Shott and Phillips fastest at the TT1 Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo

Nearly 500 cyclists from across America descended on Helen, Georgia last weekend to take on a challenging Gran Fondo around the Blue Ridge Mountains

After Gran Fondo Florida heralded the return of in-person events in March with registration surging 78% from 2019 to set an all-time record of over 600 cyclists, the Colnago Gran Fondo National Series second round took place in Helen, Georgia with three challenging courses across the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The TT1 Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo retraces portions of stages from the Tour de Georgia pro race, through Helen, into the Unicoi State Park, and the nearby iconic climbs, made famous by the world–class premier 7-day stage race in 2003–2008.

Timed sections included Unicoi Gap, Hogpen Gap, Snake Branch and Oakey Mountain.

Rider Safety First

Both the rider safety procedures and the timed-segment format continue to be very popular, cyclists are eager to return to the roads and put the pandemic behind them, nearly 500 cyclists from across America took part.

The weekend followed Florida with the “yellow” socially distanced safety plan format. Riders reserved a start wave time during the registration process. Participants and staff followed safety protocols throughout the duration of the event, which included wearing face masks at sign-in and at feed stations. Aid stations included hand sanitizing stations, crew with masks and gloves and single-serve food and beverages. High-touch areas and surfaces were cleaned frequently, and participants followed physical distancing protocols to receive food and water to ensure practice of physical distancing protocols.

Professional chip timing kept track of riders out on course and allowed riders to compete for the best combined time through up to 4 timed sections on route. Cyclists chose from 3 distances: the 25-mile Piccolo Fondo, the 64-mile Medio Fondo, and the 90-mile Gran Fondo with 8,962 feet of climbing and four timed sections! The timed section format has the added benefit of allowing riders to enjoy their chosen route, ride safely in the company of others and enjoy a bit of healthy competition.

Nutrition and hydration products included products from sponsors including Hammer Nutrition and Bonk Breaker.

What Riders Had to Say

Mackenzie Marcinko who was first in the women’s 23-34 age group, 4th overall female said “The Georgia Gran Fondo was super fun! 90mi total, including 4 timed segments (2 of which were big climbs). It was nice to ride easy between segments and go hard when I needed to! The weather was great, and the aid stations were well organized. This was a nice foray back into competitive events! (Haven’t done any racing since the fall of 2019!!). I’m fully vaccinated and ready to take on this summer.”

Stephanie Smith commented “We got away for an overnight trip to Helen, Georgia and raced the Colnago Gran Fondo today! There was lots of climbing, fast descending, and perfect weather! A day well spent with my #1 guy! Thank you to Mimi and Papa for watching the kids!”

Amy Phillips from Chattanooga TN won the Women's Overall title with the fastest combined time of 1h 20m 52s over 5 minutes faster than Debora Finger from Mami FL in second place, with Ina Pfuhler from Cinicinnati OH in third place.

Owen Shott from Ponte Verda Beach FL won the Men’s Overall title, completing the four timed sections in the fastest time of 1h 10m 16s, ahead of Lee Sobotkin from King Of Prussia PA in second and Jeffrey Watts from Coatesville PA in third place.

Prize Raffle

The popular Colnago Gran Fondo National Series Raffle was held virtually after the podium awards. Prizes from Series sponsors included: Hyperice Hypervolt, Industry Nine hubset, components from Cane Creek, Swiftwick socks, Shimano products, a Lazer helmet, Shimano components, Wahoo Kick trainer, a holiday at Garda Bike Hotel in Italy, as well as other prizes.

Raffle Prize winners:

Hyperice Hypervolt – Megumi Jones

Garda Bike Hotel (4 night stay) - Silvia Galea

Bikeflights – Elizabeth Borges

Bikeflights – Mike Mann

Lazer Sphere MIPS – Alberto Urrego

Cane Creek – Sean Cassidy

Industry Nine Hubset – Stephen Hannan

Shott Performance coaching - Alvaro Fernandez

Shott Performance coaching - Andrés Gaviria

Shimano – Cameron Cosper

Wahoo Kickr Core – Joseph Stevens

DNA Cycling mid pack attack kit winner - Scott Waterman

90 mile Gran Fondo Winners

Custom “Race Winner” cycling kits by DNA cycling were awarded to all Gran Route age group category winners

64 mile Medio Route Winners

25 mile Piccolo Route Winners

Driveway Challenge

10 riders who couldn’t make it to the event completed the virtual driveway challenge.

Team Winners

BLUE BELL WEALTH MANAGEMENT P/B CANNONDALE - riders TBC

Race director Reuben Kline commented “A big thank you to all the riders who joined us in Helen Georgia to take on the North Georgia Mountains with us! Congratulations to our male and female overall winners: Owen Shott and Amy Phillips and BLUE BELL WEALTH MANAGEMENT P/B CANNONDALE team.  It’s great to be back putting on event and exceptionally awesome to see so many happy faces!”

Benefiting TT1

The event raised funds for TT1 who fight for the right to live through a global mission of education, empowerment and equal access to medicine for everyone affected by diabetes. The Global Ambassador Scholarship Program makes heroes out of today’s college students with diabetes. This scholarship-based program recognizes athletes with type 1 diabetes who are using sport as a platform to educate, empower, and inspire those around them with diabetes via community outreach.

Complete results, including age groups and all split times are available at https://www.granfondonationalseries.com/2021

Next Up: Highlands Gran Fondo

Mark your calendar for this in-person event on June 6th, 2021 in Butler, New Jersey

Showcasing the best riding around the New York Metro area, the Gran Colango Gran Fond National Series circuit makes its third stop in northern New Jersey with courses covering 35, 60 and 100 mile journeys through rolling farmland, hilly ridgelines, and winding roads that weave up and down the lush green mountains.

This series event explores the Highlands region of New Jersey on Sunday, June 3rd and presents an accessible and beautiful take on the increasingly popular time section format of racing and is sure to be a great time for riders of all abilities from beginner to the most elite.

Register NOW to Secure a Place!

Registration is open - but you'll need to hurry to secure a place on this epic challenge.

For more information, please visit: https://www.granfondonationalseries.com/gran-fondo-highlands

Qualify for 2021 USA Cycling National Championship Event

Riders can qualify for the 2021 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship event, to be held during Gran Fondo Asheville in Asheville, NC on July 18, 2021. A USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship title, complete with a national championship jersey and medal, will be awarded to the winner in each age-group category at the annual USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship event. For Highlands riders can qualify by competing in the Gran Route (100 mile distance).

Review complete qualification details here.