Fresh from Ridge Supply, The Alpine – Loop 10 edition celebrates the 10th anniversary of the event and your #MyGranFondo Challenge. Included with your entry, all participants receive one pair of this custom design shipped direct.
Details about how to claim your complimentary pair of this Alpine edition were sent to all participants via e-mail titled “Your Gran Fondo Challenge, Contests and How To’s” on September 16. Look for that info and claim your pair today.
Looking for results? Find them here.
The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project King and Queen of the Mountains & Sprint Contests
For Registered Participants: How To Compete
One of the many things we love about the Gran Fondo is The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project King and Queen of the Mountains contest. It’s a fun way to unleash competitive energy while still enjoying the camaraderie of an adventurous day in the saddle.
This year, the contest looks a little different, but its competitive and encouraging spirit remains, and 32 beautiful winners jerseys will be awarded!
The goals of the contest are to encourage participants to strive for fitness goals, foster some friendly competition, and offer the great reward of winners’ jerseys that highlight the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project. We’ve always aimed to execute this contest in the fairest way possible. As 2020 has brought many changes, we recognize that everyone is not able to access all technology in the same way. With that consideration in mind, the PCAP will also award jerseys in ways that anyone can participate.
The following are ways participants can join in for chances to earn a Prostate Cancer Awareness Project King or Queen of the Mountains jersey:
Time-Based Age-Group King and Queen of the Mountains
Using Zwift
Compete for your age group* KOM/QOM by summiting EPIC KOM Virtual Ride Segment Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. You can make as many attempts as you like. Results will be based on your best time achieved on or between September 19th through 27th, 2020. Summits made outside of this date range will not qualify to win leaders jerseys. Results will be determined on September 28. Your activity must be shared on Strava on or by September 27 to be considered, and you must be a member of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge Strava Club to appear on the leaderboards from which participants will be identified. You do not need a premium Strava account to participate. The premium leaderboard feature is accessible to the event organizer.
Honorary King and Queen of the Mountains Contest
Using Strava
For those participants who are not able to access Zwift – simply share a Strava activity where you claim a KOM or set a new PR on any ride and any segment on or between September 19th through the 27th, 2020. To alert us of your activity, tag fellow Club member E Bishop, with a mention like “check out my KOM/QOM ride” in a comment below your activity. Your activity will have been noted once you see that E Bishop has left a check mark emoji comment in reply. Any age groups which have no qualifying winners based on the previous Zwift/Strava method, will be awarded a King or Queen of the Mountains jerseys by an outstanding selection or drawing from among those who have participated this way.
Honorary King and Queen of the Mountains Contest
Using E-mail
Are your rides free from technology? Send an e-mail to Miles@AlpineLoopGranFondo.com with an anecdote, brief story, and/or photo of you taking on a climb of any type on or between September 19th through 27th, 2020. We’ll celebrate these stories and your achievements. An outstanding selection or random drawing among these submissions will award one King of the Mountains and one Queen of the Mountains jersey. Any age groups which have no qualifying winners based on the previous two methods, will be awarded King and Queen of the Mountains jerseys by random drawing from among those in that age group who have sent an entry via e-mail.
Athletes can participate in the King and Queen of the Mountains contest through any/all of these methods. Individuals can win only one jersey.
For 2020, two additional contests will be awarded:
The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project King and Queen of the Mountains Jersey: Overall Elevation Gain
Using Strava
Relying on the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo Club Leaderboard to recognize the overall male and female athletes with the most Elevation Gain during the week of September 21-27th.
This is an overall contest and will not be subdivided by age group. Results will be based on athlete’s Elevation Gain achieved with activities on or between September 21st through 27th, 2020. Results will be determined on September 28. Your activity must be shared on Strava on or by September 27 to be considered, and you must be a member of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge Strava Club to appear on the age group leaderboards from which participants will be identified. You do not need a premium Strava account to participate.
The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project Sprint Jersey
Zwift / Strava-based
All-new for 2020, the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge will award Prostate Cancer Awareness Project Sprint Jerseys to overall male and female winners. Compete for the Sprint Jersey by completing the Fuego Flats Forward Sprint Virtual Ride Segment Temotu Province, Solomon Islands.
This is an overall contest and will not be subdivided by age group. You can make as many attempts as you like. Results will be based on your best time achieved on or between September 19th through 27th, 2020. Attempts on this segment made outside of this date range will not qualify to win leaders jerseys. Results will be determined on September 28. Your activity must be shared on Strava on or by September 27 to be considered, and you must be a member of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge Strava Club to appear on the age group leaderboards from which participants will be identified. You do not need a premium Strava account to participate.
