Cyclists qualify for USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship at Sold-Out Highlands Gran Fondo

750 cyclists from across the USA enjoyed great weather as they tackled rides through High Point State Park in New Jersey

Cyclists qualify for USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship at Sold-Out Highlands Gran Fondo

In a continued sign that US cycling events are enjoying a surge in participation, registration for the 2021 Highlands Gran Fondo sold out and a record number of riders rolled off the start line in Butler, New Jersey on Sunday, June 6. The event was one of the last opportunities for cyclists to qualify for the 2021 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship event (view list of qualified riders), which will be held in Asheville, North Carolina on July 18 as part of Gran Fondo Asheville. The final qualification opportunity will be at the Cache Gran Fondo in Logan, Utah on July 9-10.

The Gran, Medio, and Piccolo routes at the Highlands Gran Fondo wove through the scenic country roads of northern New Jersey, and Gran Route riders faced the challenge of climbing to the highest point in New Jersey in High Point State Park. The weather created an additional challenge for all riders, with temperatures climbing into the low 90s for the first time of the season.

The weather created an additional challenge for all riders, with temperatures climbing into the low 90

Professional chip timing kept track of riders out on course and allowed riders to compete for the best combined time through timed sections on route. The Gran Fondo course featured 4 timed sections and 7,400 feet of climbing over 100 miles, whilst the Medio Fondo featured 3 timed sections and 4,300 feet of climbing and the 35 mile and the Piccolo Route had 2 timed sections and 2,450 feet of climbing for all abilities of cyclists.

Professional chip timing kept track of riders out on course and allowed riders to compete for the best combined time through timed sections on route.

The timed section format has the added benefit of allowing riders to enjoy their chosen route, ride safely in the company of others and enjoy a bit of healthy competition. Only the timed segments counted towards the competition.

Upon arriving back to the start/finish at High Point Brewery in Butler, Nj, riders enjoyed a fresh post-event meal from Boca Bowls and cold Ramstein Beer as they cheered for fellow riders crossing the finish line. The Hyperice Recovery Zone was a popular destination all afternoon, with Hyperice Normatec recovery boots and Hypervolt percussion massage devices available for weary riders.

The best places to ride are often remote, so @volvocyclingsupport made sure riders were ok. @volvocarusa

The best places to ride are often remote, so Volvo Cycling Support made sure riders were ok

Nutrition and hydration products included products from sponsors including Hammer Nutrition and Bonk Breaker.

Margherita Cina from Washington DC won the Women's Overall title with the fastest combined time of 52m 29s ahead of Susan Haid from Chester, NJ in second place, with Nicole Falcaro from Exeter, NH in third place.

Lee Sobotkin from King Of Prussia, PA won the Men’s Overall title, completing the four timed sections in the fastest time of 44m 52s, ahead of Mark Detweiler from Royersford PA in second and Jeremy Scheid from Newton NJ in third place.

Only the timed segments counted towards the competition.

Prize Raffle

The popular Colnago Gran Fondo National Series Raffle was held virtually. Prizes from Series sponsors included: Hyperice Hypervolt and Hypersphere recovery devices, Industry Nine hubset, components from Cane Creek, Swiftwick socks, Shimano products, a Lazer helmet, Wahoo Kickr Core trainer, a holiday at Garda Bike Hotel in Italy, as well as other prizes.

Raffle Prize winners:

Hyperice Hypervolt – Theo Spilka
- Hyperice Hypersphere – Vicky Mei
- 4-night Stay for 2 at Garda Bike Hotel in Italy – Deborah Finger
Wahoo KICKR Core – Denis Harnett
Lazer Sphere Mips helmet – Andres Mangones
- Industry Nine hubset – Adwait Tare
Cane Creek brakes and seat post – John Morris
Bike Flights travel voucher – Alexander Feng and Stephen Panasci
Shimano products – Harry Weinblatt
Shott Performance coaching packages – Ryan Dubois and Rob Makaron
DNA Cycling “Mid-Pack Attack” – A special prize awarded at all Colnago Gran Fondo National Series events, the Mid-Pack Attack jersey from DNA Cycling is awarded to the rider who finishes in the exact middle of the results sheet. For Highlands Gran Fondo, Mike Barone rode away with the prize!

