Be a PRO for a Day! GFNY: The Favorite Race of Italian Cyclists Returns!

It's not that we’re determined to find an Italian connection in everything successful in New York, but the facts show that Made in Italy often takes center stage in noteworthy events. This Sunday, May 19th, will be no exception with the 12th edition of the Gran Fondo New York World Championship https://nyc.gfny.com/: the most international road cycling race, featuring over 6000 riders from 100 countries worldwide.

The GFNY was cooked up by New York-based cyclists and spouses @Ulrich & Lidia Fluhme who, after participating in an Italian Gran Fondo, decided to "export" the format that originated in Cesenatico in 1970. And just like that, "pasta met bagels"! Following its success in New York, the formula was replicated successfully across the US and around the world. Examples: GFNY Puerto Rico, GFNY Bogotá, GFNY Quito, and so on. The New York event is the World Championship: the "mother of all GFNYs"!

As in previous editions, the GFNY will kick off with participants gathering at 5am on Sunday, May 19th, as they line up in the starting pens on the iconic George Washington Bridge, closed to traffic for the occasion. At dawn, the skyline of New York City will be visible to the south, and the picturesque, historic Hudson Valley to the north. The race starts at 7am, after two hours of festivities and cheering, much like the more famous marathon—just add bikes.

20 teams from over 10 countries will make GFNY NYC an exciting race. European Pro Tour teams with Grand Tour pedigree will lead the field, followed by Continental Pro teams from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Elite teams receiving wild cards will round out the field and get to measure themselves against the very best.

Fueled with adrenaline, enthusiasm, and a competitive spirit, the cyclists will tackle an 85-mile course (to be completed in under 7 hours and 40 minutes to avoid “public shaming”), traversing the historic Palisades and Hudson River Drive in New Jersey, with the first symbolic King of the Mountain at Alpine, a 10.2% grade where all the locals train, repeating the climb multiple times.

After reaching this point, the route returns to Route 9W. Following the initial 10 miles in northern New Jersey, the ride continues north into New York State along tree-lined roads, gentle inclines, and fast flats. The serious climbing begins with the ascent to Gate Hill, known as the Andrea Pinarello peak, which is 3.3 km long with a maximum gradient of 12%; nothing compared to the next peak: Cheesecote, shorter but with a gradient up to 18%. The guide given to athletes, blending serious and humorous tones, informs that at the foot of Cheesecote, riders will be greeted by an "encouraging" sign: “It’s ok to cry… Grind it out. This climb is not a beauty contest!”

Next, there are rolling hills through picturesque Rockland County, then back to the Palisades, and, two miles from the end, the final climb to the finish line in Fort Lee, where a large festive sports village will celebrate the riders with a podium, music, photos, and well-deserved refreshments.

From that moment Strava will be filled with photos where the dominant color is bright green, and personal records aplenty. The cheering friends will help cyclists achieve "local legend" status in well-deserved draft beer consumption.

But let's get back to the Italian component of the GFNY, as it extends beyond the event itself and is a testament to Italian creativity and sporting merit. Since 2020, there has been the Colavita NYC Racing team www.colavitanycracingteam.org a cycling team of amateurs based in New York (that’s actually my team!) sponsored by an Italian food excellence brand in the US, Colavita USA , which lends its name to the team and supports all its initiatives. In the 2023 edition, the Colavita NYCRT won the prize for the team with the most registered participants.

One last factor makes the GFNY even more Italian: repeating the success of the 2022 edition -where the podium was claimed by Luca Vergallito of Team OmCC and in the women’s category, three Italians at the top, with Samantha Arnaudo winning gold- on the 2023 podium, there were compatriots Mattia Gaffuri -a 24-year-old top finalist at this year’s Zwift Academy- and Chiara Doni, -both from team Swatt Club- who were first in the men's and women's categories, respectively.

A few words on the Swatt Club are warranted, as it deserves recognition and is sure to become even more prominent in the future: it started as a transformation of the Solowattaggio sports blog created in 2013. Year after year, through stories, events, and real experiences, it became a movement capable of bringing young people and sports enthusiasts together across Italy and beyond, transforming into a team in 2017 as ASD Swatt Club. It identifies a group, a movement of people with a common vision. A cultural movement more than a cycling team, which from day one decided not to have sponsors on their jerseys, going against the grain, accepting support only from people who want to “live sport every day at the highest intensity, live for competition, go into the future with an open heart,” as their motto says,.

That's very much in line with the Gran Fondo's: “Be a PRO for a day!"

Or, even longer!

Happy Gran Fondo to everyone.