Thinking about riding Levi's GranFondo this year. Opinions?

[EPOJoe]

So what do you folks who have ridden it think? Is it worth the rather pricey cost ($180 for the Gran)? Is it a death trap of hyped-up, wanna-be, aggro racer types endangering everyone in their path? What say you? :)

[Drmojo]

too many bad riders
200 crashes and ambulane trips last year
plus he's a doper

[oldpotatoe]

So what do you folks who have ridden it think? Is it worth the rather pricey cost ($180 for the Gran)? Is it a death trap of hyped-up, wanna-be, aggro racer types endangering everyone in their path? What say you? :)

Particularly considering your screen name(EPOJoe), for me, I wouldn't participate in any events created by past dopers, nor would I buy clothes(Hincapie) or butt cream(DZNutz) from any of them...that's just me but no thanks. IMHO and all that.

[donevwil]

It's a stunningly beautiful route, but too many riders for my taste. I live in the area so I can ride these roads whenever I want so that makes an organized ride like this less appealing for me. Nothing new.

You have two realistic riding options:

1. (My recommendation and what my wife and I did on our second) Disregard the staging areas, move as far forward as possible (as in at the front with the "dignitaries") and hammer until you've gapped the majority of riders. I let up when I hit the hills up to Occidental. The rest of the ride is then with reasonably capable riders and no dangerous numbers. Plus there will still be beer and foods left when you get back.

2. Wait and leave a half hour late. I haven't tried this but know those who have. If you're not strong enough to pull off #1 it's the way to go. I'd rather pass than be passed.

My wife and I did the first two before the numbers were extreme stupid, plus on the last one my wife saw a guy deliberately hit by a driver so that ended her future Fondos.

Worth the money, that's personal? For me no, but if I pay to ride nowadays it better be a multi day tour with a reasonable # of riders and little car traffic

[pdmtong]

I rode the Gran editions 2 and 4. As mentioned, the ride is stunningly beautiful. Redwoods and pastures. And the dive bomb to the ocean and run along the coast will leave most folk wondering could it really get any better?

Yes, the roll out is a cluster. Although the roads are closed you need to be hyper-alert. I have seen more ambulances and air-lifts on this ride than any organized ride I have ever been on. Lots of people over-estimating their skills and riding too close to each other.

The climbing is not a big deal if you live out here but will be a suffer-fest if you are improperly geared or not used to grinding uphill for extended periods. Imagine, me, passing people uphill on king ridge! Me! If you look at the topo the bulk of the climbing is I think miles 30-50 and then again at 80. That nice rest stop at the ocean betrays the pain of the final climb off the coast. I used a 50-34 compact and a 13-29 rear but never used the 29. plenty of 26 though. dont be a hero - make sure your bike has an adequate low for your fitness.

the ride is extremely well organized with traffic closures and signage. the rest stop food is terrific.

what I do not like is 1) the cost (and back then it was $140) and 2) they ran out of food both times when I got back. The last time I probably left a few hundred people at the coast, got back around 5:00 (yes I am slow) and no more music and no more food. really?

[Peter B]

Go ride it solo or find a group ride thru SRCC. I lived in Occidental for two years and rode King Ridge most weekends. Spectacular route! But you couldn't pay me to join the GF cluster f___.

[AngryScientist]

Go ride it solo or find a group ride thru SRCC. I lived in Occidental for two years and rode King Ridge most weekends. Spectacular route! But you couldn't pay me to join the GF cluster f___.

this is what i do with a lot of big rides. poach the gps route and go do the thing alone or with a few buds.

i'd love to go do the route one of these days, and my frequent flyer miles are going to be begging for an escape of NY this winter. maybe...

[PaulE]

I had the opportunity to ride the route by myself in 2012 and highly recommend it if you have the opportunity. If you're not a racer, I would recommend you do it without the whole Gran Fondo scene.

[peanutgallery]

Total choad-fest, run to safety.

Better options

1. Completely poach the event without paying and sign in as Travis Tygert. Grab everything you can get your hands on

2. Poach the map and go another weekend with your bro's, have way more fun

Don't give Levi a dime, if you feel compelled to donate to the cause of the year, send the $ directly to the non profit

[Dead Man]

I try not to dog **** I don't understand..

But I don't understand paying these huge entry fees for non-competitive group rides..

Race entry fees are $15-30.. and you get support cars, usually some free schwag of some sort, and a chance to WIN a lot of money.

