USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships Named Official Qualification Event for UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
(Gettysburg, PA – February 29, 2024) – Gran Fondo National Series and USA Cycling today announced that the 2023 and 2024 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships are official qualifier events for Masters (racing age 30+) aiming to compete in the 2024 and 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
Masters Qualification for 2024 Gran Fondo World Championships
The 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will be held in Aalborg, Denmark from August 29 to September 1, 2024. The 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships was held on September 17, 2023, and winners of the Masters (racing age 30+) categories at the 2023 Gran Fondo National Championships will be automatically qualified for the 2024 World Championships. Qualified riders will be notified directly by the race director for the World Championships.
Masters Qualification for 2025 Gran Fondo World Championships
Masters racers who win their age group competition at the 2024 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, which will be held on September 15, 2024 during Gran Fondo Maryland, will earn an automatic qualification for the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. Riders must meet qualification criteria to compete at the 2024 Gran Fondo National Championships. Riders can qualify for #GFNats through results and participation at SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series events and Partner-Events. Additional #GFNats qualifier events will be announced as they are available.
“We are honored to have Gran Fondo National Championships recognized as an official qualification event for the 2024 and 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships,” said Gran Fondo National Series founder, Reuben Kline. “The designation as a World Championship Qualification Event is the culmination of producing rider-first gran fondos in the US for more than 12 years, and we look forward to welcoming the top Masters to Frederick, MD on September 15, 2024. This announcement further illustrates how working together with USA Cycling has allowed us to grow our sport. Although this news affects Masters racers, our Junior and U23 initiatives also aim to provide expedient identification opportunities for emerging talents.”
Gran Fondo Maryland, September 15, 2024 in Frederick, MD, is open to all riders. Riders must only qualify for the Gran Fondo National Championships wave, which will start 30 minutes before Gran Fondo Maryland riders. National Championships age groups range from 14 to 75+. Only National Champions in age groups 30+ will qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)
USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, gravel, BMX, and esports. USA Cycling’s mission is to grow participation and engagement with the sport of bicycle racing and achieve sustained international success across all cycling disciplines. USA Cycling supports cyclists of all levels and abilities, from those just beginning in the sport to international caliber athletes. The organization identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition through the support of youth and interscholastic programs, amateur and grassroots bike racing events, athlete development programs, and operational support for cycling clubs, racing teams, and event organizers. USA Cycling has a membership of 80,000, sanctions over 2,500 events annually, and is a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
About Gran Fondo National Series (granfondonationalseries.com)
Founded in 2012 by event director Reuben Kline, the Gran Fondo National Series is the largest and most competitive series of gran fondo cycling events in the United States. Gran Fondo National Series was the first series to implement timed-segment racing into US gran fondo events and has crowned Gran Fondo National Champions and Gran Fondo National Series Champions since 2012. Since 2020, Gran Fondo National Series has been the organizer of the official USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships.