Gran Fondo

[I Want Sachs?]

What do you think of, when you hear Gran Fondo?

How does it differ from a century bike ride?

[sc53]

Because most of the particpants are wearing this kit (http://www.elevengear.com/roadwear/poseur/poseur-team-kit-men-s.html)?

[Lanterne Rouge]

Because most of the particpants are wearing this kit (http://www.elevengear.com/roadwear/poseur/poseur-team-kit-men-s.html)?

Want! Must have!

[akelman]

How does it differ from a century bike ride?

It costs more (usually). It's timed (usually). Because it's timed, at least some participants will treat it like a race (including people who don't have race skills). All of that said, Levi's GF is a pretty great event (when the weather cooperates).

[redir]

First hing that comes to my mind is Gran Fredo :D

[redir]

Because most of the particpants are wearing this kit (http://www.elevengear.com/roadwear/poseur/poseur-team-kit-men-s.html)?

Hahaha that's great! :)

[christian]

It costs more (usually). It's timed (usually). Because it's timed, at least some participants will treat it like a race (including people who don't have race skills).

All this, and I believe it involves cheese that smells like feet.

[akelman]

(I like parenthetical statements. (What of it?))

[mktng]

Great. Thanks again paceline users. Now i HAVE to buy that Poseur kit.

Fondo. to me?

Ride
Beer
Fun
-$100 from wallet

[SpokeValley]

Great. Thanks again paceline users. Now i HAVE to buy that Poseur kit.

Fondo. to me?

Ride
Beer
Fun
-$100 from wallet

Ditto all of the above! The food at the stops are definitely better than the usual century.

$100 for most rides, but in Canada...almost $200 for the pleasure of riding! (Sheesh!) Would love to go, especially to this one. Only about a 5 hour drive from me.

http://www.granfondoaxelmerckx.com/

Eddy has come to ride and sign autographs for the last two years and the ride looks great, but priced out of my league.

[sevencyclist]

I think of this

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=15890&highlight=sachs

Grant fondling the Sachs! :banana:

[bluesea]

What do you think of, when you hear Gran Fondo?

How does it differ from a century bike ride?



Levi's gran climbing adventure. Would pay for that!

[Lewis Moon]

All this, and I believe it involves cheese that smells like feet.

Gran Fondu?

[norcalbiker]

Want! Must have!

Me too!

[norcalbiker]

It costs more (usually). It's timed (usually). Because it's timed, at least some participants will treat it like a race (including people who don't have race skills). All of that said, Levi's GF is a pretty great event (when the weather cooperates).

Yeah if weather cooperates like last year.
2 years ago was a crashfest.:eek:

[vqdriver]

do these things have sag stations?
i just did my first organized century a couple months ago so this is all new to me.

[akelman]

do these things have sag stations?

Almost always, yes. And some of them have really nice amenities: good food, mechanical support, massages, etc.

[vqdriver]

Is there a reason why they don't put up the course maps with turns and aid stations like many centuries do?

[akelman]

Is there a reason why they don't put up the course maps with turns and aid stations like many centuries do?

I'm not sure who "they" is, but Levi's GF posts a detailed course map (http://www.levisgranfondo.com/course) well in advance of the event.

[vqdriver]

my bad. i'm referring to the pasadena Giro coming up in june.
http://www.granfondogiroditalia.com/la_pasadena/

i've been eyeing it for a bit cuz it's local but i've yet to find a course map. there's only a month left and i wanted to see the route before registering. perhaps my web-fu is weak.

[cfox]

I haven't done one, but I'd like to. I don't get the knocks from insecure racer guys about how it's fake racing. It's not a race per se, it's just a different type of cycling event with an optional competitive element to it. I'm way more impressed with the guy who posts a great time over a hilly 100 mile gran fondo course than some dude who was fastest around the traffic cones at the industrial park. Most of the guys who do well in the competitive part are categorized racers anyway. They are huge and very competitive in Italy and will continue to get that way over here.

[akelman]

I haven't done one, but I'd like to. I don't get the knocks from insecure racer guys about how it's fake racing. It's not a race per se, it's just a different type of cycling event with an optional competitive element to it. I'm way more impressed with the guy who posts a great time over a hilly 100 mile gran fondo course than some dude who was fastest around the traffic cones at the industrial park. Most of the guys who do well in the competitive part are categorized racers anyway. They are huge and very competitive in Italy and will continue to get that way over here.

I'm not sure if this directed at me, but in case it is, I'm not a racer guy (though I am quite insecure). That said, my own experience suggests that there are lots of people at these events who are racing the clock. And many of these people, as I said above, apparently have no race skills at all. That's a pretty toxic combination, especially when you add in a tough course spread out over technical terrain. The result is more bad behavior than one typically sees at organized centuries, and, worse still, more crashes -- again, that's in my experience.

Still and all, like I said earlier, I've enjoyed Levi's Gran Fondo quite a lot. I try to steer clear of the weekend warriors, go at my own (very slow) pace, and appreciate the extraordinary scenery.

[Black Dog]

It costs more (usually). It's timed (usually). Because it's timed, at least some participants will treat it like a race (including people who don't have race skills). All of that said, Levi's GF is a pretty great event (when the weather cooperates).

A lot of this.

[Anarchist]

my bad. i'm referring to the pasadena Giro coming up in june.
http://www.granfondogiroditalia.com/la_pasadena/

i've been eyeing it for a bit cuz it's local but i've yet to find a course map. there's only a month left and i wanted to see the route before registering. perhaps my web-fu is weak.

http://www.granfondogiroditalia.com/la_pasadena/course/

[vqdriver]

saw that, it's last year's.

[cfox]

I'm not sure if this directed at me, but in case it is, I'm not a racer guy (though I am quite insecure). That said, my own experience suggests that there are lots of people at these events who are racing the clock. And many of these people, as I said above, apparently have no race skills at all. That's a pretty toxic combination, especially when you add in a tough course spread out over technical terrain. The result is more bad behavior than one typically sees at organized centuries, and, worse still, more crashes -- again, that's in my experience.

Still and all, like I said earlier, I've enjoyed Levi's Gran Fondo quite a lot. I try to steer clear of the weekend warriors, go at my own (very slow) pace, and appreciate the extraordinary scenery.

Not directed at you at all, but at other folks (not here) with whom I've had this very discussion. I agree on the unskilled rider part, but I've seen plenty of that in centuries, and races, as well. Even in centuries it pays big to get near the front for the start.

[norcalbiker]

I have done Levi Gran Fondo 3 times. I don't remember being a race event. Although you can race with people you know but it's not a race event. I did my first Levi with Robert (Unle Jam's Army) and we are hurting badly (at least I know I am) that when we got back to the Start/Finish line, the food vendors were closing. :eek: That's how long it took us. I know Robert waited for me. Thanks Mang!!!

[sg8357]

Grand Fondue, the smell of cooked carbon rims and Swiss Stop pads.

[Lionel]

They are huge and very competitive in Italy and will continue to get that way over here.

add France and Spain to this.

[enr1co]

Yeah if weather cooperates like last year.
2 years ago was a crashfest.:eek:

I did the Levi fondo "ride" 2 yrs ago and through the day at rest stops, you could hear the constant talk of crashes that had happened.

Yep, pretty much what Akelman described- lots of un skilled, inexperienced riders weaving all over the road, descending erratically, endangering other riders, pretending its a "race". These riders can show up anywhere but they are more concentrated at Fondos or large event rides

I did enjoy most of the route, the expo, and paella they fed us after the ride but no plans on shelling out for another fondo ride.

[cfox]

I did the Levi fondo "ride" 2 yrs ago and through the day at rest stops, you could hear the constant talk of crashes that had happened.

Yep, pretty much what Akelman described- lots of un skilled, inexperienced riders weaving all over the road, descending erratically, endangering other riders, pretending its a "race". These riders can show up anywhere but they are more concentrated at Fondos or large event rides

I did enjoy most of the route, the expo, and paella they fed us after the ride but no plans on shelling out for another fondo ride.

I've heard the stories, but they always seem to be about Levi's GF. I've never ridden it, but I'm told it takes place on some narrow, technical, and poorly surfaced roads. That's a recipe for disaster for any mass-start ride, or anything other than a P12 race for that matter. I've stopped doing "fun rides" with rolling starts or multiple course lengths that overlap. Centuries can be really fun as long as they have a fixed start and you can get safely through the front. I think in GFs, if you plan on going for a time, they move you to the front for the start.

[oldpotatoe]

What do you think of, when you hear Gran Fondo?

How does it differ from a century bike ride?

Most like running races..numbers, timing, closed route. Even if you are part of the 'herd', bang goes the gun, all start, and run, race....

Centurys are show up and ride the route. Gran Fondos are like running races.

