An Italian cycling tradition is exported to the land of…… Gucci and Prada?

And along the way it will find ……pizza, pasta, espresso and vino?

Ok, so lots of Italian traditions have taken root here in America, especially in Beverly Hills. But on this sparkling Southern California morning, with Italian operas serenading the 1300 riders lining up to start the first annual Gran Fondo Los Angeles and Italian luxury clothing stores along Rodeo Dr. opening early to provide espresso and sandwiches, the Italian flavor was so rich and decadent as to be a new experience for all of us. And judging by the amount of participants, the general enthusiasm by organizers and volunteers, and the great time had by all it must be considered a terrific success for the very young, yet very popular, Gran Fondo series taking root across the country.

Bicycle.net Reporter Dr. Al at the 2011 Beverly Hills Gran Fondo

Gran Fondo’s, in general, are known for being very challenging rides that bring out a competitive spirit but are not truly races. The Los Angeles edition featured 7000ft of climbing spread out over 72 picturesque miles. As an appetizer the ride traversed many of the exclusive Westside neighborhoods and iconic roads of Los Angeles including Beverly Hills, Brentwood and the Pacific Coast Highway but the main course (pun intended) was most assuredly the Santa Monica Mountains. And this is only appropriate. Liiving in some of the best weather on the globe, Los Angelino cyclists are doubly blessed in also having a bevy of world class climbs within riding distance.

Special guest Ernesto Colnago, of the eponymous bike manufacturing company, was on hand to send us off promptly at 7am. The riders, led by the Alitalia Cycling team, followed a police escort down to Pacific Coast highway where everyone turned north. At Topanga Canyon the escort peeled off and the riders made a right turn to begin the day’s 7000ft of climbing. What had been a leisurely, relaxed pack ride suddenly became very silent as everyone wondered one of two things: 1) who is setting this pace and why am I trying to keep up with it? or 2) what happened to my lowest gears? The course turned left at Old Topanga rd. and soon encountered the first rest stop. Very well stocked with gels and hydration products, the volunteers at this stop and all others were very accommodating and patient. Those riders who signed up for the optional short course turned back at this point.

The ride then continued on to Mulholland Hwy, south on Las Virgenes until Piuma. Piuma was the advertised climb of the day, with 1500ft of vertical gain in around 5 miles. The organizers could not have asked for better weather on Piuma. Altho the sun beat down from overhead, it never reached far into the 80’s and occasional ocean breezes cooled off the overheated riders. It was a timed climb as well with a KOM being awarded to the fastest male and female to the top. As far as I was concerned, an award should have been given to all riders who maintained a pulse at the summit. The ride then continued on to lesser climbs until finding its way back to PCH, up Temescal Canyon to make a right onto famed Sunset Blvd. back thru Brentwood to finish at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Overall, I am generally impressed with the quality of our local cycling community and they really took center stage this Sunday. On every climb they challenged each other to greater power and faster climbing. Many of the local cycling teams and groups were well represented, including La Grange, VeloVie and many others. But perhaps most impressive were the clearly non-competitive riders for whom this was the highlight of their season. Many I spoke to prepared for months by losing weight and putting in lots of time on the road and in the gym. Some riders said they had been riding less than a year total and completing this challenging course was certainly an accomplishment to be proud of. For them, and for all of us, it was a glorious day to celebrate the cycling lifestyle with all of its bright colors, painful ascents and speedy descents. At the end of the day, the very well attended Gran Fondo Los Angeles was well organized start to finish, found a course worthy of its fine Italian heritage and raised cycling awareness to the non cycling world around us. For one day, we were all Italian.