2020 Boone Gran Fondo Cancelled

Gran Fondo Asheville Scheduled for August 23

Gran Fondo National Series today announced the cancellation of the 2020 Boone Gran Fondo, originally scheduled for August 2 in Boone, North Carolina, due to the extension of North Carolina’s ‘Stay at Home Phase 2” status through July 17, 2020. Currently, plans to hold Gran Fondo Asheville on August 23 are pending; the next update on Gran Fondo Asheville will be made based on North Carolina’s reopening status at the end of the current extension, which is scheduled to be announced by the NC Governor on July 17th. Price increases for Gran Fondo Asheville entries have been suspended until July 23rd. As per USA Cycling’s announcement today, which cancels all 2020 National Championships in road cycling disciplines, if Gran Fondo Asheville can be held in 2020 it will no longer be counted as a National Championship event. We are working closely with the city of Asheville and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and all are optimistic and hopeful we’ll be able to hold the event on August 23.

North Carolina’s Stay at Home Phase 2 status limits outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 25 people. We are confident in the rider safety plans we have developed to mitigate the spread of the virus and enforce social distancing during registration and packet pickup, which include procedures to minimize large groups from gathering at start lines, and include new aid station procedures to minimize the risk of virus transmission. However, even if North Carolina changes to Phase 3 on July 17 and increases the size of outdoor public gatherings, there will not be sufficient time to get all the elements and volunteers in place to run the Boone Gran Fondo safely and successfully on August 2. Running a safe event also requires participation from local law enforcement and first responders, and during this public health crisis those resources need to be available for their communities.

Options available for riders registered for the 2020 Boone Gran Fondo – and any postponed 2020 GFNS event - can be found on granfondonationalseries.com.

GFNS Solo Fondos

To encourage individuals and small groups of cyclists to enjoy the Boone Gran Fondo routes and compete for awards and prizes, GFNS will add the Boone Solo Fondo to the list of GFNS Solo Fondos, powered by Ride with GPS. Existing events include: Solo Fondo Florida, TT1 Tour of Georgia Solo Fondo, Highlands Solo Fondo, and the Golden Solo Fondo. View details on GFNS Solo Fondos. 

Gran Fondo Asheville

Gran Fondo Asheville is scheduled to proceed on August 23, 2020 in Asheville, North Carolina. The next update on the status of Gran Fondo Asheville will be made after July 17, 2020, based on North Carolina’s reopening status and consultation with local officials in Asheville, North Carolina. Price increases for Asheville have been suspended until July 23rd. As per USA Cycling’s announcement today, which cancels all 2020 National Championships in road cycling disciplines, if Gran Fondo Asheville can be held in 2020 it will no longer be counted as a National Championship event. We are working closely with the city of Asheville and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and all are optimistic and hopeful we’ll be able to hold the event on August 23.

At Gran Fondo National Series our top priorities are to keep our riders, staff, volunteers, and host communities safe. We are committed to following public health directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and local government officials in our event locations. We are also committed to following COVID19-related best practice guidelines from USA Cycling.

About Gran Fondo National Series 

Founded in 2012 by event director Reuben Kline, Gran Fondo National Series is the largest and most competitive series of gran fondo cycling events in the United States. GFNS was the first series to implement timed-segment racing into US gran fondo events, and has crowned Gran Fondo National Champions and Gran Fondo National Series Champions since 2012. Starting in 2020, GFNS entered into a partnership with USA Cycling to bring the existing GFNS Gran Fondo National Series and the one-day Gran Fondo National Championship into the portfolio of official USA Cycling National Championship events.

For more information, please visit: granfondonationalseries.com