2014 marks the 6th year of one of Northern California's premier cycling events, Levi Leipheimer's GranFondo, in Santa Rosa. Held the first Saturday in October, it has quickly become the biggest ride of the year for local cyclists, a rite of passage for many, and even attracts riders from around the world.
Part of the ride's appeal lies with Levi himself, one of America's most beloved riders and winner of the first three Tour of Californias. Levi (and his wife Odessa Gunn) makes a point of riding each GranFondo and can often be seen mixing with the regular folks in the peloton with other celebrity riders.
All riders start together and it usually takes the first hill to things to sort out. Three routes are offered, here's the rundown on each of them:
The Gran Route
This route is the course for which the event is named. It's 103 miles in length and consists of nearly 9,000 feet of total elevation gain. Professional cyclists complete it in under five hours; other riders take over 10 hours to finish. It is an extremely difficult ride. If you have never participated in a century ride before and ridden on steep, technical terrain, we strongly discourage you from choosing this route.
Gran route riders can return to Occidental by way of Coleman Valley Road or the optional gravel Willow Creek Road. The Willow Creek Road option eliminates one rest stop. Both feature difficult climbs. Willow Creek decreases the overall route distance, travels higher than Coleman Valley, and has less abrupt climbs, but requires greater bike handling skills. Coleman Valley is completely paved, but has steeper climbs over less elevation. The King Ridge section was described in more detail in a 2013 7x7 Ultimate Sunday Ride issue.
The Medio Route
The Medio is roughly 60 miles and, while shorter and with less climbing than the Gran route, still consists of more than 4,000 feet of elevation gain. It is a challenging ride that takes in the views of the Pacific ocean along California Highway 1 and re-joins the Gran route while cutting out the most difficult part of that course.
Medio route riders can also opt into the Willow Creek Road option to return to the town of Occidental (see above description of the Gran route).
The Piccolo Route
This is great for entry-level cyclists or riders who just want to get out for a jaunt before soaking up the FondoSonoma Festival. This route consists of approximately 1,500 feet of elevation gain over 30 miles with the majority of the climb taking place near the town of Occidental. Piccolo entrants are asked to stage in the back of the line-up at the start of Levi's GranFondo so that they can safely and easily make the mandatory turn in Occidental before returning to Santa Rosa. All Piccolo riders must wait until the majority of outbound riders have passed Occidental at mile 15 before returning to Santa Rosa. This is to ensure rider safety and keep Graton Road from becoming too congested in east- and west-bound directions.
There are numerous rest stops along the way, each stocked with plenty of food options. The post ride feast and festival itself is worth the registration cost alone, regardless of which route you choose. Look forward to:
- An unforgettable experience from a grand day on the bike with Levi Leipheimer, his pro buddies, and thousands of your new friends.
- A fully timed course with a dirt option for those who like a little dust on the bottom bracket shell
- Partial road closures on the first 25 miles; and traffic control afterwards
- A series of fully staffed and stocked rest stops with endless food and medical/mechanical service
- A GranFondo gift musette bag at registration
- The Levi’s GranFondo Rider Manual
- A Levi’s GranFondo commemorative t-shirt
- A hot shower after your ride
- A lovingly crafted post-ride meal from any one of our multiple local food vendors
- At least one New Belgium beer. You’ll have worked for it, make no mistake.
- The exceptional post-ride FondoSonoma Festival with music, food, drink, exhibits, and entertainment
