New York’s GFNY Gran Fondo Is A Magnet For Cyclists From Latin America

The annual GFNY gran fondo World Championship race in New York City is a major goal for many amateur cyclists from Latin America.

At the professional level, cyclists from Latin America may aspire to follow the pathway ridden by Colombian Tour de France winner Egan Bernal or Ecuadorian Giro d’Italia winner Richard Carapaz.

But, for many former pros and elite amateur cyclists in Latin America, the 85-mile GFNY NYC fondo is the most anticipated cycling event of the year.

GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme explains, “GFNY is a huge attraction for Latin Americans. The top LatAm countries this year were Mexico, Colombia, Brasil, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.”

The race, which usually includes 3,000 to 4,000 competitors, starts on the lower level of the George Washington Bridge and then snakes through the 160-acre Fort Washington Park on the bank of the Hudson River, up through tree-lined residential roads towards New York’s Harriman State Park and back to a finish line in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

The race course is closed off to vehicular traffic. Although a few local cars are likely to try and navigate among the cyclists, a team of over 200 local police help close roads, direct traffic, and protect participants. Along the way riders catch frequent glimpses of the Hudson River as well small-town fire stations and churches.

The roads are pocked with small potholes in several sections and dozens of riders have to deal with flat tires during the course of the event. Wider tires are a recommended option to help avoid punctures.

While the fastest cyclists will ride flat out at the front in a large group, many participants ride at their own pace alone or form small groups on flatter sections. The course features a few short climbs, and two major ascents, and a total of over 6,800 feet of climbing.

For cyclists from Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador, many of whom live in high altitude cities and regularly do training rides on roads above 10,000 feet above sea level, racing at sea level in the GFNY event is a welcome change in difficulty.

Miguel Rubalcava, a cyclist from Mexico City who joined the 2023 GFNY NYC race says, “I loved the atmosphere, the demanding route, and the big effort of all the participants.”

While in the U.S., many cyclists ride alone or in small groups of friends, cyclists from Latin America favor larger and better organized group rides that are accompanied by escort cars out of concerns about dangerous traffic conditions or security concerns in remote, mountainous areas. Many competitive amateur cyclists from Latin America look to major gran fondo events and cycling races as a way to safely compete.

At the 2023 GFNY NYC race, Latin American cyclists dominated the top ten finishers in the men’s race. The race was won by an Italian cyclist. But, Benjamin De Vincente, from Chile, came in second, and Jonathan Jimenez, from Colombia, came in third. Luis Lemus, from Mexico, came in sixth. Overall, Latin American cyclists filled six of the top ten spots on the finishers list.

Among women, female cyclists from Brazil finished fourth and sixth, and a cyclist from Ecuador finished eighth. The top female cyclists from Mexico were Paola Gonz who finished 23^rd overall among all women in the event, Gabriela Mijangos, who finished 36^th overall, and Viviana Ibieta, who finished 40^th.

Henry Francisco, the owner of Hudson Bikes, a store in Fort Lee, New Jersey near the race’s finish line says he sees a lot of cyclists from Latin America come by his store during the GFNY race.

“Almost all of Latin America comes: Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, a lot from Ecuador, Argentina, and also Peru,” he explains.