The popular Colnago Gran Fondo National Series Raffle included Prizes from Series sponsors

100-mile Gran Fondo Winners

Custom “Race Winner” cycling kits by DNA Cycling were awarded to all Gran Route age group category winners

Overall Men’s

1st Lee Sobotkin
2nd Mark Detweiler
3rd Jeremy Scheid

Overall Women’s

1st Margherita Cina
2nd Susan Haid
3rd Nicole Falcaro
 

Men 23-

1st Matthew Schechter
2nd James Franco
3rd Matthew Peters

Women 23-

1st Zoe Eckman

Men 23-34

1st Jeremy Scheid
2nd Dan Montgomery
3rd Christopher Pulomena

Women 23-34

1st Margherita Cina
2nd Nicole Falcaro
3rd Mackenzie Marcinko

Men 35-44

1st Lee Sobotkin
2nd Mark Detweiler
3rd Nick Glavac

Women 35-44

1st Mikaela Martin
2nd Debora Finger
3rd Joyce Oikawa

Men 45-54

1st Brent Vollrath
2nd Ronald Malone
3rd Steven Lacob

Women 45-54

1st Maura Hays
2nd Joan Hanscom
3rd Yumei Guo

Men 55-64

1st Jay Trojan
2nd Gerald Finken
3rd Peter Sisti

Women 55-64

1st Susan Haid
2nd Linda Goldstein
3rd Margaret Bania

Men 65+

1st Geoff Cooper
2nd Mark Mccarthy
3rd Denis Finnin

Women 65+

1st
Hannah Eckstein Gowans
2nd Althea Grace Pineda

 

 

60 mile Medio Route Winners

Overall Men’s

1st Edward Frederick
2nd Justin Scheid
3rd Fei Ye

Overall Women’s

1st Valerie Cole
2nd Linda Brown
3rd Olga Grishina
 

Men 23-

1st Nathan Tang
2nd Dennis Vink
3rd Ziv Shah

Women 23

1st Emily Besserer
 

Men 23-34

1st Christian Barnard
2nd Robert Weeks
3rd Brandon Natiello

Women 23-34

1st Olga Grishina
2nd Meagan Weas
3rd Shoshana Soloff

Men 35-44

1st Edward Frederick
2nd Justin Scheid
3rd Fei Ye

Women 35-44

1st Idy Judowitz
2nd Elizabeth Fiore
3rd Janine Bodden
 

Men 45-54

1st Robis Degirmenci
2nd Andre Stefanini
3rd Roberto Roson

Women 45-54

1st Valerie Cole
2nd Sandy Ng
3rd A. Sarah Hreha

Men 55-64

1st  Raymond Morro
2nd Adam Fran
3rd Theo Spilka

Women 55-64

1st Linda Brown
2nd Rosy Jacobsen
3rd Joan Dyer

Men 65+

1st Jordan Jacobsen
2nd Dennis Sinauskas
3rd Kenneth Levins

Women 65+

1st Patricia Levins

 

35 mile Piccolo Route Winners

Overall Men’s

1st Rafael Pena
2nd Christopher Niel
3rd Inheste Semedo

Overall Women’s

1st Rachel Liberatore
2nd Heather de Boer
3rd Annie Dizon
 

Men 23-

1st Max Koffler
 

Women 23-

1st Heather de Boer
 

Men 23-34

1st Sam Xu
2nd Brian Doyle
3rd Vinayak Nesarikar

Women 23-34

1st Janessa Urwin
 

Men 35-44

1st  Rafael Pena
2nd Christopher Niel
3rd David Biancamano

Women 35-44

1st Rachel Liberatore
2nd Cara Carraher
3rd Veronica Barone
 

Men 45-54

1st Inheste Semedo
2nd Jim Motta
3rd Piotr Dolowy

Women 45-54

1st Annie Dizon
2nd Christine Gennat
3rd Elizabeth Talmont

Men 55-64

1st  Tim Doyle
2nd Guillermo Rodriguez
3rd Howard Stolzer

Women 55-65

1st Elizabeth Talmont
2nd Jennifer Murphy
3rd Karyn Jarmer

Men 65+

1st Steven Gagliano

 

 