* Male and Female Age Groups: 0-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-59, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75+
Please e-mail Contact@AlpineLoopGranFondo.com if you have any questions. These contests are being executed in new ways for the 2020 event and we appreciate your patience if we encounter any unforeseen challenges.
Good luck competing!
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and all month long members of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community will work together with the goal of riding 33,000 miles in honor of the annual number of lives claimed by prostate cancer within the U.S.
Participants are invited to join the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge Strava Club, where their miles will count toward this collaborative goal. Participants who do not use Strava can send their daily or weekly mileage tally to Miles@AlpineLoopGranFondo.com with their mileage in the subject line – it’s that simple.
Each week, participants will be given new challenges and added incentives.
The 33,000-mile Challenge spotlights the importance of screening and early detection in the fight against prostate cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project (PCAP) was founded with the hope that no man experiences a post-metastasis prostate cancer diagnosis. One in every six men will develop prostate cancer, but simple blood tests allow for early detection. The PCAP encourages all men to have these tests, and personally track their annual results, as part of an annual physical exam and consultations with their doctor.
To support this effort, PCAP has developed ProstateTracker.org a free PSA-tracking tool to monitor changes in PSA levels over time. Get a free account at ProstateTracker.org, and share this opportunity with men in your life. Share this opportunity with 6 men and it’s likely that you will save a life.
2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo participants are fundraising for the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project. To support these efforts, visit PledgeReg.com/GranFondo where you can contribute to an individual fundraiser or the event-wide goal.
Propelled by the Cancer Journeys Foundation motto #NeverGiveUp, the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community is taking on a huge late-season goal to motivate and inspire while staying connected and enjoying the camaraderie of shared adventure in support of meaningful causes.
The 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo has been transformed by necessity into a combination of decentralized real-world challenges and virtual competitions under the banner of the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge. The Challenge invites you to share your inspiration, set a big goal, and make the challenge your very own.
On September 27, we will share in the adventure of decentralized real world rides. In advance, we will offer several suggested routes easily and safely accessible from areas where Alpine Loop Gran Fondo participants reside, as well as offering guidance from Jeremiah Bishop about how to create your own incredible routes.
Throughout the month of September we aim to collectively ride 33,000 miles in honor of the 33,000 lives annually claimed by prostate cancer in the U.S.
The Cancer Journeys Foundation will award jerseys to King and Queen of the Mountains Contest age group winners and Sprint Leaders based on virtual challenges that will be ongoing throughout September.
The option to fundraise in support of the Cancer Journeys Foundation – The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project will continue with new incentives recently added and inspired by the #MyGranFondo Challenge adaptation.
When you sign up, you’ll get a 10-week Gran Fondo training plan from Jeremiah Bishop, support from Bishop Training coaches through weekly virtual and real-world challenges, and access to the Strava #MyGranFondo Club where you can engage with coaches and other athletes.
All registrants will receive an event-week #MyGranFondo supply box shipped to them with products to fuel, support, and celebrate your Gran Fondo.
With your registration, you’ll receive:
Technical details about submitting data toward the collaborative goals, one-day challenge, KOM/QOM and sprint compeitions will be published at AlpineLoopGranFondo.com and e-mailed to participants in August.
As all editions of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo, the 2020 #MyGranFondo Challenge will support meaningful beneficiaries. The Cancer Journeys Foundation – Prostate Cancer Awareness Project inspires with the #NeverGiveUp motivation to propel us through 2020. Participants are invited to join in the optional opportunity to fundraise in support of the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project and spread the message of the significance of screening and early detection. A personalized fundraising portal will be created for you upon registration.
A portion of all 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo entries will support:
For more information about the charitable mission of the event, visit AlpineLoopGranFondo.com/mission.
Registration is open to a very limited number of additional participants through August 31.
#NeverGiveUp
An Update on the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo
We’ve been quiet on the event social channels over the past couple of weeks as we’ve navigated the challenges of ongoing circumstances impacting events. During this time, our event director has been communicating with local permit holders and other leaders; event partners and volunteer representatives; and learning about national, state, and local-level guidance and regulations. Our insurance provider and permit holders’ risk-assessment tools make it very clear that the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo, in its traditional sense, is a high-risk situation given the ongoing pandemic.
The event currently represents registrants from 18 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Canada, about half of whom are athletes over the age of 51, and including an inspiring cancer-battling and survivors community. While we want nothing more than to be together, we cannot risk the health of participants, volunteers, and the communities who host us.
Despite so much uncertainty in the world, some things are clear.
