Zubov and Polevaya win Gran Fondo Russia, as Trubetskoy and Lantsova win Time Trial 

The first ever UCI qualifier in Russia for the Gran Fondo World Series saw more than 1,500 riders at the start

The time trial took place in the center of Moscow on a unique bicycle course 14 kms long. Designed and built for the Olympic Games 1980, the course is in very good condition. It features, dozens of turns, ups and downs to create a some climbs, the Russian answer to the Nürburgring for racing cyclists.

Fastest rider on the course was Sergey Trubetskoy (M19-34) in a time of 25.48, 14 seconds faster than the winner in the M35-39 age category Evgeniy Sokolov and Petr Ukhov who took third spot at 19 seconds. 

Mariya Lantsova of the F50-54 age group was the fastest female, beating lots of her younger competitors in a time of 31:17, 2m40 faster than Karina Ligacheva (F35-39) while the winner of the F19-34 age group Anna Artamonova took overall bronze. 

The 103km Gran Fondo started in Volokolamsk for a back-and-forth loop on undulating roads. Two riders escaped to sprint for victory with Matvey Zubov outsprinting Aydar Zakarin, both of the M19-34 age group. Yuriy Trofimovfinished solo in third a bit more than 1 minute behind the leading duo. 

First overall female was Yuliya Polevaya (F19-34) who finished in a group almost 6 minutes ahead of Marina Osipova(F50-54) and Karina Ligacheva (F35-39) took the win in her age category to finish third female overall. 

With the Gran Fondo Russia, all qualifier events leading up to the 2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in nearby Poland have been held and all qualified riders are in their final preparation for worlds in 5 weeks.

2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Scheduled for August 29 - September 1

Poznan, in the East of Poland, will organise the 2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships on a mainly flat and fast course in and around the city

The event will take place from August 29th to September 1st with a time trial on Thursday, a team-relay on Friday and the Gran Fondo races on Sunday.

The 2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will take place with the following schedule:

Individual Time Trial – Thursday 29 August, 2019
Team Relay (non-competitive) – Friday evening 30 August, 2019
UCI GranFondo World Championships – Sunday 1 September, 2019

The world championship courses will probably be fast and totally flat!  The younger categories will race on a 150km course and older males and females will race on a 120km course.

The time trial and Gran Fondo courses for the World Championships will differ from those used during the Poznan Bike Challenge: the Gran Fondo will be longer, and the time trial will be raced over one loop instead of the multiple smaller loops raced in the qualifier. Distance of time trial to be confirmed.

The Poznan Bike Challenge is one of the biggest cycling events in Poland and attracts will over 7,000 cyclists annually.

Kuba Swornowski, lead organizer of the Poznan Bike Challenge told Gran Fondo Guide "We will do everything in our power to make this event a unique experience for everyone"

The Poznan website will be updated and detailed information will also be available with Gran Fondo Guide shortly.