I thought I'd start a thread with a collection of rides. I'm staring at a list of possible races every weekend for the next 7 weekends and think something different in the mix now or later might be a good thing. I'm thinking of hitting one of these up at some point. Thoughts and anyone want to join?

1. Grand Fundo - J.Pow's ride in central MA on 7/21/13. Approaching fast. https://www.bikereg.com/Net/18927
2. Tour of Litchfield Hills - Cancer Charity in N.W. Ct. on 8/4 - don't know much about it, but seems like a nice ride for a good cause http://www.tourofthelitchfieldhills.com/
3. D2R2 - Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee - 8/24 - I'll be out of town but several KCC are going https://www.bikereg.com/Net/17739
4. Krempels King of the Road challenge - 10/19 - In NH and hosted by Ted King to support a medical center for traumatic brain injuries. Ted seems like a nice guy. http://kingchallenge.org/
5. CCNS Donut Derby - race that includes time bonuses for # of donuts eaten. 10/26/13 In East Haddam, CT drivable in a day. Donuts - need I say more? https://www.bikereg.com/Net/18039
6. Gran Fondo Hincapie - former KCC and doper. Harry and Dan went last year. 10/26 in Greenville SC http://www.granfondohincapie.com/

So, I saw some stickerd advertisemnts for this on my ride on Tuesday.

http://www.granfondony.com

WHAT? is anyone down? this looks like fun.

I may be in (agreed, it looks like fun) ....but...its 200 bucks ! Thats a lot of bling to ride to bear mountain.

One of my neighbors (who's husband is a lbs owner) asked me if I was gonna do it. When I responded that its 200, she said to me "ohh, but they have a lot of expenses, its not like they are making a profit".
While I don't think they are looking to grossly profit off the riders, seriously, a 200 dollar ride ? What are their expenses above and beyond a normal charity ride\century\5 boro bike tour type of ride?
Going over the GWB roadway ? Or being forced to buy a gran Fondo jersey in order to take part ?

Who is their target market ?

Posted By: JoshuaCI may be in (agreed, it looks like fun) ....but...its 200 bucks ! Thats a lot of bling to ride to bear mountain.

One of my neighbors (who's husband is a lbs owner) asked me if I was gonna do it. When I responded that its 200, she said to me "ohh, but they have a lot of expenses, its not like they are making a profit".
While I don't think they are looking to grossly profit off the riders, seriously, a 200 dollar ride ? What are their expenses above and beyond a normal charity ride\century\5 boro bike tour type of ride?
Going over the GWB roadway ? Or being forced to buy a gran Fondo jersey in order to take part ?

Who is their target market ?

it's not for me, but it is quite expensive to put on because of the permits and personnel charges to shut down the roads the timed climbs are on. we have some customers pretty excited about it. it's a good outlet for someone competitive, but has some trepidation about the wheel to wheel crit racing scene. you'll see a lot of the type of people who do centuries with a paceline i'd reckon. if i was a cat 1 hill hammer i'd think about doing it to just to win and flip the prizes. i can't imagine a rec rider is going to come out of nowhere and annihilate the hill climbs.

I don't think their angle is that they are charging you extra for a jersey, it's more that the jersey is a nice souvenier of the ride. That is absolutely in keeping with GF in Italy: there is always a swag-bag of goodies for entrants. The major difference is that those goodies are usually from major sponsors of the event (cycle clothing, sports food, etc) or something from the locale (wine of the region) since the event brings so many people to the area that everyone benefits.
So what they are doing is in keeping with tradition, but the cost is radically different between here and Italy, because here local citizens need to be convinced of road closures, possibly compenstated for their inconvenience and the local police will certainly need funding.

Anything that gets people on bikes is a great thing and maybe if it is succesful and the local communities embrace it - it may become cheaper in years to come.

I can't ride it however, because it clashes with Michele Bartoli's GF in Tuscany :-)

The more I read the website, the more it seems like a Century ride than a race. I am interested to see how i stack up on the climbs, but its not really my scene. I emailed my boss, and I am going to see if he wants to pay me and some coworkers way into the race; its worth asking, right?

