Maryland rounds off successful season for SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series

Collins and Patterson take victory in Maryland, which will host next year’s USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships

Over 600 cyclists celebrated 11^th edition of Gran Fondo Maryland, the Series flagship event in Frederick last weekend.

Photo: Maryland rounds off successful season for Gran Fondo National Series

Reuben Kline, Founder and CEO of the series was presented with a Certificate of Recognition by the City of Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor and City Council Member Kelly Russell, “The city of Frederick acknowledges and thanks Reuben Kline and the Gran Fondo National Series for selecting Frederick as the site to host the 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships.”

“Our Bike trails are a cherished commodity in the city of Frederick and bring racers from all over the country. This event reaffirms our commitment to bring excellent spaces for bicyclists to recreate, and promotes our trails at the national level.”

Thank you for this wonderful partnership and we wish you all the best on a successful race.”

Photo: Reuben Kline, Founder and CEO of the series was presented with a Certificate of Recognition by the City of Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor and City Council Member Kelly Russell

Over 1,000 cyclists are expected to attend Gran Fondo Maryland in 2023, many of which will battle for National Championship titles. The 2023 Gran Fondo Maryland will be open to all riders. Riders do not need to qualify to ride the normal Gran, Medio, or Piccolo routes. To compete in the National Championship category riders must qualify. You can see complete qualification criteria on the GFNS website. 

With 3 distances on offer, this year’s event had something for everyone, taking riders through several different state parks, municipal forests, protected watersheds, and the Catoctin Mountain National Park.

Participants returned to historic downtown Fredrick and were welcome with well-deserved festivities at the finish line, complete with great food from Brewer’s Alley and beverages from Monocacy Brewing Co, along with more fun.

The fastest riders across a range of categories were awarded prizes including customer winner jerseys by SUAREZ clothing, presenting sponsor.

The 96.6 mile Gran Fondo was challenging ride with 9,133 feet of climbing. Overall Ryan Collins from Annapolis was fastest over the four timed sections in a combined time of 1h 5m 7s ahead of Scott Coblentz 28s behind in second, and Nick Glavac 30s behind in third place. We’re proud to also mention Ryan Collins recently set a new 12 Hour National Record riding at over 25mph.

In the women’s category, top amateur cyclist Jill Pattersen from Alexandia was fastest in a combined time of 1h 12m 11s ahead of Paige Wooden and Regan Fink.

The 61.4 mile Medio Fondo contained 5,718 feet of climbing. Overall Andre Pierre from Valencia,PA  was fastest over the 3 timed sections in a combined time of 59m 20s ahead of Joseph Bell and Henry Tushek.

In the women’s category, Joana Gonzalez from Raleigh, NC was fastest in a combined time of 1h 4m ahead of Amy Loop and Tanya Stahler.

The 27.8 miles Piccolo Fondo packed in 2,388 feet of climbing. Overall Oscar Romero from Corona, NY was fastest over the timed section in a time of 25m 48s ahead of Michael Galdo and Steve Braig.

In the women’s category, Deisy Mendez from Queens, NY was fastest over the timed section in a time of 31m 3s ahead of Tammy Szczepanski and Patricia Bravo.

Team Awards

1^st – Total Civil Construction
Stefan Gissler, Camilo Lopez, Stephen Robinson

2^nd – Redshift Racing
Darrin Arbaugh, Clete Williams, Max Byer

3^rd – Bike Doctor Racing
Ryan Collins, Scott Coblentz, Geoffrey Irwin

The after party also included the eagerly awaited raffle with over $5,000 of prizes!

Gran Fondo Maryland is a qualifying event for the 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo Series National Championship.

Photo: The after party also included the eagerly awaited raffle with over $5,000 of prizes!

Prize Raffle

The popular SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series Raffle was after the podium awards. The Maryland Gran Fondo raffle featured more than $5,000 of prizes from Series sponsors, including:

4-night Stay at Garda Bike Hotel in Italy
Wahoo ELEMNT Rival GPS Watch
Wahoo KICKR smart trainer
Lazer three helmets
Industry Nine hubset
Cane Creek components 
Swiftwick socks
Bike Flights travel vouchers
Shimano products
CTS Trainright Memberships
Jittery Joe’s Coffee
UNDRBUDR anti-chafe cream
Ride with GPS Premium Memberships

97 mile Gran Fondo Winners

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

62 mile Medio Fondo Winners

28 mile Piccolo Fondo Winners

Link to 2022 Gran Fondo Maryland results: https://my.raceresult.com/216763/results

Photo: Over 1,000 cyclists are expected to attend Gran Fondo Maryland in 2023, many of which will battle for National Championship titles.