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Top Three European Alpine GranFondos Come Together to create the Circuito Leggenda

Three amateur competitions that present three big challenges: the Stelvio Santini, the 3Epic Cycling Road and the San Gottardo join forces in the Circuito LEGGENDA

A circuit that will see participants tackle the hillclimbs that made road racing history what it is today. Anyone that finishes all three grandfondos will receive “Leggendario” shield.

If you see hillclimbs as a way of challenging yourself, then 2018 is going to be a bumper year for you. The meeting of minds between the organisers of the Granfondo Stelvio Santini, Granfondo 3Epic Cycling Road and Granfondo San Gottardo has produced a shared project designed to reward competitors that relish pushing their limits. The Circuito LEGGENDA is a challenge that brings together the three of the toughest yet also most attractive granfondos on the amateur Alpine circuit. The three granfondos share plenty of core values: high organisational standards, venues that are of great interest from the point of view of their history, cycling kudos, culture and landscape, and the fact that there is no overall classification, with only the gruelling hillclimbs timed.

As a result, the Circuito LEGGENDA has no overall time classification but instead rewards all cyclists who complete the long route of the three events involved.

the Granfondo Stelvio Santini

The calendar kicks off with the Granfondo Stelvio Santini on June 3, a competition that sees participants tackling the steep slopes of the Stelvio pass after the Teglio and Mortirolo climbs. Next up is the Granfondo 3Epic Cycling Road on June 10 which is the perfect choice for lovers of historic hillclimbs not least the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Bringing up the rear is the Granfondo San Gottardo on July 22, which sees competitors grappling with the St Gotthard Hillclimb, a tough but mentally and physically rewarding challenge.

A triptych that really turbocharges the cycling experience to the max with lengthy challenges on legendary stretches of road that have played host to some of the greatest sporting moments in history.

The “Leggendario” title will be awarded to all cyclists that finish the long routes of the three events on the calendar at the Granfondo San Gottardo prize-giving ceremony. At the end of that event, they will receive a special shield to symbolise their achievement. Finishers will also be entitled to a discount on their entry fees to all three Grandfondos next year.

Granfondo San Gottardo

“You can be good on your own but to achieve true excellence, you need to work as part of a team,” commented Paola Santini, marketing manager Santini Cycling Wear. “And that is what inspired us to create the LEGGENDA – we wanted to foster the love of competition that lives and burns in the hearts of all grimpeurs.”

“We are convinced that the LEGGENDA will not only help boost the prestige of our Granfondo San Gottardo but also our partner events,” announced Sergio Romaneschi, chairman of the Swiss event. “The coming together of these three competitions will create something truly unique for enthusiasts who will now have the chance to test themselves on legendary hillclimbs.”

“The idea came from a meeting with the Stelvio Santini organisers who had taken part in)the 3Epic and loved the experience,” says 3Epic Cycling Road organiser Massimo Panighel. “Being instantly on the same page in terms of intent and the fact that everyone clicked did the rest. The San Gottardo came onboard virtually immediately too because we share the same philosophy. The result was a small, tightknit group that was very open to other events that shared the same extraordinary cycling philosophy that we are convinced hails a new era and a new approach to the traditional granfondo.”

Granfondo 3Epic Cycling Road