We are committed to the event and inspired to bring this great community together. Now, more than ever, we want to provide goals and challenges that will connect you, motivate, and inspire. We crave shared experiences and the camaraderie of big adventure. We want to support you and celebrate your victories. We want to reignite our conversations and engagement, to offer encouragement and share in your success. We have an outstanding group of partners committed to the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo. We want to use our actions to support causes that offer meaningful benefits to those they serve.
With this clarity and renewed purpose, and inspired by the Cancer Journeys Foundation motto #NeverGiveUp, the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo is being transformed into a combination of decentralized real-world challenges and virtual competitions under the banner of the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge. This “my” is all about you.
Together the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community can remain committed to our late-season cycling goals. We can stay motivated and inspired while remaining connected and enjoying the camaraderie of shared adventure in support of meaningful causes.
The 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge encourages you to share your inspiration, stay committed to your goal, and make the challenge your very own.
Through this challenge, there will be four areas of focus:
On September 27, we will share in the adventure of decentralized real world rides. In advance, we will offer several suggested routes easily and safely accessible from areas where Alpine Loop Gran Fondo participants reside, as well as offering guidance from Jeremiah about how to create your own incredible routes.
Throughout the month of September we will aim to collectively ride 33,000 miles in honor of the 33,000 lives annually claimed by prostate cancer in the U.S.
The Cancer Journeys Foundation will award jerseys to King and Queen of the Mountains Contest age group winners and Sprint Leaders based on virtual challenges that will be ongoing throughout September.
The option to fundraise in support of the Cancer Journeys Foundation – The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project will continue with new incentives recently added and inspired by the #MyGranFondo Challenge adaptation.
To support our athletes, the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge will provide training plans and coaching advice, new ways to engages as a community with shared goals, engaging collaborative story-telling projects, and an event-week box filled with items to help support, fuel, and celebrate your adventure, including:
Currently registered athletes have received communications to let them know what to expect. Event registration has temporarily been paused while the registration site is updated to reflected the necessary changes in store for the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo.
In coming days the registration site will reopen to invite a limited number of new participants to join in. If you are interested in joining and would like to be contacted directly in advance, please e-mail Erin.
As all editions of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo, the 2020 #MyGranFondo Challenge supports meaningful beneficiaries.
The Cancer Journeys Foundation – Prostate Cancer Awareness Project inspires with the #NeverGiveUp motivation to propel us through 2020. Participants are invited to join in the optional opportunity to fundraise in support of the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project and spread the message of the significance of screening and early detection. Personalized fundraising portals are created for all registrants upon entry.
Contributions to the Gran Fondo Scholarship fund to increase participation among youth athletes will be redirected to the Richmond Cycling Corps to support their ongoing purpose. VIP Start Line and Additional Contributions will continue to support the charitable mission of the event, as designated. Start Line contributions will be recognized in new ways this year, and again at the start line of a future event. All contributions will be recognized in the 2020 Supporters List, and we will include these participants in special #MyGranFondo Challenge features.
Cutaway USA event jerseys are in production, with the option to purchase remaining open through July 22. These jerseys will be mailed with event-week boxes.
We hope the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo Challenge gives you renewed inspiration and motivates you through these unusual circumstances we are faced with.
We are excited to rise to this new challenge together.
The optional opportunity to support the charitable mission of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo couldn’t be simpler: Just sign up for the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo and give what you can! If you want the option to go above and beyond as a fundraiser, you can use your customized PledgeReg.com fundraising page (automatically created with event registration) to recruit additional contributions toward the charitable mission.
For 2020 the following additional incentives are available to those who meet the following fundraising goals:
Fundraising for Prostate Cancer Awareness Project
$25: 1 Pair PCAP Cycling Socks, available to first 25 individuals to reach goal
$50: Cancer Journeys Foundation “CJ” Mascot, available to first 40 individuals to reach goal
$100: Special media feature on Alpine Loop Gran Fondo and PCAP social channels, and $10 Road ID gift card
$250: $50 Road ID gift card
$350: Cancer Journeys Foundation Michael Valenti cycling jersey
$500: Choice of 1-year Strava Premium membership OR 1-year Zwift membership
$750: Relive Club membership OR TrainingPeaks Premium account upgrade (either incentive for 12-month period)
$1,000: Free Entry 2021 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo
Top Fundraiser: Personalized Loopie print
There will be additional fundraising prizes announced throughout the season to recognize early-season efforts, some mid-season fundraising “sprint” competitions, and some late-season incentives.