Posted By: chrisbloomeThe more I read the website, the more it seems like a Century ride than a race. I am interested to see how i stack up on the climbs, but its not really my scene. I emailed my boss, and I am going to see if he wants to pay me and some coworkers way into the race; its worth asking, right?

it's an odd mix of a century and race. only the climbs are timed, but if you get to a climb after a certain time cut off, you're done.

Okay, I'm going to try not to be offended that the thread I started ages ago about this ride garnered no comments whatsoever...(UCI World Tour)...haha

...and chime in here.

$200 is a redonkulous amount of money. But so is Battenkill. $95 to $105 for most categories. So add, say $60 to $100 for the jersey you get and we're up to $160. Throw in the possibility of winning a Pinnarello bike, plus other raffle prizes like a trip to Europe...

I don't know, I just don't think those two races in value for dollar are that far off each other. I know Dieter must be kicking himself now though, wishing he had charged even more for his event.

The real thing that is drawing me to possibly of forking out mad cash for this ride, is that it is apparently a qualifier for a UCI World Championship race in Belgium this Fall. And the lure of the rainbow stripes, plus an excuse to go back to Belgium, is strong.

The Gran Fondo NY confusion continues on NYVelocity: http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2011/gran-fondo-nyc

Buongiorno! Bellissimo! http://movieclips.com/aULP-breaking-away-movie-sabotage-italian-style/

It's an out'n back which is handy:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/29653968/

Hey, I posted this comment underneath the article and thought I'd share my thoughts with those of you who haven't clicked over to the link David provided. I'm kind of looking at the fence and deciding whether or not to hop up on it in terms of to ride or skip this, unquestionably unique NYC based event. A lot of people wrote in the comment's section complaining about the high cost of entry. Here's what I had to say:



Despite it's $200 price tag, I don't think price is actually the problem here. Add $50-70 (say the cost of a jersey) to Dieter Drake's $85-105 entry fees for Battenkill and then the gap is not that wide.

The bigger problem to me is that this is being held up as a qualifier for UCI Amateur Worlds. With only a few timed climbs determining places and prizes, it becomes an event where watts/kg is pretty much all that matters. Noodle for 90 miles, hit it hard for the 4-8 minute climbs that dot the route from here to there and bam, those are the "winners?" Those are the people we want representing the US in Belgium in an actual road race?

(aside: I do understand that previously Master's World's had no qualifiers whatsoever, so maybe my post is sort of moot, in a "better than nothing" kind of way, but still...)

I'm not saying you won't have a good ride, or a great time, or come away with some nice swag at the end of a long tiring day in the saddle. All of that will probably happen. It might be your favorite day on the bike all year. But Grand Fondo NYC is not racing. No way, no how. And to hold it up as a qualifier for an actual race, is just weird.

A few years back, I spent the better part of a road racing season slogging it out in Belgian Kermesses and so I believe I have at least a fair understanding of what racing in Belgium is like. And I can guarantee you that if I, for example, decide to do this Grand Fondo, there will be triathletes and all manner of less experienced road racers who will crush me on the climbs, but could not last 15 minutes in a Belgian Kermesse.

I mean, even if the organizer could somehow get all the "racers" to the start of the timed portions at the same time, and let them slog it out "racer style," the "winner" of that climb, at the end of the day, may not actually be the rider with the fastest elapsed time. Some other rider could come along 20 minutes later and power up the climb at high steady state effort without the drama of attacks and counters and actually finish the climb quicker. Is that racing? Well, I guess in a manner of speaking yes, but not really. Will that rider have success in an actual road race situation when he gets to Belgium?

Marc,

It appears from the NYVelocity thread on GFNY, apparently if you are a licenced racer you can A) line up in the front with the other racers. you can apply for an exemption to ride in your Kissena kit if you're disinclined to ride in the GFNY jersey and you're interested in representing Kissena in the world championship.

Dan

Well, it seems that USA Cycling, like 2 weeks before the event decides to offer up an explanation that was due months ago. I mean we already figured it out but...here is the letter I got:

Dear Masters Cyclist:

Want to compete for a 2011 rainbow jersey along the famous Liège-Bastogne-Liège course?

Registration is open now for the two U.S.-based legs of the UCI World Cycling Tour (UWCT), both of which will qualify riders to compete for a world title in Liège, Belgium this fall.

CLICK HERE for information about qualifying at the Gran Fondo New York in New York City on May 8.

