2026 Gran Fondo Georgia - Register NOW!
United States | Midwest | Ohio >> Maraton Franja BTC City brings 3,000 riders from 31 countries to Slovenia
 
Add to My Favourites

Maraton Franja BTC City brings 3,000 riders from 31 countries to Slovenia

With no less than three UCI Gran Fondo World Series events last weekend, the world series headed to Slovenia for the next race. Matec Groslej and Erika Jesenko took the top step on the podium

Maraton Franja BTC City brings 3,000 riders from 31 countries to Slovenia

With over 3,000 riders from 31 different countries all over the world lining up for both races, the 2023 Maraton Franja BTC City promised to be another successful edition this year.

The Maraton Franja BTC City in Ljubljana is a mainstay event on the UCI calendar and boasts a rich history. It was first organized in 1982 and named after the Franja Hospital, a secret medical center where soldiers were treated during World War II. Over the course of the years, the Maraton became a major cycling event in Slovenia, while the number of international participants steadily grew as well. Since 2011, it has been part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.
 
The weekend started with a Family ride on Saturday, aimed at parents with younger children.
 
The Sunday race was the qualifying event for the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Glasgow. Participants raced on a loop of 157 km with 1,500 m of elevation (men 19-59 and women 19-49) or 100 km with 700 m of elevation (men 60+ and women 50+). Both courses started and finished in Ljubljana.
 
Riders in the long race faced two longer climbs. The first one started around the 27th km marker and wss about 4 km in length with an average gradient of 5%. Afterwards, the road continued to gently climb for some 20 km. At around km 80, riders had to tackle 10 km of climbing at an average gradient of over 8%, with some sections reaching well into double-digit percentages.
 
Meanwhile, participants in the 100 km race were presented with an 8 km climb starting around the 28th km marker, with an average gradient of about 5%. With these climbs in the legs, it was downhill all the way to the finish line, which is situated on a wide and straight road that allows for sprints.

In the 156km Gran Fondo, a local rider,  27 year-old former pro Matec Groslej won the sprint from a breakaway of six riders in a time of 3h 35m 49s, followed by Italian Igor Zanetti and Anthony Bilic of Croatia in third place in tightly contested sprint. Last year’s winner and former UCI Gran Fondo World Champion Matej Lovse finished in sixth place.

27 year-old Slovenian Erika Jesenko won the women’s Gran Fondo in a time of 3h 45m, Slovenian Lina Cepak finished second and Lucy Deschamps from the United Kingdom finished in third place.

Katrina Novak of Slovenia won the women's 97km Medio Fondo in a time of 2h 27m 57s and Italian Roberto Vidoni won the men's race in a time of 2h 20m.

Link to 2023 UCI Maraton Franja BTC City Gran Fondo Results: https://www.timingljubljana.si/rezultati.aspx?idTekme=5331&tip=B&disc=1M&embed=

 

 
Add to My Favourites
 
Tag: ucigfwseries
 
Apr 11 2026 - NEWS: Laura Šimenc Kramar and Matic Grošelj take Victory 2026 UCI Istria Granfondo
Mar 29 2026 - NEWS: Valkeneers and de Decker take victory at 2026 UCI Gran Fondo Belgium
Mar 26 2026 - NEWS: Van der Lijke Zijlaard and Wolos take victory at sold-out 2026 UCI Millars Granfondo
Mar 09 2026 - NEWS: 2026 UCI Cape Town Cycle Tour crowns champions as 29,000 riders take part
Mar 07 2026 - NEWS: Inaugural 2026 UCI Cape Town Cycle Tour to be Livestreamed
Mar 04 2026 - NEWS: 2026 UCI Gran Fondo Cyprus Postponed due to Middle East War
Mar 02 2026 - NEWS: 2026 UCI Millars Gran Fondo Surpasses 2,000 Cyclists with One Month to Go
Feb 15 2026 - NEWS: Baleisyte and Konotop take Victory at 2026 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge in UAE
Feb 13 2026 - NEWS: The UCI Gran Fondo World Series returns to Cyprus in April 3-5
Feb 12 2026 - NEWS: British Cycling to grant 10 wildcards as Great Britain is not hosting a UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier
Nov 14 2025 - NEWS: 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Series expands with nine new events
Sep 08 2025 - NEWS: 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships to be held in Japan
Sep 26 2025 - NEWS: UCI Awards 2029–2032 Gran Fondo World Championships to Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark Respectively
Oct 02 2025 - NEWS: 2027 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships to be held in France
Dec 11 2025 - NEWS: Severino and Quintero take victory at 2025 UCI Granfondo Colombia in Bogota
Apr 18 2026 - EVENT: Neusiedlersee Radmarathon
Apr 23 2026 - EVENT: 66 Degrés Sud
Apr 25 2026 - EVENT: 3RIDES Gran Fondo
May 09 2026 - EVENT: Sudety Tour
May 16 2026 - EVENT: Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo
May 17 2026 - EVENT: Gran Fondo Vosges
May 23 2026 - EVENT: UCI Gran Fondo Hangzhou Qiandao Lake
May 29 2026 - EVENT: Tour de Matra
May 30 2026 - EVENT: Schleck Gran Fondo
Jun 07 2026 - EVENT: Tartu Rattaralli
Jun 07 2026 - EVENT: Gran Fondo Costa Rica
Jun 14 2026 - EVENT: Marathon Franja BTC City
Jun 14 2026 - EVENT: UCI Tour de Fukushima
Jun 21 2026 - EVENT: Gran Fondo Bulgaria
Aug 26 2026 - EVENT: Niseko Classic