.

The Vino Fondo is a fully supported, timed ride. All participants will receive two measures of their achievement: overall ride time and their climbing time over the penultimate beast, the Schleusberg. There are three distance options, each tuned to maximize scenery and include as many of the regions "topographic features".

Three routes will allow riders to challenge themselves in this inaugural Vino Fondo.
The Mondo Fondo-132 miles, snaking from Augusta, Missouri to Hermann, Missouri and back. With 12,000 feet of climbing, "the grapes won't be the only thing whining." The Midi Fondo-75 miles, 5700 feet of climbing. From Augusta, past Daniel Boone's home, and up and over the historic route of the Missouri State Championship Road Race. The Mini Fondo-25 miles, 2,600 feet of climbing for those looking for a less intense day with a few challenging climbs.

Registration for the Vino Fondo is open and all event information can be found here.

The North American granfondo calendar for 2010 can be seen here.

Photos: event logo, profile of the 132 mile Mondo Fondo (click to enlarge), Alberto Contador and teammates on the Schleusberg

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondo, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are very welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,200 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog and there is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

2010 North American GranFondo Calendar

I will continue to update this page with North American announced granfondo dates and any changes.

Of the following events only a few have previously taken place: The Univest Cyclosportif (cyclosportif is the French name for the same type of race, event in 2008 and 2009); Granfondo Colnago-San Diego (2009); and Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo (2009).

Granfondo Colnago-San Diego (CA): March 7, 2010
Breakaway Ride-Thousand Oaks (CA): April 11, 2010
Gran Fondo Boulder, Boulder (CO): April 11, 2010
Breakaway Ride-Davis (CA): April 25, 2010
Sea Otter Classic Gran Fondo, Laguna Seca (CA): April 17, 2010
Gran Fondo Moab, Moab (UT): May 1, 2010
Vino Fondo, Augusta (MO): May 1, 2010
Echelon Gran Fondo, Napa (CA): May 23, 2010
Gran Fondo Vail, Vail (CO): June 19, 2010
Alleghany Gran Fondo, (VA): July 10, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Boulder (CO): July 17-18, 2010
Granfondo Colnago-Philadelphia (PA): August 8, 2010
Gran Fondo Steamboat, Steamboat (CO): August, 15, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Madison (WI): August 7-8, 2010
Whistler GranFondo, Vancouver, Canada: September 11, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Mammoth Lakes (CA): September 11-12, 2010
Univest Cyclosportif, Souderton (PA): September 2010
Echelon Gran Fondo, The Dalles (OR): September 26, 2010
Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo, Santa Rosa (CA): October 3, 2010
Granfondo Colnago-Los Angeles, Los Angeles (CA): October 24, 2010

Photo: Granfondo Colnago-San Diego start

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,100 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog and there is also a translate button at the bottom so that you can translate each page.

Now Canada: Whistler GranFondo

More North American granfondo news, this time from Canada: the Whistler Granfondo scheduled for September 11, 2010.

The Whistler GranFondo, Vancouver to Whistler, will be 120 km in length with 2,400 meters of climbing. There will also be a medio fondo in the Whistler GranFondo that will start in Squamish to cover a distance of 60 km but will still be a challenge by including the steepest of the climbs up to Whistler.

From the organizers:

"A ride you never thought possible. One of the most scenic highways in the world. Or a great excuse to see the Olympic cities of Vancouver and Whistler. Whatever your motivation, the Whistler GranFondo is the ride you've been waiting for.

This will be the first large scale, fully supported ride along the newly upgraded Sea to Sky highway – Hwy 99 – from Vancouver to Whistler. With breathtaking views of Howe Sound, challenging climbs through the Coast Mountain Range and more downhill than you’d expect, this ride will impress and inspire like none other.

The Whistler GranFondo provides a dedicated lane for the entire route giving you the comfort to travel this spectacular course in a style not available at any other time. You will travel from Vancouver to Whistler, or as we like to say, from Sea to Sky!

All riders in the Whistler GranFondo will receive an electronic timing chip. At the end of the ride, you’ll have information about your overall riding time and how you did at various challenging sections along the route. You’ll also be able to see how you compare to top riders in the Giro division."

For details visit http://www.whistlergranfondo.com/

Photos: from the event website

The 2010 calendar of granfondo events has been updated with this event.

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,100 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog and there is also a translate button at the bottom so that you can translate each page.

Granfondo fi’zi:k

The Vicenza based cycling saddle maker, fi'zi:k, has announced that it will be organizing a new gran fondo during the first weekend of May, 2010. The gran fondo is being organized to coincide with the popular Valleogra MTB Race, creating a two day weekend dedicated to cycling.

The granfondo route will be 141.5 kilometers in length with a total of 2,800 meters of climbing. The route will wind through the mountains north of Schio and pass through the Valdastico and Val Posina. The climbs are all accessible with gradients rarely exceeding the double digits.

For those who prefer a less prohibitive distance a mediofondo of 83 km with 1765 meters of elevation gain will be available.

Adding to the novelty of the weekend will be rankings and awards to individuals participating in both races, fi'zi:k and the Valleogra MTB Race.

The event website will be: www.granfondofizik.com

Photo: the Valdastico

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,100 stories in this blog; the search feature to the right works best for finding things in the blog.

Gran Fondo Racing in the U.S.A. in 2010, Part II

I am trying to maintain a calendar of the growing list of announced gran fondo events in the U.S.A. The following list contains today's announcement of the Echelon Gran Fondo events, an announcement from Ciclosportivo N.A. of November 10th regarding their three planned gran fondos (Boulder Vail, and Steamboat), and the newly announced Sea Otter Classic Gran Fondo (more details in a subsequent entry).

Granfondo Colnago-San Diego (CA): March 7, 2010

Breakaway Ride-Thousand Oaks (CA): April 11, 2010
Gran Fondo Boulder, Boulder (CO): April 11, 2010

Breakaway Ride-Davis (CA): April 25, 2010
Sea Otter Classic Gran Fondo, Laguna Seca (CA): April 17, 2010
Gran Fondo Moab, Moab (UT): May 1, 2010
Echelon Gran Fondo, Napa (CA): May 23, 2010
Gran Fondo Vail, Vail (CO): June 19, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Boulder (CO): July 17-18, 2010
Granfondo Colnago-Philadelphia (PA): August 8, 2010
Gran Fondo Steamboat, Steamboat (CO): August, 15, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Madison (WI): August 7-8, 2010
Whistler GranFondo, Vancouver, Canada: September 11, 2010
Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Mammoth Lakes (CA): September 11-12, 2010
Univest Cyclosportif, Souderton (PA): September 2010
Echelon Gran Fondo, The Dalles (OR): September 26, 2010
Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo, Santa Rosa (CA): October 9, 2010

Granfondo Colnago-Los Angeles, Los Angeles (CA): October 24, 2010

The Univest Cyclosportif (cyclosportif is the French name for the same type of race) would be the oldest event in the U.S. having already had two editions.

Photo: start of the Gran Fondo Campagnolo (2008) in Italy

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,100 stories in this blog; the search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog.

Gran Fondo Racing in the U.S.A. in 2010

ICJ reader "Powerful Pete" left a comment yesterday in response to the Centurion Cycling announcement of three gran fondo events that planned for 2010. Powerful Pete wrote, "I am very curious to see if these catch on the way gran fondos do here in Italy."

It will be interesting to see if it catches on. In Italy it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a weekend in which a gran fondo is not already scheduled. There are magazines, such as GRANFONDO, dedicated to this type of racing.

With several different U.S. organizers planning events the schedule could look like this:

Gran Fondo Colnago-San Diego (CA): March 7, 2010

Gran Fondo Boulder, Boulder (CO): April 11, 2010

Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Boulder (CO): July, 2010

Gran Fondo Vail, Vail (CO): July 11, 2010

Granfondo Colnago-Philadelphia (PA): August 8, 2010

Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Madison (WI): August, 2010

Gran Fondo Centurion Cycling, Mammoth Lakes (CA): September 2010

Univest Cyclosportif, Souderton (PA): September 2010

Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo, Santa Rosa (CA): October 3, 2010

Gruppo Bici Race of the Falling Leaves, Boulder (CO): October 3, 2010

The organizers of the Granfondo Colnago have hinted at a possible 3rd event in 2010.

The Univest Cyclosportif (cyclosportif is the French name for the same type of race) would be the oldest event having already had two editions.

Photo: cover of GRANFONDO; search within the blog using the search feature to the right to find more stories about gran fondos.

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com. See here for a chance to win a T-shirt for submitting a story.

Centurion Cycling Announces USA Granfondo Series

September 24, 2009- VeloFondo has joined with North America Sports to create "Centurion Cycling", a series of granfondo events in the U.S.A. beginning in 2010. The first three granfondos are scheduled for July, 2010, in Boulder, Colorado; August, 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin; and September, 2010 in Mammoth Lakes, California.

From their newly launched website:

What is Centurion Cycling?

"Centurion Cycling is North America’s most exciting, new bike adventure. It’s based on the European concept of gran fondos but with a distinctive twist unique to this side of the Atlantic.

In Europe, you can ride a gran fondo almost every weekend from March through September. They come in all shapes and sizes and attract riders of all abilities. Often, they are named for celebrated cyclists such as Gran Fondo Eddy Merckx, in Belgium, or for famous courses like the Nove Colli, or “nine hills”, in Italy.

Each Centurion has the look and feel of a European gran fondo. Traffic is restricted, technical and medical support are in the caravan, officials time and judge the event, food is excellent, and riders are treated like professional cyclists. The experience feels like riding in the Tour de France for a day.

What makes the Centurion Cycling brand revolutionary? We take the best of Europe’s storied gran fondos and add our own distinctive highlights. Centurion course distances are set at 100, 50 and 25 miles, challenging riders to develop time goals as runners do with marathons and half marathons. At the end of the season-long series, athletes who qualify compete in a championship event.