CLICK HERE for information about qualifying at the Fort Collins Cycling Festival in Fort Collins, Colo., August 19-21.
WHAT IS THE UWCT? WHAT ABOUT MASTERS ROAD WORLDS?

In previous years, masters cyclists fought for world titles at the UCI Masters Road World Championships. Beginning this year, world champions will be crowned using the UWCT format — a format that allows amateur riders of all ages to compete for the rainbow jersey through seven qualifying competitions on three different continents. There are both road and time trial competitions. Qualifying riders will fight for the right to be called an amateur world champion during the UWCT Final, which will take place along the famous Liège-Bastogne-Liège course, September 9-11. For more information, visit the UWCT website.
HOW DO I QUALIFY FOR THE UWCT FINAL?

The top 10% in each age category at each of the seven qualifying competitions will earn a start spot at the UWCT Final. Two of the qualifying events are taking place right here on this side of the pond. On May 8, the Gran Fondo New York will include four timed climbs that give riders the opportunity to earn start spots for both the time trial and the road race at the UWCT Final. A second opportunity will be available to riders, August 19-21, at the Fort Collins Cycling Festival in Fort Collins, Colo. The event is hosting separate USA Cycling-sanctioned time trial and road race qualifiers, complete with separately run age groups, including women's categories.
HOW TO QUALIFY AT THE GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

On May 8, the Gran Fondo New York will offer amateur riders the opportunity to qualify for the UWCT Final during a 100-mile, non-competitive ride that features magnificent views of Manhattan, as well as an elevation gain of 6,600 feet.

* While the gran fondo is not timed, the event will include four timed climbs that count toward UWCT Final qualification. Athletes must complete the full course to be eligible for qualification.
* The four timed climbs will be added together to determine a total climb time and overall ranking. The top 10% in each age group will qualify for both the time trial and the road race at the UWCT Final.

CLICK HERE for more information or CLICK HERE to register for the Gran Fondo New York event.
HOW TO QUALIFY AT THE FORT COLLINS CYCLING FESTIVAL

The Fort Collins Cycling Festival in Colorado is teaming up with Echelon to host separate UWCT Final time trial and road race qualifiers on August 19 and 21 in Fort Collins, Colo.

* The UCI/USA Raw Hide Time Trial will take place on August 19 on a 17.4-mile course with 367 feet of climbing.
* The road race is a 66.8-mile event slated for August 21. It will feature 6,000 feet of climbing, near full road closure, and separately run age categories (including women's categories). The races are sanctioned by USA Cycling and will not be mixed with the festival's public ride or gran fondo.
* Athletes that place in the top 10% of their age category in either the time trial or road race in Fort Collins can choose to take part in the time trial, the road race, or both at the UWCT Final.

CLICK HERE for more information or to REGISTER for the Fort Collins UWCT events.

Hey y'all, I finally decided on this one. I'm NOT going to sign up. The price is just too steep. There's no way I could possibly win any of the prizes. The timed climb only format I don't like at all. And while I'm sure it's going to be a lovely ride, it's on roads we all know so well already, and so the romance of it all is totally lost on me. Finally, it's on the same weekend as two other races that I've done in the past and intend to do again (Sterling and Turkey Hill...have yet to decide which one of those I will choose).

FYI, it appears the George Hincapie will be doing this ride. And supposedly 2800 folks have signed up.

I signed up for this thing. I fear that it will end up being a big waste of $$. Hope not.

Have fun with the Fondo! Ride at the front, hang out with Hincapie, win some nice swag and give us a full report. You may have the best weekend out of all of us!

we totally want a fondo report

Will do If registration pick up yesterday was any indication, this could be a cluster-f**k of epic proportions. We shall see. I'm number 1,913 in the start order. Over the 100 miles I can hopefully work my way up 30-40 spots : ) Ciao for now.

Riding to Bear today I was a bit jealous seeing the signs with forks showing the feed stops for the Fondo tomorrow. My Accelerade, two bars and a half wrap with turkey and cheese (Runcible) and in Elmhurst (it's in Queens, Brooklyn boys) I had two red bean Chinese pastries did the job though.

I'll be at the piermont rest stop at 830 or so heckling and ringing a cowbell.

