September may seem far off. But it’s not too soon to start training for the Gran Fondo NJ 2013.
Registration is open for the Sept. 8 cycling event, which is expected to exceed this year’s attendance of 1,700 riders who came to Morristown for the Fondo’s sophomore year.
“Gran Fondo” is Italian for “big ride,” and the Gran Fondo NJ offers a choice of four distances, plus great local food, music, and more.
The Gran Fondo NJ also raises money for local charities: The Seeing Eye Inc., Grow It Green Morristown and Homeless Solutions Inc. each received $12,500 from the 2012 event. Sustainable Morristown has been added to the list for 2013.
Marty Epstein of Marty’s Reliable Cycle and his business partner Bill Ruddick are the masterminds behind this cycling spectacular.
Check out their Art of the Bicycle Show in Morristown this weekend, and see below for details about registering for next year’s Gran Fondo.
COVERAGE OF THE GRAN FONDO 2012
FROM MARTY’S RELIABLE CYCLE:
Registration opens for Gran Fondo NJ 2013
Mass-Participation Cycling Festival in Northern New Jersey
(Morristown, NJ – Dec. 5, 2012) – Registration for Gran Fondo NJ 2013, on September 8 is now open.
In the space of two years, the Gran Fondo NJ bike ride, with challenging routes of 107, 63, 43 and 18 miles has become New Jersey’s premier cycling event, attracting thousands of cyclists to northern New Jersey.
“We are thrilled to showcase to the world the amazing cycling here in New Jersey.” said Marty Epstein, owner of Marty’s Reliable Cycle, and founder of Gran Fondo NJ. “Our 63-mile Medio Fondo Route was selected by the editors of Bicycling Magazine as one of The 50 Best Rides in America.”
Gran Fondo NJ is a weekend-long event held in early September. There are family-oriented activities lined up for Saturday including the “Kid Fondo” providing young cyclists the opportunity to hone their cycling skills alongside some of the top men’s and women’s pro riders in the nation. The event culminates on Sunday with the Gran Fondo NJ rides featuring a traditional “mass start” and four challenging routes through the beautiful countryside of Northern New Jersey.
“We have been hard at work over putting together an amazing riding experience for our participants.“ said Bill Ruddick, Executive Director of the event. “In addition to the spectacular routes, we offer the traditional trappings of a Gran Fondo to all our riders, regardless of the distance they choose to ride. These include themed rest stops, challenging hill climbs, awards for King and Queen of the Mountains, a finish-line Expo, raffle and Locavore Food Festival.”
“Gran Fondo NJ provides us the venue to promote cycling to riders of all abilities, and to showcase our underlying theme of Sustainability in supporting our local community.” said Epstein. “The event provides cyclists the opportunity to give back to our community through fundraising for our four designated charities, The Seeing Eye Inc., Homeless Solutions, Inc., Grow it Green Morristown, and Sustainable Morristown.”
Gran Fondo NJ also provides cyclists the ability to raise funds for charities of their own choice.
For additional information about GRAN FONDO NJ 2013 or to register, visit www.granfondonj.com
About Gran Fondo NJ
Gran Fondo NJ is a fully supported cycling event with rides of 18, 43, 63 and 107 miles through the scenic Morris, Somerset and Hunterdon counties in Northern New Jersey. The ride begins in historic Morristown, NJ and winds its way out to the Delaware River and back. The Piccolo, Medio and Gran routes feature timed hill climbs with KoM, QoM and Team awards. The ride features a classic “Mass Start”, themed rest stops along the routes, and a finish-line Expo, Locavore Food Festival, and raffle to greet riders at the end. In keeping with an underlying theme of sustainability, Gran Fondo NJ ride is proud to be affiliated with the following local charities, The Seeing Eye, Inc., Homeless Solutions, Inc., Grow it Green, Morristown, and Sustainable Morristown.
Contact: Bill Ruddick, Gran Fondo NJ, 973.723.8018, bill@granfondonj.com
