What makes Gran Fondo Hincapie courses so unique
Gran Fondo Hincapie is one month away from its newest event in the cycling capital of Bentonville, Arkansas. The town joins Gran Fondo Hincapie’s existing suite of road cycling events known for its fun, approachable atmosphere, good food, and spectacular courses.
Each Hincapie event features a full weekend of riding with distances to suit every skill level. In Bentonville, Saturday offers an abundance of rolling hills with a course that heads north out of Bentonville, through Bella Vista, Ark., and then makes an eastern loop into Missouri. Riders get to choose from an 18, 55, or 86.5-mile course.
For day two, riders are treated to a different set of scenic road courses. First, riders will head north out of Bentonville, ride through Bella Vista, Ark., and then make a western loop through Missouri. Like day one, three distances can be ridden: 18, 43.7, or 84.3 miles.
We spoke with Jamie Godfrey, Event Director for Gran Fondo Hincapie to find out what goes into designing these courses and what makes them so special.
What are your criteria for creating a Hincapie course?
First, we start with safety and talking with EMS, Police and Fire Departments. You can’t shortcut safety. When planning the course itself our primary objective is to create an experience that you can just recreate yourself. Many Groups want to find the hardest roads with the steepest hills that they can find. We don't believe that is what makes rides epic. All Gran Fondo Hincapie events from our gravel ride in Merced, CA to our Belgian Spring Classic style ride in Lehigh, PA showcase the community in a unique way that all riders enjoy.
What are your favorite aspects of creating the event courses?
Number one has to be working with local members of each community we visit. From the police that help us ensure safety at the highest level, to incorporating local restaurants to provide local fare at the rest stops along the course. We have so many stories about amazing people we have met while we are in the course design process. The hospitality we are shown in each community we visit is just amazing!
Most recently, while designing our Bentonville course, we discovered Cowboy Catering in Pineville, Missouri. They will be providing some delicious food for our riders at the rest stop located in front of their business on Saturday and Sunday.
On the riding side of course design, the challenge of creating a unique course that both challenges our participants and creates lasting memories is something that we truly enjoy taking on. Hearing the stories from riders when they return to the post-ride festival and expo is my favorite part of every event day.
Which event course is your favorite?
Well, that is like choosing your favorite child. It just is not possible. Each of our courses are amazing in their own unique way.
Greenville, SC is an epic course that features the best roads that we have to offer in our small corner of the world. It is also where the story of Gran Fondo Hincapie started 12 years ago.
Chattanooga, TN starts and finishes in a vibrant area of downtown. The energy there really takes everything to the next level. The course itself has something for everyone. From big climbs, fast descents, and rolling wide open roads along the Tennessee River, there is truly something for everyone.
Our course in Lehigh Valley, PA is as close as you can get to riding a Belgian Spring Classic. The short steep hills, short sections of dirt road, and the finish inside the velodrome at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center easily make the Lehigh Valley course our most unique.
In Bangor, ME we have our most picturesque rest stops. A rest stop on the banks of the Penobscot River, the stop ON THE BEACH in Castine, ME, and two more in quaint mountain meadows overlooking pristine lakes offer an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the day just a little bit longer.
The course in Merced, CA is what gravel dreams are made of. Wide open roads rolling through some of the most beautiful ranch lands the West has to offer paired with views of the Sierra Nevada mountains make this one impossible to forget.
In Bentonville, AR you get two days of amazing riding in Northwest Arkansas while getting to start and finish in what has quickly become the central hub for cycling in the United States. The courses on both days are truly suited to the “all-around” rider.
What makes a Hincapie course special for participants?
In short, extreme attention to detail. Our goal for each event is to have every rider feel like they are getting the treatment that riders at the highest level of the sport receive when they ride. An extensive safety plan, rest stops stocked with everything one could need on a ride, mechanical assistance, course signage that leaves even the most directionally challenged of us at ease, and an army of supportive volunteers ensure that we can create an experience you really cannot find anywhere else. We aren’t just here for the riders at the front of the pack. We keep the party going both out on course and at the finish until every rider returns with a smile on their face.
If you’re as enticed as we are, be sure to register for the Bentonville event here. Still on the fence? Why don’t you hear it from former professional cyclist George Hincapie himself:
“This community continues to amaze me every time I come here,” George Hincapie said. “I’m very excited to bring my son here this time to show him around. I love seeing families on bicycles, I love seeing people of all walks of life on bicycles. There are people in full kits riding, there are people in sweatpants, there are people with trailers attached to their bikes. There’s all kinds of cycling here. We’re honored that the City of Bentonville invited us to promote our series and promote the town, and the surrounding towns as well.”
George continued: “The road cycling [around Bentonville] is truly amazing. Ups and downs, curvy, it has a little bit of everything ideal for the types of events we like to put together.”