I can provide a report of the GF Michele Bartoli. I rode this today in Montecarlo, Tuscany, Italy.
There were 1200 riders and I think I finished in the top 300, although I had heavy legs today and basically suffered for 4.5 hours. I would love to say it was a great ride, etc, but I can't. Just one of those days where digging deep and keeping going require full attention !
I will say that the part I did best on was the Strada Bianchi - that is where a fat lad with a big gear can overhaul all the skinny kids !
The winner of my race today was a certain Mr R. Rumsas.

Other news: Iberia airlines have managed to lose my Time. It's somewhere in Spain ! The upside of this is that I had to rent a bike locally and met Thomas Dekker in the store. We may hook up for a recovery ride next week, which would be super cool, although I expect the intensities of our recovery rides differ somewhat !!

Forgive me for being thick...but Ian could you talk a bit about why/how/whereforto you are riding/racing/gran fundoing in Italy?

Bellissimo giorno in Italia! Magnifico per Ian!

Meanwhile... Rich and I had a grandissimo training day at Floyd. The Fondo crowd dissuaded us from doing some river rd. repeats, so we went with Floyd and --what do you know-- a full-bore lap at Floyd takes 'round about the same time as one ascent up Alpine (yet... if only there were something like that Floyd tailwind section up Alpine).

Anyhow, enjoy your stay in Italy Ian... looking forward to more stories and some photos too!

Marc
This is my third year of coming to Italy for Gran Fondos (and the first time there has been a problem with bike transportation). I always combine it with a family vacation, which for us means parents taking a short flight from England to Italy and staying with us for a few days (so it also saves us a trip back to the UK !).
Gran Fondos are usually run on a Sunday so each vacation I try and do three of them.
In addition to Michele Bartoli's event, this year I am doing the GF Della Vernaccia in southern Tuscany and the Nove Colli over in Cesenatico (Marco Pantani's home town).
The organisation is awesome: fully closed roads, regular water feed zones and also more comprehensive feed stops (but Marc I must warn you there is always a selection of homemade chocolate cakes on offer !).
Entry fees are low: 30 Euro, but a gift pack is given to every rider usually of local produce like pasta, etc And more importantly a bottle of the local wine. There is usually some cycle related stuff included too (like arm warmers). A post race pasta feed is included in the price (typically for the rider + significant other). So basically the race is free !
Between races - it's just great cycling country.

Awesome Ian. I remember my wife and mother-in-law telling me that at every restaurant in Italy they enjoyed the basic, "house wine" served was delicious. Sounds like an Italian Gran Fondo is something especially fun.

@neilx, I can't wait to read about the NYC Fondo!

My Fondo report (per Marc’s request) in several parts:

Part Uno

It's an understatement to say that I was skeptical of the NY Gran Fondo organizers' ability to pull off what they had promised. I also rolled my eyes at the pretense of renaming four local climbs in Faux-talian. That having been said, I went and spent the 269713 Lira (200+ U.S. Dollars) on the Fondo, the inner half-hater in me half-hoping that I would bear witness to the (figurative) carnage of the first and only Fondo that anyone would ever have the audacity to trying running around NYC. I was wrong about just about everything.

Other than a mini riot on the morning when I went to pick up my registration materials at Roseland Ballroom Friday, the organization was near perfect. The promoters were able to deliver exactly what they promised: A car free ride over the George Washington Bridge, a well thought out challenging (and scenic) route, rolling road closures all the way up to Bear Mountain, and excellent food and mechanical support. In other words, in Bizzaro World * this would have been an AVD-promoted event.

Part Due

The Route

Roughly 2,000 riders, all wearing identical GFNY jerseys (like happy day campers or grim prisoners of war) lined up across the entire west bound side of the lower deck of the GWB in self ranked corrals according to predicted finishing time. The Fondo website mentioned that if you were a licensed racer and e-mailed them they would give you a position nearer to the front. (I saw that one too late to try it.) In any case, by the time Jorge and I arrived there 15 minutes before the 7 AM start, the crowd was so densely packed that we had to hold our bikes overhead and insert ourselves wherever we could find space in the molecular structure of the crowd. We were instructed not to start "racing" until 5 miles into the ride. (I thought it was a ride not a race. Whatever…) The start went off smoothly only about 5 minutes late. We were led off the bridge and exited onto Hudson Terrace and turned right downhill to the mouth of River Road, which we rode through to Alpine. The congestion opened up enough by early on River Road for Jorge, his friend Henry, and I to start working our way forward through the pack. We headed up the Alpine climb onto 9W. The entire north-bound lane was of 9W was reserved for the Fondo. We turned down into Piermont at Tallman, rode along Piermont Road into Nyack, and then back up to 9W past Rockland Lakes, eventually making the left off 9W, with a few roads leading us to South Mountain Road.

