Gran Fondo Group Ride Opportunities

Starting Place: Model Airplane Field

Please join us for a group ride on Friday July 4th, starting at 7:30 a.m. from the Model Airplane Field. We will have two routes laid out - something around 50 miles and something around 30 miles. Both the short and long routes will have people riding at comfortable speeds; everyone should have fun. We hope to see you there!

And Yes, we will be closed on Monday July the seventh!!  And Yes, we are always closed on Sunday...

• 15% Discount at Gran Fondo, discount applicable to all retail merchandise not previously discounted
• Discounted Service Department Rates, Schedule per Website
• Ability to order custom team clothing at cost
• Riding – Gran Fondo group rides, team participation in organized rides, etc.
• Racing – Race as a Gran Fondo club member
• Support of the Cycling Community – Monetary support and volunteer opportunities for Hope on Wheels, Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race, Harpeth River Ride, Tour de Nash, TBRA events, and many others
• Included on the Gran Fondo e-mail distribution for private sales events, receptions, celebrations, parties, seminars, etc.

Orders for team clothing should be placed prior to November 15,2007. To assist you in your ordering, please note that there will not be large changes in the team clothing from the prior year. The jerseys will be relatively the same with a few changes in sponsor logos. The half shorts and bib shorts will be changed to a new style that should be more complementary to most people. Louis Garneau will again be the clothing manufacturer so all sizing should be consistent with the prior year's. We will be offering an expanded line of triathlete clothing, including the Shark tank, the Shark short, and the Shark skinsuit, in both men's and women's sizing. As these are new pieces, feel free to look at the styles on the Louis Garneau website. You can find size charts there also.

Team members who are committed to participating in TBRA events may be eligible for additional club benefits directed toward support of the racing team. Please come have a chat with us in the shop if you are interested.

Expanded Triathlon Team:

In response to the rapid growth of the multisport community in Nashville, and particularly among our customer base, Gran Fondo Cycles is pleased to announce that we will be offering an expanded multisport team presence. As Gran Fondo has always been a leader in the local cycling community, we hope to bring that same experience and excitement to the multisport community. Our existing club membership includes a variety of well-known and enthusiastic multisport athletes. Our multisport team will operate within the cycling club, and any member can get involved at any level. For further details, see the article about the expanded team under Multisport.

Please print the above and complete, or stop by the shop to complete your copy. Please do not e-mail your forms in scanned or file form. We don't have the organizational desire to keep up with too much automation - after all, this is a bike shop...

Only in its second year, the Edgar Soto Memorial Race was a smashing success with more than 500 registered racers! 

The Time Trial and Circuit Race that we hosted were great thanks to all of you who volunteered!  Without your hard work, our stages could not have been so successful. 

And, as you can see below, our Gran Fondo racers showed up in top form!  Way to go!! 

Masters 30-39
Casey Tiesler = 2nd

 Masters 40-49
Tod Williams = 3^rd
Byron Brown = 9^th
Shawn Hirt = 11^th

 Masters 50-59
David Hixson = 4^th
Victor Rodgers = 6^th
Robert Gregory = 7^th
Thomas Gates = 14^th

 Women Category 1-3
Kirsten Sass = 4^th
Stephanie Bleecher = 10^th

Women Category 4
Mary Beth Chawan = 3^rd
Vida Greer = 4^th

To see more photos of the race, please click here and here.

We were so pleased to partner with TriStar Cycling to bring the Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race to Middle Tennessee on Memorial Day Weekend 2007. Not only is this race first rate in terms of cycling events, it honors the memory of Edgar Soto, an avid cyclist who was killed while riding his bike. As promoters, we all share the mission of promoting the "Share the Road" initiative. Additionally, the race events added a sanctioned Hope World Ride Event, a one-day cycling event for riders of all abilities which raises funds to help people living in poverty. Help us as we support the Edgar Soto event - a great way to let our love of bikes make the world a better place!

I'll post the cue sheet below  so that you can give this a try if you were unable to join us on April 1st. This route raises some questions - Who is Doug Thompson and why is there a perfectly paved new road ascending over a mile to a road that just almost disappears? Also, who owns that funky little cabin at the top? And, why are there more horseback riders than cars on Skelley Road? And yes, we continually ride around in search of  things to climb up...

Gran Fondo Cycles is very excited to announce that Bianchi Bicycles has joined on as title sponsor for our club in 2006. Bianchi has also been and continues to be involved in many Gran Fondo interests. Bianchi is the oldest bicycle company in the world. This Italian-based company's bicycles have won more races than any other brand worldwide. They have a amazing racing heritage and continue to produce some of the finest road bicycles in world. Stop by Gran Fondo today and check out the latest offerings from Bianchi.

It's a lot of fun at Gran Fondo to see the different views of the riders who race and the riders who don't. You'll find Jeff Bauer's ride report on a sub 4 century a great tale of the two cultures coming together. A top notch road racer and an accomplished randonneur team up to break the four hour mark on a full century. Get the full story in GF Recommends.

In an effort to promote World Peace, Gran Fondo is reaching out to a team of enthusiastic racers in Egypt. 

A few months ago, one of our racers, Byron Taylor, came to us with a special request.  A friend of his in Egypt has gotten to know a team of racers ranging in age from 20 to 24, who up until recently did not have helmets or water bottles and have been riding in ancient leather lace-up shoes.  As there is no bike shop in sight for these guys, Byron asked us to help him by ordering helmets and water bottles for him to send to them. 

We have already sent a couple of care packages including helmets, water bottles, and cycling clothing and are about to send another care package.

Thank you to all of you who brought in items for us to send!  We received 6 pairs of shoes and many jerseys and shorts.  You guys are awesome and your contributions are so greatly needed and appreciated!