Tag: South Carolina

Have you ever wondered what pro cyclists do with themselves after they retire? Some go into broadcasting, some become coaches, or they bask in their former glory and quietly slip into obscurity. George Hincapie, on the other hand, who gained notoriety as Lance Armstrong’s Domestique (or support rider) during his Tour de France reign, decided on something else.

Along with his brother, Rich, he started a cycling apparel company. In addition, he launched a gran fondo series that takes place at various spots around the country to stay connected to the sport of cycling and bolster his brand. These are big events, so if you want to take part in a truly unique ride with celebrities from the cycling world and beyond, you should sign up for one of these rides.

About the Hincapie Gran Fondos

Hincapie is a family-run cycling apparel brand/ manufacturer. But it is more than that, it’s a company that lives and breathes the sport of cycling. In fact, the company states on its website, “Not only do we design our cycling apparel, we make it in our family-run factory. We also create and run upscale cycling events. We have a restaurant and hotel that hosts visiting cyclists from all over the world. We manage a spring series of races.”

Hincapie is the brainchild of George Hincapie and his brother, Rich. George Hincapie was a pro cyclist for 19 years. He famously became one of only ten Americans to win a stage of the Tour de France. His other accolades are he participated in the Ronde van Vlaanderen races a record-setting 17 times and garnered second place at Paris Roubaix.

The Hincapie Gran Fondo began in 2012 with just one ride in Greenville, South Carolina. 1,100 cyclists registered for the ride and the popularity of this event exploded. Since then, Hincapie has expanded this ride into other gran fondo rides in Lehigh Valley, PA, Bangor, ME, Chattanooga, TN, and new for this year in 2024, Bentonville, Arkansas.

What Do the Gran Fondos Include for Cyclists?

The easy answer is a lot! Firstly, cycling participants get to choose from three courses on the day of the ride: the Gran, which is 80 miles, the Medio, which is 50 miles, and the Piccolo, which is 15 miles. Keep in mind that if you choose the Gran course, it features 8,100 feet of total climbing.

In addition to three courses on offer, cyclists can take part in the Hincapie Warehouse Sale where they can find discounted cycling apparel. The event also features early packet pick-up. These two items are for riders doing the Greenville ride, which is on October 19th.

The Greenville Gran Fondo also presents the following events for all participants the day before the ride and the day of the ride.

• SRAM Happy Hour
• Celebrity Chef Dinner – Rub shoulders with chefs and celebrity guests. This is a ticketed event and, most likely, not included in ride registration.
• Final Packet Pick up/ Registration on the 19th. The ride starts at 8:45 and roads will be cleared of all remaining riders by 1:30 p.m. Be aware that this is not a fully closed road ride.
• Family Festival & Expo
• Piccolo Awards Ceremony
• Awards Ceremony for Gran and Medio Riders
• Gran Fondo Hincapie After Party. This event also requires a ticket.

Registration And Cost for the Hincapie Greenville Gran Fondo

While doing a Gran Fondo is a lot of fun because you get to ride unfamiliar roads and meet other cyclists, the cost to register can be high. That’s also in addition to costs related to the ride, such as the way you choose to get to South Carolina and your hotel stays.

The Greenville Gran Fondo, as already mentioned, has three courses. The cost of registration depends on which of the three courses you choose. The Gran and Medio rides are $225 to register. The Piccolo ride is $95. All levels and ride participants receive an event jersey.

If you have the cash and you want to have an all-exclusive experience, you can choose the Gold or Diamond VIP options for the Greenville ride. It’s $1,000 for the Gold and $2,500 for the Diamond.

The Gold level includes

• Event Entry
• Full event kit
• Saturday (day of ride) VIP parking
• Breakfast with the pros
• Priority Start Staging
• Post Ride Massage
• Saturday VIP lunch
• 1 ticket to the after party

The Diamond level includes even more perks, plus those of the Gold level.

• An extra full kit
• Friday warm-up preride with George Hincapie
• Friday lunch
• One entry to the Celebrity Chef Dinner

For all the other Gran Fondos, I’m going to assume that the schedule and registration costs are the same, but you’ll need to confirm that by checking out the Hincapie website. I’ve listed the details about the Greenville Gran Fondo as an example.

Last Thoughts

The Hincapie Gran Fondo is the biggest event I’ve ever ridden and I’ve done a couple of them. The course is challenging and the end party is fine, but nothing special. I can’t testify about all the other events, but the Warehouse sale was great. You can pick up some cool stuff at good prices.

Celebrities I didn’t see and George Hincapie was not visible to me, either at the beginning or end of the ride. Still, I enjoyed the ride but it was hard and had some super steep climbs. If the idea of doing this type of ride is exciting to you, I’d say sign up soon. Despite having similar events to other event rides, if you’re a fan of pro cycling, it’s worth doing this ride at least once to say you’ve ridden a pro-level designed course.