Team Winners

To win the Team Competition at Colnago Gran Fondo National Series, a team’s top three riders have their time’s combined, and then bonus seconds are deducted from the - team’s time based on the total number of teammates who finished the event. The top 3 results from the Team Competition at Highlands Gran Fondo were:

- BLUE BELL WEALTH MANAGEMENT P/B CANNONDALE (with 7 team members)
- SKYLANDS CYCLING (with 4 team members)
- Rogue Racing p/b Sail Away Coffee (with 3 team members)

Race director Reuben Kline commented, “It was great to see a record-breaking peloton of riders at Highlands Gran Fondo this year, especially because so many were new riders who took up cycling during the pandemic. I’m proud to produce events that are welcoming to new riders and challenging for experienced competitors. And I want to congratulate the 93 new riders who qualified for the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships in Asheville, North Carolina on July 18th.

BLUE BELL WEALTH MANAGEMENT P/B CANNONDALE (with 7 team members)

Benefitting Boy Scouts of America

Donations from the ride benefit the local Boy Scouts of America troop.

Complete results, including age groups and all split times are available at: https://my.raceresult.com/169056/results

All Photos available here, 30% OFF Early Bird Pricing Expires 6/18 @ 8PM!: https://firstplacephoto.shotsee.com/gallery/newjerseygranfondo2021
 
Race director Reuben Kline commented, “It was great to see a record-breaking peloton of riders at Highlands Gran Fondo this year,
 
 
Tag: granfondonationalseries
 
Mar 11 2024 - NEWS: Gran Fondo National Series Announces 2024 Partner-Event Calendar
Feb 29 2024 - NEWS: GFNS Championships Official Qualifier for 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
Feb 21 2024 - NEWS: Sign up NOW for the 2024 Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo and SAVE!
Feb 19 2024 - NEWS: Bikeflights Renews Support for Gran Fondo National Series
Feb 14 2024 - NEWS: Free Jersey Deadline and Price Increase Approaching for Gran Fondo Florida!
Jan 29 2024 - NEWS: Ride with Italian Champion Filippo Pozzato at 2024 Gran Fondo Asheville, p/b Applewood Manor
Jan 12 2024 - NEWS: Gran Fondo Florida Updates Routes to Enhance Rider Experience and Safety
Jan 05 2024 - NEWS: SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series and Zwift Announce Schedule for 8-Event E-Fondo Series
Dec 26 2023 - NEWS: SUAREZ and Gran Fondo National Series Release 2024 Event Apparel Collection
Dec 18 2023 - NEWS: Shimano to Sponsor U23 Entries to Gran Fondo National Series Cycling Events
Dec 12 2023 - NEWS: Holiday Gift Guide for Cyclists
Nov 30 2023 - NEWS: Get ready to Gran Fondo in the Sunshine State!
Nov 05 2023 - NEWS: Gran Fondo National Series Announces 2023 Series Points Champions!
Nov 01 2023 - NEWS: Gran Fondo National Championships Among 18 Championships Announced
Oct 21 2023 - NEWS: SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series opens 2024 Registration
Dec 12 2016 - RESULTS: 2016 Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo GFNCS Results
Dec 12 2016 - RESULTS: 2016 Highlands Gran Fondo GFNCS Results
Aug 29 2016 - RESULTS: Team Primal Audi Denver Hit Overdrive in the Golden Gran Fondo
Aug 08 2016 - RESULTS: Boone-tastic Gran Fondo
May 14 2016 - RESULTS: Next Moto Champion PB Roswell Bicycles Take Tour of Georgia Team Prize
Jun 30 2014 - RESULTS: Golden Gran Fondo
Jun 10 2014 - RESULTS: Highlands Gran Fondo GFNCS
Apr 16 2014 - RESULTS: Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo GFNCS
Jun 09 2013 - RESULTS: NJ Highlands Gran Fondo
Apr 21 2024 - EVENT: Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo
Jun 02 2024 - EVENT: Highlands Gran Fondo
Jun 30 2024 - EVENT: Bogus Basin Hill Climb
Jul 14 2024 - EVENT: Gran Fondo Asheville
Jul 20 2024 - EVENT: 719 Ride
Aug 04 2024 - EVENT: Boone Gran Fondo
Sep 15 2024 - EVENT: Gran Fondo Maryland