So, at this point you might be saying: "What's the big deal about that?" That's the way I always go." True... but here’s the thing… I can't begin to describe how cool it feels to ride on our same old route spread across the entire lane without being relegated to the shoulder or encountering a single car (other than the yellow Mavic support vehicles.) The real Bizarro World touch however was to see police at every major intersection holding back traffic and waving us through (sometimes even with a smile). Yup...even in Piermont and Nyack. Nobody yelled at us to ride single file, stop at a stop sign, ride our bikes on the sidewalk [where they belong], or to slow down.

The first of the four timed climbs was Colle della Punta Rocciosa (aka "Little Tor") which we turned onto from South Mountain Road. The timing for each rider was triggered by a chip inside the number plates we were forced to mount on our bikes. On that climb Kissena's own Mitch Sonies came up on my left side, said hello, and powered his way by, leaving me in his dust. (I’m happy to report that Mitch was riding as strong as ever and appears to have healed well from surgery following his Prospect Park race inflicted injuries of a few weeks ago.)
After bombing down the back side of Little Tor we were directed onto a bunch of really nice smaller roads that eventually led us back out onto 9W a few miles south of Bear Mountain. By doing that we managed to avoid the hairiest stretched of 9W from Haverstraw up to Stony Point. Those little roads (which JP probably knows) included the second timed climb, Buckberg Mountain Road, or Passo Del Daino if you’re speaking Fondo-talk, a relatively short, but definitely tough, climb which hits 14% at one point. As we spilled out onto 9W we once again, we had the entire northbound lane to ourselves all the way onto Montagna dell'Orso (which even my crude knowledge of romance languages tells me means “Mountain of Orzo”—yum!). We climbed Perkins Drive (which served as the third timed climb) and then screamed back down able to use the full lane without threat of automotive contact. After a few miles southbound on 9W the route turned inland again and made its way all the way down to Piermont/Sparkill on smaller roads. Among those was an unexpectedly difficult climb at around mile 60 that I've never ridden before, though it somehow led us right into a nice fast descent which I’ve taken out of Harriman in the past. Once back down into Sparkill/Piermont via the back way (i.e., coming from Orangeburg along Kings Highway) we headed south onto 9W. (One of the few times we were not on a car free road.) We entered River Road at the Alpine (I swear the potholes get worse by the hour on that descent) and rode to the finish line at the southernmost traffic circle by the first boat basin. My handlebar mounted Garmin atomic clock says that we rode 100.7miles and climbed 8200+ feet. I suspect that the climbing number is a bit on the high side.

Part tre

The Riders, Their Bikes, and the Vibe
One of concerns that I had about the ride was that it would lend itself to sketchy bike handlers who were perhaps not accustomed to riding in packs. While I definitely saw a few instances of people doing some really stupid sh*t, by and large, given the amount of riders, everything felt pretty safe. I saw only one crash along the way.

Like an archeological dig, it seems like a few different strata of bike culture were represented – from the most “serious” racer type folks nearer the front to the bike wine and pasta tour crowd nearer the back. If forced to making some sweeping generalizations I would say of the whole that:
• They tended to be “older” (i.e., 35+).
• They were mostly male (I'm guessing that women comprised no more than 5% of the field).
• They were somewhat experienced riders (though didn’t necessarily have racing experience).
• They rode fancy bikes with very fancy wheels

For whatever it’s worth, BSNY declared it "a total Fred-pocalypse."** after seeing the picture below.

