Anybody do any of the Hincapie Gran Fondos? I’m looking at the Greenville edition which is his home event. Just curious if people thought it was worth the cost. I know riding in that area is supposed to be really nice. Last year Cav rode it and Bradley Wiggens and Jan Ulrich were there.
Looks like a good route, 8,000 feet in 83 miles. Three climbs.
I did it a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Very well run- everything from sign in to kit drop on the ride to ride stops. The Greenville ride is still one of the hardest I’ve ever done. Aside from the large climbs, everything in between seemed to be rolling hills and lots of turns contributing to both mental and physical fatigue. Great ride and type 2 fun.
Agree with @Adoliner. I have attempted the gran 3-4x. I only completed it once (couple of years ago). Once I was burned out and it was raining. Did not have the mental energy to push through. Once, my power meter was off and my coach had me go out to hard. I failed the cut off time. It is the hardest that I have done but enjoyable. The switchbacks coming down the first climb are technical. Coming home after the three climbs is fast. The event is very well managed. I also have ridden Chattanooga. Easier but the same well managed event. Both Recommended.
I did the one in Bangor ME and yeah it was a lot of fun. They all rolled together (I was on the literal front on a gravel bike for a hot minute) for a couple hours and then turn up pace at some point.
It’s a well run event. The food afterwards is good. Riding in that area is nice. I’ve done a fair amount of riding up there. When I did the event I believe I did a 60+ mile route. Giving the amount of climbing that was plenty and still had plenty of time to relax at the after party.
I did the 2024 Greenville edition, which was shortened to be several 20-mile laps (due to the hurricane damage). It was a bit sketchy due to the sheer number of folks lapping a short course, with vastly different speeds and group-ride experience. On a traditional course, that tends to sort out quite quickly. Well-organized experience. I might go again if I lived in the area.
Did the ride yesterday. It was amazing. 87 miles with just over 9,000 feet of climbing. Some of the prettiest roads I’ve ever ridden. 100% would recommend to anybody and will be going back in the future. Even got to ride in George’s group for a bit with some other ex pros and current US pro crit guys. Chatted with Ryder Hesjedal; really nice guy. It was a blast. Top 3 experiences on the bike.
Counterpoint. I did the medio. This is the third time that I’ve done the ride and honestly, I plan to do the Asheville Gran Fondo and/or Six Gap next year instead as do most of the members to my bike club that do mountain rides.
They charge a premium price and it should be a premium experience. That includes actually pre-riding the advertised route. Had they done that and seen this (just one example)
They would have know that sending hundreds of riders for a timed segment on 276 was not a realistic possibility. Instead, they blamed they waited until after online registration had closed, change the route to something less desirable for the medio riders, and blamed “the permit,” The issue is not a piece of paper, it’s the fact that it was not appropriate for hundreds of riders and they should have been on top of it. To be clear, I do not blame them for last year’s hurricane or the road being out, I blame them for not handling it well and/or not being transparent about the situation.
