Hi all,
I was wondering if any of you has ever participated in a Granfondo in Italy. If so, since to sign up and participate you need to provide a “certificato di idoneità sportiva” (sort of a sport medicine certification, released upon doctor’s visit), how did you get around it?
you don’t get around it. Even if you have a UCI license issued by your national cycling federation, often you still need to show (or upload before the race) such a certificate. In Italy every one has a cycling license since everyone is in a club and everyone is a “racer”. Sort of 
My wife is a doctor and forms can be found on the internet. This is how I solved the issue.
So, if I’m based in the US, what should I do?
Some race organizers have a form on their homepage for that. For example:
https://www.maratona.it/public/sitemin/Template_medical_certificate_2021.pdf
Print this form (or something similar), go to your doctor and let him sign it.
Great! This is very helpful. Is it really this easy? My doctor will just sign it without questioning it?
Might be prudent your doctor might want to examine you, and charge for the service (here in UK doctor’s charge for signing forms, and then will only do so if they are happy).
UK poster here. Your doctor will charge £25-£30 over here. Provided you can demonstrate a regular exercise history and have no notable underlying conditions, it is a formality and is usually based on your medical records and maybe a brief chat. When I needed a similar form - for a trekking activity a few years back - I had a literally 3 minute phone consultation, where my GP basically asked if I had undertaken any preparatory training and if I ever had chest pain on exercise.
Which Granfondo do you have in mind?
Experiences vary greatly in the UK I’ve found. I’ve needed them for L’Etape, the first year my local doctor happily signed, but wanted a fee. The second year they refused, scared of being sued if in reality if I fell ill. Understandable in some ways as they never see me so have limited medical history other than knowing I don’t get sick to go visit them. A member of my extended family is a GP and they’ve been ordered not to sign these types of forms. The flip side is your experience and a doctor is happy to scribble on a form for a small fee.
Another UK user here and have had to have these medical certificates signed for Gran Fondos in Italy and France before (Maratona, Nove Colli, Lombardia, La Marmotte and Haute Route Pyrenees)
In the UK I’ve had mixed experiences getting them done. First time cost me £60, next one £10 then all the ones after I’ve managed to not have to pay anything for (I’d changed GP’s due to moving a few times)
I also think there is an online service you can use where a GP remotely chats to you and ask questions and then will say wether it’s a Y or a N. Think it costs about £60 here but I’ve never had to use it
There is no getting around them, you must have a doctor sign the form that you download from their websites and then upload it to them by a certain date and also take the original copy with you for them to check (I always took copies just in case)
They have always checked them in my experience but I have never had any issues.
A small one near Florence, technically not even a gran fondo, but they still require the doctor’s certification.
See What is a Certificato Medico sportivo Agonistico and non Agonistico? - MedinAction for types of certification required.
I was gonna do Stade Bianche last year. So I had to get that certificate too. Here in the Netherlands it’s called “sport medisch onderzoek”. The doctor just gave me a quick once over, including a short ECG (the one with the sticky pads on the chest) and then signed the certificate, that you can download from the races website.
Here it cost 120€, but was covered by health insurance.
I doubt your doc will sign it without doing anything as he is a professional so to put his name to something means liability etc…
I am married to a doctor and have many friends who also are. When I went to one for a certificate for the Maratona Dolomites even my good friend insisted on an exam before signing.
Can’t imagine it will cause any issues.
It is discretionary here. I got one for the Granfondo Roma a few years ago and my GP was happy to sign the certificate with an ‘enjoy’