Courses are difficult – designed to appeal to the serious, competitive, recreational cyclist. However, our seeding process and a broad range of age and award categories encourage families and riders of all abilities to embrace the challenge. When course and closure conditions permit, we even add a time trial to appeal to individual athletic performers.

The Centurion Cycling series is contested over the most beautiful cycling terrain North America has to offer. Each course highlights the unique cycling in and around the host venue."

Registration, rules and all other details at: http://www.centurioncycling.com/

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com. See here for a chance to win a T-shirt for submitting a story.

Giro di Lombardia

Yesterday we mentioned the Gran Fondo Giro di Lombardia on October 18th. The Giro di Lombardia pro race, one of the five "monuments" of the one day classics, will take place on the previous day, October 17th. A nice weekend: visit the Madonna del Ghisallo and museum on the 16th, watch the pros race on the 17th, race in the gran fondo on the 18th (ed. note: the granfondo has been cancelled) and stop by and visit George on Lake Como on the 19th.

The Giro di Lombardia is also known as the "Race of the Falling Leaves" as it is normally held in October. Originally called the Milano-Milano when it was first held in 1905, it became the Giro di Lombardia in 1907. This year will be the 103rd edition of the race.

The race travels towards Como after leaving Varese. It passes through Como and heads up the western shores of the lake for the first climb – Intelvi. The next obstacle comes on the eastern shores of Lago di Como with the climb out Bellano and into Valsassina. The race kicks into top gear with the descent into Lecco and the snake-like path back along the lake towards Bellagio. The riders leave the homes of the rich and famous and climb towards the cyclists' sanctuary – the Madonna del Ghisallo. It tops out with 44.3 kilometres remaining. There are two final smaller climbs on the roads back to Como– Civiglio at 15.7 kilometres to go and San Fermo della Battaglia at 5.7 kilometres – before the finish on Como's Lungo Lario Trento for a total of 242 Kms.

Photo: event poster; the Gran Fondo Giro di Lombarida passing the Madonna del Ghisallo on the same roads the pros race the day before

The Madonna del Ghisallo and museum is a "must" visit. Search in this journal for "Madonna" and you'll find several stories with many photos.

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail

The Autumn Gran Fondo Season

The gran fondo season season traditionally ends in October. Between now and then there are several very popular gran fondos on the calendar:

Granfondo Colnago

Piacenza

6 September

70, 125 and 156 Km routes

Granfondo Dolomiti Stars

Arabba

13 September

80 and 135 Km routes

Granfondo delle 5 Terre

Deiva Marina

20 September

92.6 and 167 Km routes

Granfondo Prosecco Cycling Classic

Valdobbiadene

4 October

65 and 125 Km routes

Granfondo Italia

Carpi

10 October

99 and 142.5 Km routes

Granfondo Giro di Lombardia (note: CANCELLED, see here)

Como

18 October

108 and 147 Km routes

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail

What is a Gran Fondo?

A gran fondo is a race usually 160-225 km long. The ones I have entered (Maratona dles Dolomites, Avesani, and Gran Fondo Italia) are competitive, timed events. All riders have timing chips attached to their bikes. Results by overall classification, age groups, and team competitions are posted immediately after the event and there are award presentations. While you can "take it easy" virtually everyone is there to do their best.

To enter these events you must pass a stress test and have a letter from your physician saying that you are approved for racing. That letter is than used to obtain your race permit.

The larger events offer additional courses of shorter lengths such as 120-160 km and under 120 km. These shorter courses use most of the same roads but take shortcuts to avoid some of the climbs.

The largest gran fondo is the Novi Colli. Novi Colli means 9 hills, and the event covers 210km and 9 hills through the Romanga countryside and Apennines hills. The event starts and finishes in the town of Cesenatico (home to the late Marco Pantani), just up the coast from Riccione, and attracts 10,000+riders from all over Europe. There is a shorter version of 130km and 4 hills.

The next largest gran fondo is the previously discussed Maratona dles Dolomites with 8,500 (the max limit set by the organizers) participants.

One of the most interesting and growing rapidly in popularity is the Gran Fondo L'Eroica. Entrants must ride vintage bikes so tubular tires, down tube shifters (even rear shifters!) are the norm to be ridden across the "white" roads of Tuscany.

There are hundreds of gran fondo events all throughout Italy. There is even a magazine dedicated specifically to this aspect of cycling in Italy. Some events are broadcast live on TV on RAI3.

The photo above is from the Gran Fondo Italia. It was smaller, and flatter (only one nasty, short climb), than the others I had raced in. So, it felt more like a race as there were always riders VERY close, lots of pacelines, bunches, etc. My heart rate was way up there the entire time not only from the effort but having to be insanely focused. I did the 62.1 mile route at a 20.5 mph average (I am improving!).

There are USA based bike tour operators that are now organizing tours around gran fondo participation. Some of the other most popular gran fondos are the Campagnolo, Pinarello, Colnago, and Dolomiti Stars.

If you want more details about gran fondo events I suggest you visit the website of my friend April:

http://www.biciveneto.it/granfondo.html