Gran Fondo, the "big ride" coming in November

The Gran Fondo USA bicycle event is coming to town on Sunday, November 20. Florida is its final 2011 destination and Coconut Grove is the actual finishing point -- at City Hall to be exact. This famous ride usually attracts about 1500 riders. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medalist in Sydney is one of the participants in the Grand Fondo.

Starting at Coral Gables City Hall at 7:00 am, participating cyclists have one of three courses to choose from (100, 55 and 25 miles). Rest stops, especially for the long course, are situated at some of South Florida's best known tourist locations. The last leg of the ride runs parallel to the water, before concluding in front of Miami City Hall.

Gran Fondo’s are fun and exciting mass cycling events popular in Italy, a country that captures the essence and the romance of this sport. "Gran Fondo" means "Big Ride" in Italian.

Participation is open to both recreational and competitive cyclists enthusiasts, who love rides off the beaten path, excellent road service, well-furnished rest stops, and … a great atmosphere all along! All Gran Fondo USA events also feature a two-day expo, where athletes pick up the packets on Saturday and enjoy the post-ride pasta party on Sunday at the Expo Center in the Grove.

“We extend a warm welcome to the first edition of the Gran Fondo USA in Miami, a destination well known in Italy and where Italian products are icons of design, elegance and technology” says Marco Rocca, Consul General of Italy in Miami. “This initiative is a wonderful opportunity to introduce, through a sporting event of great appeal, a superb Italian industry still to be fully discovered. Thanks to the organizers of Gran Fondo USA for including Miami in their American Series 2011.”

“The success of our events is based on adapting the ‘Made in Italy’ theme to the American cycling community,” says Gran Fondo founder Matteo Gerevini. “We choose metropolitan areas with a strong vocation to our sport and committed to becoming Bicycle-Friendly Cities.”

Registrations are pouring from all over the world: Brazil, Canada, Porto Rico, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, UK, Singapore and 35 different states. The four events of Gran Fondo USA are now part of Star Events, a company based in Montecarlo with a portfolio of 30+ events worldwide in triathlon, cycling and running. The 2011 series also included Gran Fondos in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

Here are the three routes:
Long 100 miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/664540
Medium 55 miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/694353
Short 25 miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/694245

Partial proceeds of Gran Fondo Colnago Miami will benefit St. Jude Hospital Children’s Research Hospital.