What is a Gran Fondo?

Gran Fondo bike rides originated in Italy and there are over 100 events organised there every year. The one thing they have in common is severity. For example the Gran Fondo Fausto Coppi racks up almost 15,000 feet of climbing in 150 miles of cycling. The Polka Dot Challenge is not as severe but still manages to cover 7500 feet in 100 miles and the Spud Riley Memorial, which is even hillier, climbs almost 10,000 feet in the same distance.

A Gran Fondo is not run as a race and the majority of riders participate for the enjoyment of riding on a signed route through beautiful scenery with their friends and team mates. The challenge is in completing the ride but having said that, as any cyclist knows, there is also satisfaction in comparing times with other riders afterwards, so the Polka Dot Challenge organisers try to ensure that all riders receive an accurate time for their ride. Obviously safety is paramount on these rides as they are ridden on open roads. Both the Polka Dot Challenge and the Spud Riley Memorial rides have staggered starts with riders setting off in batches. In this respect the events are like Audax events but do not have many of the Audax rules which stipulate mudguards and maximum average speeds.