Saturday September 16, 2023

Meet: The Barn

Start time: 

Grande: 8:00 am 

Medio: 9:00 am

Length: 

Grande: 90 miles total (55 gravel)

Medio: 38.5 miles (10 gravel)

Price: 

Grande: $80 

Medio: $70

Registration: Open

Note: Registration is limited!

Warning! This ride is HARD and is intended for experienced cyclists. There will be over 10,000′ of climbing and descending (which is A LOT), much of which is on rough Forest Service roads.  Weather is a big gamble at 7000′ in Sept.

Grande Course Map:  Look at the elevation profile, miles, intersections…. it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it so you know where your at.  Even better; you can down load it directly to your Garmin or smart phone.

Medio Course: The medio course will follow the long course out to aid 1, then return back the same way.  There will be some rough/loose gravel, and lots of climbing to keep that GFW flavor.

What you get: You will receive a super cool limited edition Gran Fondo Winthrop souvenir, a well thought out, and well marked course to ride, well stocked aid stations to refuel at, and a meal to refuel post ride. We will also post the times of all finishers for bragging rights.

Route: The course is designed to give riders a glimpse of some very mountainous, out of the way parts of North Central Washington. In the spirit of remote and rustic Washington, much of the route is primitive Forest Service roads. There will be three aid stations at approx. mile 26, 48, and 63.  These will also serve as bail out points.  We will not have sag vehicles roaming the course as it is not practical or safe on these mountain roads.

Gear: With so many variable course conditions it is hard to say what’s right or wrong. Gravel, cx, or mtb, any one will work, but all will have a disadvantage at some point. BIG tires are the name of the game here, 40+ There will be LOTS of climbing with rowdy descents. There will be a few sag wagons and an aid station, but it’s a good idea to be somewhat self sufficient. Weather is always something to consider with this type of ride. It may be 70 and sunny, but high in the mountains anything can happen. Bring on the adventure baby!

Refunds – Up to 30 days out?  No problemo.  Less than 30 days?  Ok, we’ll do a 50% refund.  Two weeks out?  Come on man, you’re killing vibe, we’ve committed our efforts and resources already at this point, no refunds.

Where to stay in Winthrop?   Pine Near RV Park of course!  Super friendly and at the finish line.  Another option: North Cascade Mtn Hostel  Affordable communal accommodations.