Sports

Cyclists' Marathon Returns to Morristown

Gran Fondo will feature famous riders, food, fun and fundraising on Sunday.

For the third straight year, the Gran Fondo cycling event will fill the streets in and around Morristown Sunday with cycling enthusiasts looking to have fun on their bikes while giving back to the community.

In the first two years of the Gran Fondo, fundraising participants have raised over $250,000 in funds going directly to charitable organizations. According to the event organizers, the Fondo is used as a means to both raise awareness for good causes, and to generate funds.

This year, the Seeing Eye, Sustainable Morristown, Grow it Green and Homeless Solutions are the beneficiaries of the event.

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Homeless Solutions, for one, has a family that are guests in their transitional housing units that are riding to help raise awareness. But all of the beneficiaries are fundraising for the rise.

The Ride

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Gran Fondo NJ 2013 offers four routes of increasing levels of challenge, from the extremely challenging Gran Fondo down to the relatively relaxed Breve Fondo. All routes begin and end in Morristown.

Gran Fondo

The Gran Fondo covers 107 miles of cycling to the Delaware River and back.

Medio Fondo

The Medio Fondo route has two timed hill climbs, 63 miles of country roads and a challenging way to spend a day of cycling.

Piccolo Fondo

The 43-mile Piccolo one timed hill climb just over 2-miles in length.  

Breve Fondo

The 18 mile Breve Fondo length, with 1,416 feet of climbing and one rest stop at approximately half way. There are no timed hill climbs on the Breve route, although there are some hills to climb. It follows the other routes out to Mendham before looping back and reconnecting with the return routes about 4 miles out from the Start/Finish line. 

Star Power

Top international cycling stars from Team Jamis-Hagens Berman will appear in person at next month's Gran Fondo NJ to ride the course and mingle with participants of the event. The highlight of the event will be the team's 27-year-old Colombian climbing sensation, Janier Acevedo, a rider who has enjoyed tremendous success in his breakthrough season riding stateside. Also featured is the Argentine sprinter, JJ Haedo, a former WorldTour rider who time and time again has proven to be one the world's top sprinters. 

"We at Jamis take enormous pride in supporting our incredible world-class athletes," says Carine Joannou, the president of Jamis Bicycles. "Not only are these guys phenomenal on a bike, they're also friendly and approachable guys off the bike. Gran Fondo NJ is a perfect venue for the public to ride and chat with some of the superstars of the sport."

For more information, including the schedule-at-a-glance, where to pick up your registration packet and details on the Kids Fondo, visit the Gran Fondo website.



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