Inaugural Gran Fondo Grand Rapids set for 29th June

A Gran Fondo is coming to West Michigan!

Italian saying for "great endurance", the MSU College of Human Medicine Gran Fondo is coming to Grand Rapids on June 29th 2013.

All abilities are welcome in this long distance, mass-participation cycling event. There will be a 12 mile, 35 mile and 80 mile course with electronic timing and the results posted online afterwards.

Funds raised from the Gran Fondo will go support melanoma skin cancer research at Michigan State University.

Remember, cancer touches nearly 1 in 2 people in their lifetime in one form or another - so help scientists beat it.

The event made headline news recently.

Ride the MSU Gran Fondo you'll have a front row seat and eats for the the Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium at the B.O.B. It's all happening downtown Grand Rapids.

After the Gran Fondo, join us in the parking lot of The B.O.B. for Gears for Beers which will include Michigan micro-brews and wine sampling, amazing street food stations and great live music! Live music will begin when the race begins at 8:00am, while the Gears for Beers event will begin at 11:00am.

Marsha Rappley, the college's dean, said the Gran Fondo could very well become an annual or semi-annual event in Grand Rapids.

"It’s been in the works for several months, and I think it was the result of lots of ideas generated by very enthusiastic people," Rappley said.

The three courses vary in size, with the smallest being a 12-mile loop. All participants will start at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids.

The smallest course has riders heading back to the start from Millennium Park, and the longest 80-mile course being a round-trip to Grand Haven.

Another option is 35 miles, with the turnaround point about midway between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven" Rappley said.

In addition to getting in a little, or a lot of, cardio, riders are helping raise money for research into cures for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The college seeks to aim $200,000 from the event, and already has garnered $15,000.

"The funds raised in Gran Fondo will be used to help support what we call pilot programs," Rappley said.

Such programs, she added, "allow new ideas to be tested in a small way before they’re taken out to large numbers of people."

The ride is expected to begin at 8 a.m. for riders on the long route, and no later than 9:30 a.m. for the short-route riders, Rappley said.

Interested participants are able to create fundraising pages for the event at the event's website, where registration is now open.

"Entry fees are waived for riders who work to raise $500 ahead of the ride", Rappley said. Otherwise, it is $50 per person for an adult, and children under 12 are free.

"It’s not really competitive, pitting one person against another," Rappley said, lest anyone feel as though they might not be able to ride.

"It’s really like your personal best and riding the distance," she said. "That’s really the key participate. It’s not who wins."

Sponsors include Bissell, Huntington Bank and Saint Mary's Health Care.

Click here for the event details on Gran Fondo Guide.