Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia

Expo Details Announced

rtkactive — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:50:07 +0000

Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia is proud to announce its partnership with The Piazza at Schmidts. Located in the heart of Philly’s historic Northern Liberties neighborhood, The Piazza is an 80,000 square foot open-air plaza surrounded by artist’s studios and boutiques, new restaurants, 500 apartments and ample office space.

The event expo – including the mandatory athletes’ packet pick-up – will be located at The Piazza on Friday, August 6 from 3:00 to 8:00 PM, and on Saturday, August 7 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Please note that on the day of the ride (Sunday, August 8), the expo will be relocated to the finish line in front of Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, and will be open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on event day.

To get to The Piazza, you can visit its website for directions.

Mayor Michael Nutter issued bib number 1 for the Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia on August 8.

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:41:41 +0000

In honor of the inaugural edition of the Gran Fondo Colnago in Philadelphia, scheduled for August 8, 2010, the Honorable Mayor Michael Nutter was presented with Bib Number “1” by Consul General of Italy, Luigi Scotto. The mayor was also presented with a Colnago bicycle, from the title sponsor of the event, so that he can ride through Philadelphia, considered one of the most cycling friendly cities of North America.

Press Release:

Philadelphia: Luigi Scotto, Michael Nutter, Matteo Gerevini, Amato Berardi

Philadelphia, PA (USA) June 16th, 2010 – With the presentation at the National Constitution Center, the countdown towards the inaugural edition of the Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia has begun. This August 8th event, held in the birthplace of the nation, will be the second event that Gran Fondo USA is organizing in the US this year, following their successful second edition of their Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego event that took place on March 7, in which over 3000 cyclists participated. Before hundreds of guests gathered to celebrate Italian National Day, Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia was presented by Consul General of Italy Luigi Scotto. The Mayor of Philadelphia, the Hon. Michael Nutter took part in the event: “I am very happy to have this world class Italian-style cycling event in Philadelphia, a green-thinking city “ Hon. Mr. Mayor Nutter said ” and I am sure that this event will be a great success this year and for many years to come”.

Read the full Press Release here…

Gran Fondo Colnago USA brings Italian-style ride to Philadelphia

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:35:48 +0000

Gran Fondo Colnago USA will host its second of three Italian-style mass-start group rides on August 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The inaugural event will cater to the city’s strong contingent of avid recreational cyclists and raise funds for its primary charitable beneficiary, the American Melanoma Foundation.

Mayor Michael Nutter (in yellow) at the steps where the Gran Fondo Philadelphia will begin (Kyle Gradinger/BCGP - Flickr)

“Everyone is so enthusiastic,” said co-founder Rob Klingensmith. “Philadelphia is trying to position itself as a bike friendly city and it has been getting a lot of attention in that regard. This is one way it can demonstrate that it can accommodate and is sensitive to the needs of cyclists. This city has a long heritage of hosting professional events, but there is a lot of interest on behalf of the city in hosting more recreational and mass participation events like this one.”

Read the full article at bikeradar.com

Registration is Now Open!

rtkactive — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:15:48 +0000

The 2010 Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia is now available for registration. Visit Active.com to choose among three course options for the route that is best suited for you.

Gaerne Partners with Gran Fondo USA

admin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:04:27 +0000

Cycling shoe manufacturer Gaerne is the latest Italian company to join forces with Gran Fondo USA.

Based near Treviso since 1962, Gaerne has produced its handmade cycling shoes for top pros such as Claudio Chiappucci, Sean Kelly, Marco Pantani and current world champion Cadel Evans.

Marta Gazzola, the company’s Marketing Manager, said, “the Gran Fondo Colnago project provides an excellent promotional platform for Italian cycling products to gain visibility in the American market. We’re delighted to support these exciting events.”

Look for special Gaerne shoe promotions to be announced in the coming months.

Gran Fondo USA Forges 3-Year Deal with VeloNews Magazine

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:40:16 +0000

San Diego, CA – Gran Fondo USA, the organizers of the Gran Fondo Colnago bicycle event series, has selected VeloNews magazine as its North American publishing partner.