Part quattro

The overall vibe was good – there was little of the kumbaya feel of a charity ride (which definitely has its place), the adrenaline fueled combativeness of a race, the madcap goofiness of the five borough ride, or nihilistic guerilla theater of a Critical Mass ride, but instead the mood nestled somewhere at a safe emotional center between the extremes. We were all forced, like kids at a day camp, or prisoners of war, to wear matching Gran Fondo jerseys, which probably made for equal parts cohesiveness and resentment. If nothing else it caused some difficulty in spotting the people you were riding with.

Was It a Race?
Definitely not in the way that I think that most of us over here think of races at this moment in time. I suspect though that the organizers are looking to emulate the popularity of certain mass start events like the marathons and maybe even certain multisport events, where for the vast majority of participants it’s less about winning or more about the experience of surviving the event. I suppose if you do an event like this year after year you can strive for what tri-people call a “PR.” Also, if you are a strong climber (I am among the strongest of them [in Bizarro World)) you could have a shot at showing your moxie and winning at a slot at the Masters Worlds by flying up the four timed climbs.

The Logistics
I’m in awe of how the organizers managed to coordinate the road closures along the course which wound its way through multiple jurisdictions, e.g., NY/NJ Port Authority, two states, several counties, and probably a dozen or more villages. Without the persuasive moral force of a charity ride I presume that they had to pay for these, which goes a way toward explaining the high entry fee and perhaps the smiling civil servants we encountered along the way. There were six aid stations (some of them serving double duty on the ways up and down) attended by pleasant volunteers and stocked with decent real food products (like bananas, bagels peanut butter etc.), and drinking water. There were porta potties too—for those who like that sort of thing. Lastly, they were somehow able to pull off some of the nicest riding weather I’ve ever experienced in the tri-state area. But for the pollen in the air it was perfection.

So?
I liked it…a lot.*** By the end I even stopped being self conscious about the I-want-to-pretend-I’m a-Continental-Pro-renamed climbs and UCI sign-in board. Perhaps had my expectations not been so low going in I wouldn’t have been so damn giddy about it. For me though what it boils down to was the ability go hard when I wanted to, take it easy when I felt like it, and to take up the whole damn road doing it. I now realize how much energy I expend on rides looking/listening over my shoulder for cars, stopping and starting at lights etc. No doubt $200+ is an awful lot of money*** to pay for the privilege of riding that way on mostly familiar roads, but if you have it to spare (and you’re not saving it for that pair of Zipp carbon bar end plugs at R&A) then it’s probably worth checking it out, if nothing else to see friendly policeman waving you through the lights.

nota a piè pagina

*For those unfamiliar with Superman lore, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia’s description of Bizarro World: "In the Bizarro world of "Htrae" ("Earth" spelled backwards), society is ruled by the Bizarro Code which states "Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!".

**One of Wikipedia’s three definitions of “a Fred” is as follows: [A] Fred is more often somebody with higher quality and more expensive cycling equipment than his or her talent and commitment would warrant. For example, a stereotypical Fred by this definition would be an individual with little cycling experience who watches the highlights of a few Tour de France stages, then goes to a bike store and purchases a Trek carbon fiber Madone in Team Discovery colors, along with Team Discovery shorts and jersey. Thus outfitted with equipment virtually identical to that which Lance Armstrong used, far more expensive than that used by many high-standard racing cyclists, and more costly than many automobiles, the "Fred" then uses his bicycle merely to ride on a cycling path at 15 mph (24 km/h), something which even the most casual untrained cyclist can manage on an inexpensive hybrid bicycle. Some use "Fred" in a somewhat similar matter, but more synonymous with a roadie poseur. However, a Fred isn't necessarily someone who intentionally tries to put forth an image of being better or more knowledgeable than they are. Rather, a Fred is an inexperienced or unskilled cyclist who gets some top high-end or copy-cat racing gear for any reason. Unlike most poseurs, a Fred may still ride lacking some fundamental piece of competitive roadie equipment or style.

***I have to thank Jorge because had he not pleaded with me and pulled the “it’s my birthday” ruse, I never would have bothered registering for this thing at the last possible moment.

****Oh yeah…. for your 200 bucks you get to keep your “I rode the Gran Fondo and all I got was this stinkin’ Giordana-euro-racer-cut-jersey” jersey, and some sort of “goodie bag” (I hate that term almost as much I fear the word “unitard”) which includes a tiny GFNY- branded man purse and some refrigerator magnets.


Ciao for now, Neil