delcrossv

Curious about the differences. They both seem to be "timed" events, with checkpoints. How are they similar/different?
Thanks!

PlanetU

Gran Fondo typically is a fully supported event, with fully stocked aid stations and post-ride meal, organized sort-of like a long-distance race. A Randonee is generally self-supported (although in remote locations an organizer may provide aid stations with food/water), checkpoints are to get a time stamp only, and there's a time limit for completion but your actual finish time is not as important.

surreycrv 

Gran Fondo's are where the 41 dwellers like to think they are on a real bike ride. Most are kitted out in matching costumes, and call for a ride if there's a hint of rain on the horizon, that is if they actually start.

Now the race guys who lead off are somewhat different then the poseurs.

delcrossv

^^^ LOL. I was thinking a shorter and faster course? Seems like a lot of these are 50 or 100 km, rather than starting with 200k and up like a typical rando?

41 dwellers?

surreycrv 

the 41 is the Road Cycling forum here. Some interesting topics, but the adolescence can be painfull.

delcrossv

Aah! Thanks.

PlanetU

Right. Gran Fondos are usually 50-100 miles and Brevets are typically, 200k, 300k, 400k, 600k (or longer).

Hairy Hands

^ That's awesome!! I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Thanks

Commodus

About $200 in my experience!

Seriously though, the Gran Fondo type events generally feature closed roads. That is pretty nice. The food can be good too.

surreycrv 

Agreed on the higher level of services, and I suppose you should get that for $200 to $500 for an afternoon ride. Where a great many become lost though is thinking a sag wagon will take them to the end if they become fatigued. That's not their prime function, it's to transport an accident victim, and only to the closest support zone. If possible you will get a ride back to the start, but that can't be guaranteed.

The Fondo craze seems to follow the dslr craze, enlist those with too much free money laying around, (or gold card credit lines) and get them to spend it. I see far better value in $15 for a brevet fee.

Dudelsack 

^^^^Go tell that to all them Eye-talians.

mander

Around here at least there are much bigger numbers at a GF so they have more bunched up group riding and subsequent crash-related carnage.

lhbernhardt

Randonnee: you pay $15 or so to ride 200 to 600 km. That's 7.5 cents to 2.5 cents per kilometer. They give you a route sheet, but the roads are not marked. You must obey all the red lights and stop signs. There might be food at the controls; if you're lucky there might be a volunteer who will stamp your card; otherwise, you have to ask somebody behind a counter to sign and timestamp your card. If you lose that card, you are SOL. If you get a mechanical, you must fix it yourself. Nobody cares how fast you did the ride, just whether or not you did it within the time limit.

Gran Fondo: you pay $200 ($500 if you are a VIP) to ride 160 km. Thats $1.25 to $3.13 per kilometer. You might get a route sheet, but you don't need it because the roads are marked, and besides there are so many other riders that you just follow them. Or if you paid the VIP rate, you're in the front group with some celebrity pro bike racer and a lead car in front of you. There is usually pretty good food at the rest stops, but you don't have to stop. They have marshalls or police at all the controlled intersections, so you don't even slow down for stop signs or red lights. They give you a timing chip to put on your bike, and at the longest, steepest hill, they time you to see who's the fastest up the climb. If you get a mechanical, just wait for the roving race service vehicle. Everybody compares their finish time at the end.

Luis

delcrossv

$15 and a route sheet is more like it- I can follow directions and and fix my own bike. I had no idea GF's were a couple of hundred bucks. For one entrance fee I can get a pretty good GPS.

Not like they'd have spares for a 15 yo 'bent anyway.

mander

In fairness, it will cost you a lot to go in a big, well supported 1200. This year's RM1200 was like $550, I believe. But, per km that's still relatively cheap compared to a GF, and there are lots of shoestring 1000+ rides around too.

surreycrv 

apples to oranges. a 1200 can be 3 to 4 days of pain, with a total sleep count in single digits (maybe 16). A 200 or GF is a day trip.

chasm54

The UK scene is slightly different. The Gran Fondo style of ride is called a Sportive - cyclosportif - the French rather than Italian terminology. They are sometimes very big, but usually much less expensive affairs. The typical cost to enter would be £20 -£25, $30-$40 rather than the $200 being quoted here. The most frequent distance is c.100 miles, and most of them are on routes that include a decent amount of climbing. Most will feature electronic timing these days, they have well-signposted routes but the feed stations will be much more basic than seems to be the case in the States - water, energy drinks, bananas, flapjacks or energy bars. There is some mechanical and medical support. It's very rare for them to be run on closed roads.

They are immensely popular. The one most local to me has three routes - a 30-miler designed to attract families with kids, a fairly challenging 60-miler, and a 104-miler with about 7800' of climbing that is a pretty tough and very scenic day out. This year it attracted 4500 riders, with almost half of those doing the long route. From April/May to October there'll be a similar event somewhere in the country every weekend. Given that the UK is quite compact, it's possible for the keener riders to travel to one of these virtually every week.

The Audax/randonneur crowd and those with racing licences tend to look down their noses at these, of course, and there is no doubt that it's a slightly dumbed-down compromise between road racing and randonneuring. But here, at least, it has provided a mechanism for getting recreational cyclists and commuters more involved in relatively challenging rides in circumstances in which they feel reasonably secure. I think that's a good thing.

delcrossv

Now that would be more like it. I just can't get over $200 for a 100 mile ride. I guess the services cost, but that 's pretty steep.

Commodus

I think the cost of a Gran Fondo is worth it...I mean, sort of. It's a reasonable cost considering the services you get, but it's only worth it if you actually value those services.

I don't mind paying it a few times a year, in theory. It is really nice to ride on closed roads. In practice, I find that randonneuring is sucking up all of my free time anyways.

chasm54

If you have a lot of riders, it's impossible to justify a fee of $200 on the basis that the services cost money. The one I described above makes a profit of about £30k/$50k for its organiser. Now, to be fair he has built it up over six or seven years. The first couple of years he had fewer riders and probably just about broke even. But he's charging $40. If anyone is charging $200 and have more than, say, 500 riders, they're doing very nicely. If they have 1000 riders, they don't need to work.

Commodus

eh, I don't begrudge the organisers a profit. It all comes down to the value you place on what's being offered, just like any transaction.

chasm54

I don't begrudge anyone anything. I'm just pointing out that the product being provided probably costs less than a fifth of the price. Which means, if you want to make a few dollars, that you could make a lot of money by providing some competition.

Fakey

There is great trend in cycling these days called Gravel Grinding. Challenging events on mostly unpaved roads in the spirit of the pioneers of cycle racing. Support yourself. Be responsible for yourself. No insurance needed. Entry fees are 0...nil...free!!! Check out this website https://www.gravelgrindernews.com/

bobbycorno

"Granfondo" is Italian for "give me your money". "Randonneur" is French for "too dumb to know when to quit". Any other questions?

SP
OC, OR
RUSA #3481

ThermionicScott 

Love it!

Fakey, welcome to BF. Most of the gravel-grinding discussion on this board takes place in the Cyclocross forum, although some of the events do qualify as "long-distance".