Group ride... usually you get no more "support" than a race, have to remember and follow a bunch of nancy rules from the promoter, the entry fees are ridiculously expensive.. your fellow riders aren't categorized and could be from all sorts of (lack of) skill level... Man I just don't get it.

Save your $180, poach the route, and ride it with bros.

[marciero]

Maybe the food is really great for that price?

Did most of this ride in early spring a few years ago, mostly just putting a route together with a Delorme map that included some of the signature NoCal roads. Much of the appeal for me was the combination of solitude, remoteness, and grandeur, which was heightened since I was 3000 miles from home. You would lose some of that with a big group. But then riding large events can have their own appeal.

[bewheels]

Theoretically these rides are fund raiser rides, thus the high fee. Not sure it is compatible to a regular race.
How much money actually makes it to the foundations is another question. I have done a similar (much smaller) event in which 100% of the funds raised went to the foundation it was promoting.

[joosttx]

Maybe the food is really great for that price?

Did most of this ride in early spring a few years ago, mostly just putting a route together with a Delorme map that included some of the signature NoCal roads. Much of the appeal for me was the combination of solitude, remoteness, and grandeur, which was heightened since I was 3000 miles from home. You would lose some of that with a big group. But then riding large events can have their own appeal.

Agreed, it is an awesome route. Its worth it for that reason if you are not local to the area.

[Elefantino]

Awesome route, yes, but too much of an expensive cluster**** for my tastes. Did the full once and between the wannabe racers and people who don't know how to ride in groups, a little dicey.

Plus, he's a freaking liar.


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[TimAZ]

Total choad-fest, run to safety.

Better options

1. Completely poach the event without paying and sign in as Travis Tygert. Grab everything you can get your hands on

2. Poach the map and go another weekend with your bro's, have way more fun

Don't give Levi a dime, if you feel compelled to donate to the cause of the year, send the $ directly to the non profit

Good stuff!

[Dead Man]

Total choad-fest, run to safety.

Better options

1. Completely poach the event without paying and sign in as Travis Tygert. Grab everything you can get your hands on

LOL.. missed this.

well played, peanut.

[enr1co]

Route can be found on line to enjoy it on your own or with a few friends.

Instead getting a t shirt or various schwag with a dopers name all over it, just use the $180 fee to enjoy a nice dinner in the Sonoma area instead.

Just way too many noobs and racer wannabes compromising your safety at this event.

[Lionel]

1. (My recommendation and what my wife and I did on our second) Disregard the staging areas, move as far forward as possible (as in at the front with the "dignitaries") and hammer until you've gapped the majority of riders. I let up when I hit the hills up to Occidental. The rest of the ride is then with reasonably capable riders and no dangerous numbers. Plus there will still be beer and foods left when you get back.


This has worked well for me the 2 times I did it. The start was actually not that fast from the front. Stunning route, good food. Way overpriced and I cannot stand this idiot Levi but both time a good friend signed me up for it, so why not :)

[peanutgallery]

I've been dying to do the same thing at George Hincapies hotel:)

LOL.. missed this.

well played, peanut.

[weaponsgrade]

I've done it three times. Not going this yr but some other friends are. The roads are beautiful which made compromising on my principles to not support dopers easier. Yes, there are lots riders but everybody gets spread ou by the first rest stop. It gets a little crowded after the king ridge stop. The registration cost is ridiculous compared to some of the other rides like the Sequoia and Marin - especially considering the post-ride food. You get one meal ticket and except for the paella the portions aren't very big. Of course everybody knows this so the paella line is huge. At the Marin I was stuffing myself with thin crust and ribs made on site and going back for seconds.

[Elefantino]

Holy crap ... it's $180 now?


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[EPOJoe]

Holy crap ... it's $180 now?


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My mistake. It's $190 after Sept. 1st. :)

[marciero]

I've done it three times. Not going this yr but some other friends are. The roads are beautiful which made compromising on my principles to not support dopers easier. Yes, there are lots riders but everybody gets spread ou by the first rest stop. It gets a little crowded after the king ridge stop. The registration cost is ridiculous compared to some of the other rides like the Sequoia and Marin - especially considering the post-ride food. You get one meal ticket and except for the paella the portions aren't very big. Of course everybody knows this so the paella line is huge. At the Marin I was stuffing myself with thin crust and ribs made on site and going back for seconds.

"Portions"??? Is not all you can eat?

[shovelhd]

"Portions"??? Is not all you can eat?

