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Bruce Hildenbrand

Levi's Gran Fondo

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 14, 2009
In early October, Levi Leipheimer hosted a Gran Fondo in his adopted home town of Santa Rosa, California. For those of you wondering what a gran fondo is, it's an Italian phrase which roughly translates to "big ride." Gran fondos are all the rage in Italy with as many as 10,000 cyclists showing up for the most popular events. It's a big deal in Europe and it's about time that these events migrated west across the great pond.

This past March, the Gran Fondo San Diego(www.granfondosandiego.com) was the first gran fondo to be held on American soil. Since then, gran fondo fever has hit the states with the Levi Leipheimer event being the next in line and a whole bunch of events scheduled for 2010. If you haven't experienced a gran fondo, you will have plenty of opportunities to do so next year.

Levi's event(www.levisgranfondo.com) featured a picolo(25-mile), medio(63-mile) and gran(103-mile) fondo routes with the 103-mile course following one of his favorite training rides. King's Ridge is one of the most beautiful roads in Northern California; it was hard to find a cyclist complaining about the challenging climbing and stunning views. Both the 'gran' and 'medio' fondos finished with the short, but steep, ascent of Coleman Valley Road, which was featured in several editions of the Tour of California.

Undoubtedly, the most heartening aspect of the Levi Leipheimer Gran Fondo was the outpouring of support from the community of Santa Rosa. It seemed like half the city came out to either volunteer for support or cheer on the riders. Levi has definitely made an impact on this community. His three wins at the Tour of California and his efforts to bring that race to Santa Rosa have endeared him to the public and the gran fondo offered Levi's fans an opportunity to show their appreciation.

Whether you go to San Diego, Santa Rosa or parts east, if you haven't ridden a gran fondo it's definitely worth checking out.

Bruce
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Bruce Hildenbrand

The inaugural Gran Fondo San Diego was held last Sunday and from all reports it was an unqualified success. Not only did over 1100 riders participate, but cycling legend Ernesto Colnago was there, all the way from his home in Italy, to fire the gun and send all the cyclists on their way. A fleet of Ferrari's (you can't get much more Italian than the prancing horse) were on hand to help pace the riders under the Little Italy Arch and out into the scenic San Diego landscape.

 

Once on course, cyclists had the option to do a 42-mile 'Medio Fondo' of the full-blown 100-mile 'Gran Fondo' which included 6700' of climbing. Brilliant sunshine, something which attracts many world-class athletes to the San Diego area, was out in full force adding to the enjoyment.

 

Below are some photos from the event. You can check out their website at: http://www.granfondosandiego.com/

 

The start replete with a totally flash Ferrari pace car.

 

Did I mention that the weather was perfect.

 

The finish line. Let the partying begin!

 

Bruce

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Bruce Hildenbrand

What's a Gran Fondo you might ask? Well, in the good old USA we might call them organized rides like your local century, but that's definitely selling the experience short.  Gran Fondos are held all over Italy and yes, they are organized rides, but there is more, so much more that most of the really popular rides like the Novi Colli (nine passes), Maratona de Dolomiti, Campagnolo, etc. attract upwards of ten thousand (10,000) participants.

 

Many riders treat these events as unofficial races. To be sure, you don't need a racing license to enter, but the organizers recognize the top finishers in a host of age and gender-related categories. Also, everyone who enters and finishes gets an official time and gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for completing the course withing specified time limits which are also set based on age and gender.

 

What this all adds up to is some pretty competitive riding by the athletes up front, and some of those not at the front, but there is definitely room for those who just want to finish. It is not uncommon to see a rider in his teens trading pedal strokes with someone in their 60's. Just like the Tour de France and the Giro d' Italia there is usually a start and finish village with exhibitors, food, and live music.

 

Which brings us to March 1, 2009 and the first annual Gran Fondo San Diego.  Starting and finishing, appropriately, in Little Italy, cyclists will have the opportunity to sample a Gran Fondo ("big ride") for themselves without having to hop across the great pond.  Routes of 100mi, 100km and 40km offer something for riders of all abilities.  Check out www.granfondosandiego.com. See you there. This is going to be a whole lot of fun.

 

Bruce

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