Its unparalleled market share among performance-oriented cyclists, combined with its comprehensive support of Gran Fondo USA events, made VeloNews the logical choice.

“Gran fondos and cyclosportive bike events are immensely popular in Europe, and now Gran Fondo USA has introduced America to this exciting style of cycling,” stated John Duke, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of The Competitor Group, VeloNews’ parent company. “These are precisely the types of events that interest our readers, and we’re thrilled to be part of America’s first gran fondo series.”

VeloNews, known as The Journal of Competitive Cycling, is a multi-media operation that reaches over 850,000 avid cyclists through its print and online properties. It publishes 21 editions annually, including The Official Guide to the Tour de France.

Gran fondos are long distance, mass-participation cycling events – not races – that are held throughout Italy. Participation is open to recreational and competitive amateur cyclists, and thousands of riders of all abilities participate.

First USA Gran Fondo: Scenic & Tough

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:51:19 +0000

Gran Fondo (“Big Ride” in Italy) are long distance, mass-participation cycling events, not races, that have become a cycling tradition in Italy. This was San Diego’s first and was represented by one of Italy’s premiere bike maker, Ernesto Colnago. The route took us through the mountainous, desert terrain of southeastern San Diego County-very challenging, but scenic.

Riders (over 1,000) gather at the break of dawn where else but in Little Italy to jockey for the best starting position, meet up with friends, or listen to the wake up music of Frank Sinatra?

Gran Fondo Launching Philly Race

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:49:22 +0000

SAN DIEGO, CA (BRAIN)—Gran Fondo USA LLC has announced the renewal of Colnago’s title sponsorship of Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego and the launch of the inaugural Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia in 2010.

“Gran fondo means ‘big ride’ in Italian”, said company co-founder Matteo Gerevini. “And these events combine fun and challenging bike routes with a unique passion for cycling that is only found in Italy.”

Colnago Expands its Sponsorship to Include Entire Series

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:41:39 +0000

Valdobbiadene, ITA – Today Colnago Bicycles, the leading manufacturer of high-end Italian bicycles, announced the expansion of its partnership with San Diego, CA-based Gran Fondo USA LLC, producers of America’s first gran fondo series.

Gran fondos are long distance, mass-participation cycling events – not races – that have become immensely popular in Italy. Participation is open to recreational and competitive amateur cyclists, and thousands of riders of all abilities participate.

“We have decided to expand and extend our total support of the events organized by Gran Fondo USA because of their understanding of the US cycling market and their commitment to quality,” said Ernesto Colnago, the company’s founder. “The flair, spirit and quality of their events capture the essence of our brand.”

Colnago’s 3-year deal calls for its continued sponsorship of Gran Fondo San Diego on March 7, 2010; the inaugural Gran Fondo Philadelphia to be held on August 8; and events in other cities, which will be named in the coming months.

Participation in all of these events is part of Colnago’s development plan for the United States, where it recently opened it subsidiary Colnago America.

“‘Gran Fondo’ means ‘Big Ride’ in Italian”, said series co-founder Matteo Gerevini, “and these events combine fun and challenging bike routes with a passion for cycling that is uniquely Italian. We’re proud to welcome Colnago to our project – America’s very first gran fondo series — because it’s Italy’s most prestigious cycling brand.”

In 2009 the first Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego attracted more than 1,200 cyclists and is scheduled to return to San Diego for its second edition on March 7, 2010.

A Great Event

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:53:22 +0000

This past Sunday was the first Gran Fondo ride to be held in San Diego, CA. Gran Fondo is Italian for “Big Ride”. I hope that this is the first of many Gran Fondos to be held in San Diego as it was great event. A friend of mine Robin hooked me up with the Expobicio folks and I got outfitted with a brand new Expobici kit to wear for the ride. Prior to the race start they brought Robin, myself and the three other Expobicio riders to the front of the start line for some photos of the group with the Major of Little Italy, Ernesto Colnago and some of the organizers. After all of the photos were taken the pack was led out by a handful of Ducatis and Ferraris. It was a controlled start through Little Italy and Downtown San Diego for a mile or two when they pulled over to let the pack go.