Gran Fondo Hincapie Merced - March 15th 2025

GFNY Florida Sebring Covid-19 safety measures approved

The inaugural GFNY Florida Sebring is scheduled to go ahead as planned on October 25, under Covid-19 safety measures approved by local authorities

NEW YORK CITY, August 26, 2020 – GFNY reports that Covid-19 safety measures submitted for the race have been cleared and approved by the local authorities. GFNY is looking forward to holding the event as planned.

The event will be one of very few cycling events in the USA and globally to go ahead during the current pandemic. With the necessary approval in hand from local authorities, GFNY continues with the final stages of planning for the inaugural event in October by adapting the new measures.

These measures include, but are not limited to, ensure rider, staff and volunteer safety:

Packet Pickup & Expo

- One-way flow of packet pickup to allow social distancing.
- Hand sanitizers readily available.
- Support staff and volunteers wearing gloves and facemasks.
- GFNY will have a stand with merchandise, which will also operate in the same one-way flow method as the packet pickup. Riders will be encouraged to make online orders ahead of time at gfny.com.
- Several bike industry vendors will be showcasing their products and services at the expo. To avoid congregations of people, the expo will be held in a similar one-way flow method, immediately following the registration step.

Race Day

- Larger size of start corrals with a reduced number of riders allocated to each corral.
- One-way flow and increased size of aid stations serving only packaged food to maintain social distancing and avoid surface contamination.
- Cups will be pre-filled. Filling of bottles will be done by the aid station team pouring into the rider’s bottle to avoid surface contamination.
- At the post-race meal area, there will not be a secured bike parking available to avoid surface contamination and congregations of people. There will be bike racks distributed throughout for self-parking.
- Finisher medals will not be hung around finisher’s necks, they will be handed.

“We are very much looking forward to a safe return to racing,” said GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “Safety has always been the number one priority at GFNY, and we have taken a number of measures to adapt racing to the current situation. We never had a doubt that we would host a race, if possible, in a safe way. We’re riders ourselves and have been missing races and events over the past many months. Thanks to the City of Sebring, riders will get a true GFNY cycling marathon with start to finish timing and results in order of arrival on a great and safe racecourse in a new destination.”

The top 10% of riders over all age groups in the long course qualify for a front corral start at any GFNY for the following 380 days.

VIDEO: GFNY Florida Sebring Teaser

About GFNY

GFNY is the global cycling marathon brand with events held in NYC, Bali-Indonesia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Florida-USA, Italy, Jerusalem-Israel, Indonesia, Cozumel-Mexico, Monterrey-Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, República Dominicana, Santa Fe-USA and Uruguay.

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

At all GFNY events, riders have the chance to qualify for the elite racer corral at the GFNY World Championship in NYC by placing in the top 10% (20% at regional championships) of their age group.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 16, 2021. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.