Originally scheduled for July, the impetus for moving the event to August was to allow more time for COVID-19 travel and physical distancing restrictions to resolve, and to allow riders more time to qualify for the National Championship. The event was first rescheduled to August 30, but to avoid a schedule conflict with the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride, also in Asheville, NC on that same date, the National Championship will now be held August 23.
“Our goal is to give riders as many opportunities to ride once events return, which means avoiding schedule conflicts whenever possible,” said Lindsay Goldman, Director of Marketing & Membership for USA Cycling. “We look forward to supporting both the Belgian Waffle Ride in Asheville on August 30 and the Gran Fondo National Championship on August 23 and hope riders from across the country will join us for both.”
GFNS Founder and Series Director Reuben Kline added, “Like all cyclists, I am looking forward to the resumption of events, and within the event director community I think there is a genuine sense that we are all in this together and want to help each other be successful. Moving Gran Fondo Asheville and the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship to August 23 helps athletes, promoters, and the city of Asheville.”
Gran Fondo National Championship
As described in greater detail in a previous release, the 5-year partnership between USA Cycling and Gran Fondo National Series brings the existing GFNS Gran Fondo National Series and one-day Gran Fondo National Championship into the portfolio of official USA Cycling National Championship events. A USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship title, complete with a national championship jersey and medal, will be awarded to the male and female winners in each Gran Route (~100 mile) National Championships’ age-group category (minimum age 14 years old) at the annual USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship event.
Revised Qualification Procedures for Gran Fondo National Championship
To compete for the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship, eligible riders must first qualify for a starting slot. Original qualification criteria are published on the GFNS website. Due to the postponement or cancellation of 2020 Qualification Events, revised qualification criteria for the 2020 Gran Fondo National Championship will be announced by May 1 and published on the same webpage.
In light of the COVID19 public health crisis, Gran Fondo National Series continues to evaluate individual events and the overall calendar of 2020 GFNS Qualification Events. View current status of all 2020 GFNS Events.
Visit USACycling.org for more information on athletes, events and membership programs. Follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.
For more information, please contact Bouker Pool at bpool@usacycling.org.
For more information on Gran Fondo National Series, please contact Jim Rutberg at jim.rutberg@granfondoseries.com.