[redir]

Ok I made a snide racer comment earlier but I was only joking ;)

I didn't know what a Fondo was so I looked it up. It comes from the famous randonnée cyclosportive in France and Italy. Sometimes would be amateur events over some of the famous course like certain tour stages etc... after the pro's roll through. Nice tradition there. But they say that some of these attract over 5,000 riders O.o. That's nuts.

I've done a few centuries in the past and probably will never do one again. I really don't see the point in paying $75 or more to go ride 100 miles with a huge group of people. What I have found is that the centuries I do I pretty much hang out with the same guys I would normally ride with anyway. I can do that for free and I don't have to wake up at 6am ;) I usually ride at least one 100 miler a month and sometimes more, doesn't cost a dime and I'm not worried about people 'racing' past me on curvy descents.

[akelman]

I've done a few centuries in the past and probably will never do one again. I really don't see the point in paying $75 or more to go ride 100 miles with a huge group of people. What I have found is that the centuries I do I pretty much hang out with the same guys I would normally ride with anyway. I can do that for free and I don't have to wake up at 6am ;) I usually ride at least one 100 miler a month and sometimes more, doesn't cost a dime and I'm not worried about people 'racing' past me on curvy descents.

This. I mean, I might do Levi's again some day, but I very much doubt it. I'm happier and feel safer going out with a group of friends to ride King Ridge. That said, I do think organized rides can serve as useful motivation -- both before the fact and during the event itself -- for some people. I know that I "accidentally" rode a double century on the STP ride back in the day. I left Seattle, got in a fast pace line, and just kept going. Next thing I knew I was in Portland.

[54ny77]

i've never done a fondo (and am hoping to do the nyc one this year), but i have done a couple of mass start rides and have had a TON of fun. people who say "well i could go ride 50-100 miles with buddies for free" really are missing the point--it's about the experience. if you sometimes have to ride 10 mph and keep your eyes open in back of your head, so be it. if that's not your thing, don't do it.

to use an analogy, you could sit at home and watch the world series on t.v. for free (well, ya still have to pay for cable/satellite) but it ain't the same as being in the stands, breathing the air, taking in the vibe....in person.

anyway, for what it's worth and all that jazz....

[akelman]

people who say "well i could go ride 50-100 miles with buddies for free" really are missing the point--it's about the experience. if you sometimes have to ride 10 mph and keep your eyes open in back of your head, so be it. if that's not your thing, don't do it.

Or they're not missing the point at all. It's also possible, as you say, that they get the point but it's not their thing.

[soulspinner]

Svein Tuft did that in under 4 hours Sheesh.

[shovelhd]

I blame Strava.

USAC muddied the waters by creating Gran Fondos that are Masters Worlds qualifiers.

[enr1co]

I've done a few centuries in the past and probably will never do one again. I really don't see the point in paying $75 or more to go ride 100 miles with a huge group of people. What I have found is that the centuries I do I pretty much hang out with the same guys I would normally ride with anyway. I can do that for free and I don't have to wake up at 6am ;) I usually ride at least one 100 miler a month and sometimes more, doesn't cost a dime and I'm not worried about people 'racing' past me on curvy descents.


Another this ^ :)

[sparky33]

I think of this

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=15890&highlight=sachs

Grant fondling the Sachs! :banana:

Fetish anyone?

I'm looking for that line between enthusiasm and insanity. I *think* I'm still on the right side.

[Suntourguy]

reminds me of dipping stuff like apple wedges into a pot of melted cheese with a little wine in it, fondo right.

[etu]

used to enjoy organized centuries, but i am sad to say the novelty has worn off. soaking up the atmosphere of an organized ride can be fun - people watching and shadow-racing in your mind, but lately i prefer doing the same route with a smaller group of friends that you do end up riding with anyways.

at this point, i would only consider organized centuries/fondos for rides far away from home or longer rides like double centuries where rest stop support is helpful.

[SpokeValley]

I'm old and slow but I still enjoy some centuries and fondos. I'll do a combination of four this year...ya gotta have some goals.

I say some because I like seeing the cool bikes (that aren't the big brands) and honestly, having people say something about my ride, meeting and riding with nice folks, enjoying the view from behind a group of slower but shapely girls (I admit it), and likely seeing some new real estate.

The downside are the yahoo poseurs that think they're so cool and really don't have the best riding skills. They're usually easy to spot and to stay away from, though.

I also don't like beating my ass like I did last weekend heading into wind gusts up to 25 mph for a 10 mile climb. That was when I was questioning my rationale. The turnaround and ride back to the start was a screamer, though, which made up for it.