Gran Fondo New York World Championship Will Become the Gran Premio GFNY New York City in 2024
When you think of New York City, the first things that may come to mind are the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Central Park. Organizers of Gran Fondo New York want to add Gran Premio GFNY New York City to that list.
Gran Fondo New York, a fondo race created in 2010 by two New York City cyclists, is comprised of over 30 gran fondo events in 15 countries. From Ann Arbor, Michigan to Stockholm, Uppsala, fondo racers line up to experience “true gran fondos in the Italian tradition: you get to have the right of way at each intersection, will be timed from start to finish, and your result will be based on your time,” according to GFNY website. GFNY New York City is the World Championship event of the series.
In the 11th edition, GFNY NYC will test an updated and slightly shortened course for a new “UCI 1.2 pro race planned for May 19, 2024: the Gran Premio GFNY New York City” according to an Endurance Sportswire release. The 2023 event is expected to attract professional cyclists from Europe and the Americas. Unfortunately, not everyone is excited about the new format.
“No Bear Mountain, no century ride. This is not what we signed up for,” tweeted a GFNY rider who seemed surprised by the April 20 announcement.
To such criticism, GFNY co-founder and CEO Uli Fluhme replied “GFNY was never a century ride but coincidentally 100 miles long (half the riders call it 162km). Eg in 2012/2013 it was 110 miles and last year 103[miles]. There are many rides that specifically offer 100 miles.”
Fluhme stressed that “This has been in the making since 2014 and involves many government agencies and the federations. It all came together this week. I understand change is difficult but I’m sure you can do the new course. If not, we won’t leave you stranded.”
In addition to the updated course, GFNY promoters are aiming to refresh the pro cycling scene. Borrowing from major running and triathlon events, Gran Premio GFNY New York City will allow pro cyclists to start 15 minutes before the amateur mass start and everyone will race the same course.
“An actual pro race minutes ahead of the amateurs will bring GFNY a step closer to integrating professional racing in a mass participation race. Running and triathlon have shown the power of this format where all athletes get to race against their heroes. It’s time for cycling to follow this successful model at select races,” said Fluhme.
Cyclists expecting to see their favorite pro female riders at the starting line will have to wait. The first iteration of Gran Premio GFNY New York City will only have a pro male line up.
“Male only for now because females would have to start a full hour earlier when it’s still dark. We tried to add a female pro race back in 2017 but received little to no interest,” tweeted Fluhme.
To entice cyclists of all levels to push as many watts as they can, GFNY race organizers are offering cash primes for the top three climbers to crest Alpine Hill, Gate Hill and Cheesecote. Additionally, the top six amateur finishers will race as “Team GFNY” in 2024.
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