Of course not. They would run out of food earlier.

[cnighbor1]

Thinking about riding Levi's GranFondo this year. Opinions
I have ridden part of it King ridge three times a fun ride
You could just do it without paying
Stay here in walnut Creek I drive you to the start and do part of it
Here is I and Robert Freeman doing it
just kings ridge driving too it riding it you get home to walnut Creek after 6 pm
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/sets/72157667944029690/

[spookyload]

So the ride supports the King Ridge Foundation....what? I went to charity navigator which breaks down the distribution of funds. Shockingly, no rating. The explanation is this:
This organization is not eligible to be rated by Charity Navigator because, as a service for individual givers, we only rate organizations that depend on support from individual contributors and foundations. Organizations such as this, that get most of their revenue from the government or from program services, are therefore not eligible to be rated.

Honestly, other than tax returns, there is zero info about this foundation. They appear to bring in 1.5 million a year. They maintain about 150k in assets. Zero information about where the other 1.3 million goes. I can't really find anything that would account for the six million they have raised in the last four years.

Does Levi take a salary out of this? Is his involvement what is justified as the awareness?

[spookyload]

As another sidenote to this, rant, foundations for at risk youths is becoming a huge catch phrase. I noticed a Pantani bike the other day online. Confused as it was new, I did a little research. They are made by Carrera, and are a project approved by the Pantani family to support a foundation for at risk youths. What exactly does this mean? Is this just the new heart strings to pull at to start a foundation you can manage and take a salary from?

[peanutgallery]

He attached his name to it, of course he's making bank. Look at the 990, probably under an contractor/vendor of some sort. Throw dice to figure out which one. People are stupid to give a dime to this junket. Might as well send another check to the second mile. PT Barnum was right

So the ride supports the King Ridge Foundation....what? I went to charity navigator which breaks down the distribution of funds. Shockingly, no rating. The explanation is this:
This organization is not eligible to be rated by Charity Navigator because, as a service for individual givers, we only rate organizations that depend on support from individual contributors and foundations. Organizations such as this, that get most of their revenue from the government or from program services, are therefore not eligible to be rated.

Honestly, other than tax returns, there is zero info about this foundation. They appear to bring in 1.5 million a year. They maintain about 150k in assets. Zero information about where the other 1.3 million goes. I can't really find anything that would account for the six million they have raised in the last four years.

Does Levi take a salary out of this? Is his involvement what is justified as the awareness?

[EPOJoe]

Thinking about riding Levi's GranFondo this year. Opinions
I have ridden part of it King ridge three times a fun ride
You could just do it without paying
Stay here in walnut Creek I drive you to the start and do part of it
Here is I and Robert Freeman doing it
just kings ridge driving too it riding it you get home to walnut Creek after 6 pm
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/sets/72157667944029690/

Thanks very much for your generous offer, Cnighbor1! If I do decide to try it without doing the fondo, I'll send you a PM. Oh, and great photos. :)

[john903]

Personally I don't like really crowded rides and most my rides are solo here mainly because there just are not many roadies out here. That being said I enjoy the "Routes" that these big rides do. I have ridden the Seattle to Portland route twice and it was great no crowds, no sketchy riders, friendly people working at the stores and restaurants. Several have all ready mentioned it but for that much money go just after the event and follow the route on your own or with a couple buddies and enjoy a wonderful dinner post ride.
I lived out there about 35 years ago and it was wonderful riding so what ever you decided you won't be disappointed by the scenery.

[arthurlo]

Is this common consensus the same for the Jensie Gran Fondo of Marin at the end of September?

[pdmtong]

Yea Jens despite his sgt Schultz was a doper. But at least unlike Levi he is affable and will pause for a picture or a scribble. And unlike levi the guy raced and took chances. Animated unlike robot Levi

[beeatnik]

^So, same clowns, different circus?

[weaponsgrade]

Is this common consensus the same for the Jensie Gran Fondo of Marin at the end of September?

I've never ridden the Jensie, but know someone who did. He was pretty disappointed with the food selection especially considering the price. I was out riding in Marin this past weekend and saw the Jensie sag wagon rolling around. I was at a rest stop in Olema and someone was passing out flyers and explaining that the Olema stop was going to be a gourmet rest stop on the Jensie.

[weaponsgrade]

"Portions"??? Is not all you can eat?

No. And the last time I rode it they only had hotdogs left by the time I got back.

[dana_e]

pass on this ride