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United States | Midwest | Ohio >> Levi’s GranFondo Panzer Route sold out in about 90 minutes

A new, more challenging route debuting this year as part of Levi’s GranFondo sold out in about 90 minutes as registration for the annual ride opened Monday.

Just 250 slots were available for the premiere of the nearly 117-mile Panzer ride, which will take participants through an additional 13 miles of coastal Sonoma County and includes an additional 1,560 vertical feet of climbing on the traditional 103-mile route.

“It adds a lot more climbing,” said Carlos Perez, founder of Bike Monkey, which produces the ride. “It’s a really challenging route, so we have a qualification process that people have to prove that they have the ability to do it.” Only those who have completed the Gran route in the past in 7.5 hours or less qualify for the Panzer because of safety concerns, Perez said.

The Oct. 3 GranFondo, now in its sixth year, is modeled on the Italian tradition of large group rides that are not intended to be competitive — at least not first and foremost. Founded by professional cyclist and Sonoma County resident Levi Leipheimer, the event has drawn thousands of cyclists to the region each year, raising nearly $1.2 million over the course of its history for various charities and nonprofits, organizers said.

It has typically included three alternative routes — the “gran” ride, a daunting 103-mile trip through the coastal hills, with an elevation gain of nearly 9.000 feet; the 61-mile “medio,” which takes in Occidental and Coleman Valley Road; and the more accessible 30-mile “piccolo,” up to Occidental and back.

This year, organizers also have mapped variations on each route for a total of 10 alternative routes.

Registration for all the rides was brisk on Monday, despite a glitch early on, when the online system briefly became overloaded by people refreshing the website in anticipation of the 9 a.m. opening, Perez said.

About 1,500 cyclists registered in the first two hours, including about 1,000 for the gran ride, Perez said.

In addition to the 250 sold-out Panzer slots, there are 4,000 spots in the gran ride, 2,000 in the medio, and 1,000 in the piccolo, he said.