How Gran Fondo National Series Quietly Built The Country’s Top Road Cycling Events

“It’s a damn good ride.” That’s the vibe you get at any of the six annual Gran Fondo National Series events around the country. Coming from a pure grassroots background with no start-up capital for advertising and promotional hype, Gran Fondo National Series has always focused on the qualities cyclists value most: fun, safety, camaraderie, challenging courses on quiet roads, along with fair competition. And because of that, Series events continue to grow in popularity as many other road cycling events stagnate or decline.

Gran Fondo: An Inclusive Competition

When he founded the Series in 2012, Gran Fondo National Series Founder & Director, Reuben Kline pioneered the timed-segment competition format to develop a fun and inclusive approach to road cycling in the United States. “In traditional road racing, riders are segregated into categories by age, sex, and past results. When I introduced the Series the options to engage in competitive road racing were not user friendly for entry level riders. Similarly, office park racecourses were unfulfilling for serious competitors who wanted to rip around on great back roads,” said Kline. “I wanted to create opportunities to race road bikes on fun roads and share the sport I love in an inclusive, enjoyable, safe, and fulfilling capacity. To accomplish that, I combined the camaraderie of group rides with opportunities to compete in segment races with professional timing, which also give more riders a real chance at winning.”

How Timed-Segment Racing Works

All riders start Gran Fondo National Series events together and can choose from three distances. Gran routes range from 80-100 miles, Medio routes range from 50-70 miles, and Piccolo routes range from 25-35 miles. Rather than record athletes’ elapsed start-to-finish time, Gran Fondo National Series only times distinct segments of the course. Each rider’s individual segment times are added together and the lowest cumulative time wins. Awards are presented for male and female age group categories, as well as the overall fastest males and females in the Gran Route. There’s even a team competition, which combines the times for a team’s fastest three riders and deducts bonus seconds based on the total number of team members.

Why Cyclists Love Timed-Segment Gran Fondos

“Our events are safe, social, and challenging,” stated Kline. Timed-segment gran fondos encourage safe cycling by eliminating incentives to take risks or break traffic laws. Events are “rules of the road” at all times, meaning riders are expected to stop at stop signs and traffic lights, stay on the right side of the road, etc. Timed segments are designated on stretches of road that are safe, challenging, and where cyclists have the right of way. There’s also no time penalty for stopping at aid stations, which encourages riders to stay fueled and hydrated. And despite courses featuring significant elevation changes, Gran Fondo National Series avoids creating timed segments that are only KOMs. While segments avoid high speed, steep twisting downhills, they cover a variety of terrain. “I want riders to compete based on their fitness and ability to ride, not their willingness to take big risks,” Kline commented.

On the social side, timed-segment competitions encourage riders to regroup and ride together to the next segment, rather than press on to keep dropped riders from returning to the group. “I love to see cyclists regroup after a hard timed segment to share stories and high fives before riding on together,” said Kline. “Sharing miles with new friends and best friends is what cycling is all about.”

A competitive cyclist himself, Kline isn’t shy about designing hard courses. The Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo in Helen, Georgia, features more than 8900 feet of climbing in 90 miles. Gran Fondo Maryland in Frederick, Maryland, features 8400 feet of climbing in 87 miles. “Part of that ‘damn good ride’ sentiment comes from the sense of accomplishment riders feel when they cross the finish line of a Gran Fondo National Series event,” said Kline. “We don’t rely on gimmicks or the mysterious appeal of riding with celebrities and retired pros. We give you the opportunity to ride a damn good course with damn good support and a damn good party and prize raffle when you get back.”

Even More to Win: National Championships and Series Points Competition 

Since 2012, Gran Fondo National Series has presented the Gran Fondo National Championships, and starting in 2020 the event became the official USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships. The 2026 #GFNats will be contested in Frederick, Maryland in conjunction with Gran Fondo Maryland on September 20, 2026. In 2027, #GFNats will move to Gran Fondo Asheville on July 18, 2027, in Asheville, North Carolina. Cyclists don’t need a USA Cycling membership or racing license to participate in Series events. They do, however, need a USA Cycling racing license to compete in USA Cycling National Championships. Cyclists must also qualify to race national championships, which they can do through competition results or participation in Series-owned events, partner events, USA Cycling State and Regional Championship results, and an annual E-Fondo Series on the ROUVY indoor cycling platform.

Gran Fondo National Series also rewards consistency and dedication with a season-long Points Series Competition. Riders are awarded points equal to their age group standings in each Series-owned and partner event they finish (i.e., 1 point for finishing first, 2 points for finishing second, etc.). Their best three results are tallied at the end of the season and riders with the lowest point totals are named Points Series Champions.

Opportunities for Junior and U23 Road Cyclists

As traditional road racing opportunities for Junior and U23 cyclists dwindle, Gran Fondo National Series and Shimano have partnered to encourage youth participation in gran fondos. All Junior and U23 riders can register for Series-owned events at 50% off regular entry fees. And Shimano has committed to awarding complete Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupsets to the male and female U23 Gran Route winners at each Series-owned event. “Shimano has believed in and supported the Series for a long time. A $2500 groupset is a huge prize and potentially a massive component upgrade for a young rider,” said Kline. “As far as I know, it’s one of the most valuable prizes available to Junior and U23 riders anywhere in the country.”

2026/2027 Gran Fondo National Series Event Calendar

• Gran Fondo Maryland and 2026 Gran Fondo National Championships: Frederick, MD – Sunday, September 20, 2026
• E-Fondo Series Points Competition on Rouvy – January-March 2027
• Gran Fondo Florida: Pasco County, FL – Sunday, March 21, 2027
• Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo: Helen, GA – Sunday, April 25, 2027
• Highlands Gran Fondo: Butler, NJ – Sunday, June 6, 2027
• Gran Fondo Asheville and 2027 Gran Fondo National Championships: Asheville, NC – Sunday, July 18, 2027
• Boone Gran Fondo: Boone, NC – Sunday, August 8, 2027
• Gran Fondo Maryland: Frederick, MD – Sunday, September 19, 2027

Partner Events:

• Cheaha Challenge GF: Jacksonville, AL – May 2027
• Gran Fondo Utah: Payson, UT – June 2027
• Cache Gran Fondo: Logan, UT – July 2027
• 719 KOM Challenge: Colorado Springs, CO – July 2027
• Virginia’s Blue Ridge Gran Fondo: Fincastle, VA – August 23, 2026