Hincapie Events announces the expansion of its signature event, the Gran Fondo Hincapie, to cities across the United States, and eventually, the world. The first announced expansion of Gran Fondo Hincapie is in Chattanooga. The inaugural ride will occur May 5, 2018, beginning and ending in downtown Chattanooga, and have a similar feel to the original Gran Fondo Hincapie in Greenville.
The goal of the expansion is to establish a consistent platform and format for the event that can be easily replicated, ensuring the same high-end customer experience defined by personal attention and luxury for which the Gran Fondo Hincapie has become so well known, said officials. A key component of this consistent format is standardizing the route distances of 15, 50, and 80 miles across all the fondos.
The original Gran Fondo Hincapie, located in Greenville, S.C. and now in its sixth year, has topped charts and received stellar reviews, acclaimed for the cycling celebrities in attendance, as well as its attention to safety, on-site viewing screens, course and segment timing, live tracking and streaming, live bands at the rest stops, and free family festival.
According to Rich Hincapie, CEO of Hincapie Events, Chattanooga is a natural location for the next gran fondo in the Hincapie series. The location of downtown Chattanooga is conducive to a large ride, with boutique hotel The Dwell at the start and finish, as well as ample opportunities for parking and beautiful views throughout the ride.
“We’re very excited to begin expanding the Gran Fondo Hincapie series, and Chattanooga is a great place to start,” says Mr. Hincapie. “Having raced and participated in organized rides for the better part of 35 years, I realized the need to standardize cycling event formats, experiences, and distances, with the focus on the customer—whether that’s the rider or family member waiting at the finish line.
“A very important piece of this is the standardization of the 15-, 50-, and 80-mile distances. This allows participants to have benchmarks in their performances, giving them the tools they need to set goals for future gran fondos, no matter what city in which the rides take place.”
Mr. Hincapie's brother and acclaimed retired pro cyclist George Hincapie adds, “Expanding the Gran Fondo Hincapie is one piece of a larger strategy our company has to provide more opportunities for cyclists to come together and find community. We’re excited about this next
step.”
For more information about Gran Fondo Hincapie-Chattanooga or the Gran Fondo Hincapie series, contact Lindsay Niedringhaus, director of Content at Hincapie Sportswear, at
lindsayn@hincapiesports.com, or visit granfondohincapie.com.