Updates:
September Week 1: Top-3 Fundraisers win CJF USA Flag face mask
September Week 2: Top-3 Fundraisers win ALGF Farmhouse Mug
September Week 3: Top-2 Fundraisers win 12oz Box Chestnut Ridge Coffee Roasters El Salvador Cacahuatique
September Week 4: Top Individual Fundraising leap from September 21 – 27 wins Friendly City Fortune Ticket
One hundred percent of contributions received via PledgeReg.com in support participant fundraising will go directly to Cancer Journeys Foundation Prostate Cancer Awareness Project. All additional contributions made with registration will go directly to the event beneficiaries – you can even chose to designate these contributions through the registration process. As added incentive, contributors who give above and beyond, raising $100 or more, will be recognized leading up to the event and on the start line.
When we roll up to the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo start line, each participant will have had the chance to contribute to the charitable mission of the event – and we’ll see how much we can give when we all give together!
Thank you for joining us in support of these incredible and effective initiatives and organizations!
Now you can share the inspiring scenery of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo in your virtual gathering spaces.
We’ve formatted some of our favorite Alpine Loop Gran Fondo photos so you can download them here and apply them wherever you meet virtually. These iconic settings can serve as reminders of great adventure and inspiration for all those to come.
To download, click on the photo(s) to open the full file and then save to your device.
As a reminder, thousands of inspiring photos of individuals on course at previous editions of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo are available from our dedicated event photography teams. To find images from previous event years, search event year and “photos” in the search bar above, or hover on the Coverage tab and select Photos from the drop-down menu.
Missing your Saturday morning group ride? Now you can join Jeremiah Bishop and other members of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo cycling community each Saturday as part of the 10-week Alpine Loop Gran Fondo Virtual Training Ride series.
Each Virtual Training Ride will be hosted on Zwift, and will have a specific workout or training goal communicated in advance. Participation is free and open to anyone registered for the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo and those who have participated in previous editions of the event.
The 10th and final virtual training ride of the spring is USAC Chase Race, Saturday, June 13, at 9:45AM (Eastern). Ride details:
To join the Chase Race and select your route here.
Update in regard to COVID-19 pandemic: The State of Virginia is currently operating in a State of Emergency and has implemented stay-at-home measures and other restrictions limiting gatherings. Non-essential businesses are closed. USA Cycling has suspended all event permits through May 31, at the earliest.
We are monitoring these restrictions and their projected timelines of relaxation which will be dependent upon state-wide health measures, and learning more about future requirements for events to operate. Limits on participant numbers, the feasibility and affordability of implementing new safety measures, constraints on health systems, local regulations, lodging options, travel restrictions, projected participant numbers, and most importantly the health and safety of everyone involved will factor into the decision about how and if the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo will take place as planned.
No matter the in-person constraints that could face us this September, the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community will come together. Virtual or decentralized real-world challenges could be offered for 2020 registrants, and the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project is dedicated to awarding winners jerseys in those circumstances.
To answer the question “should I register for the event right now?” following is some insight: As always, the event operates with a no-refunds policy in place for event entry fees. (There will be dates before which merchandise items can be refunded, that information will be communicated in advance, as applicable.) The most responsible advice that we can give to anyone considering registering for the 2020 during this time when non-essential businesses are closed and events are prohibited is to simply wait. We anticipate that by early summer, it will be made clear if and how we can reasonably proceed. At that time we will reach out to 2020 registrants and the greater community.
We continue to be inspired by the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community. We enjoy the new ways we are sharing our adventures; exercising and training together virtually, sharing recounts of our solo outdoor cycling experiences, and talking through the challenges to find new training strategies, goals, and mental health resources.
The ongoing fundraising support for the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project has been remarkable.
We continue to plan for 2020. Our goals are unchanged: to bring together an inspiring group of cyclists and supporting your fitness along the way – no matter how twisting and uncharted the road ahead appears to be this year.
In the meantime, as always, we invite you to join Jeremiah Bishop, Cancer Journeys Foundation and The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project, and other members of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo community in ongoing engagements, challenges, virtual group rides, and conversations on our social channels.
We are proud to unveil the 2020 Celebration Edition Alpine Loop Gran Fondo cycling jersey, custom designed in collaboration with Cutaway USA for the 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo.
The 2020 design evokes a celebratory confetti burst over a cubic interpretation of the event’s Allegheny Mountains.
Available in Men’s and Women’s cuts. Jerseys feature three elastic rear pockets, mesh side panels, full zip. Club Cut. See sizing guides prior to purchase.
2020 event jerseys are available for purchase with event registration or as a unique transaction, both at BikeReg.com/GranFondo. Order by July 22 to guarantee your jersey.
UPDATE: Jerseys will be mailed with 2020 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo #MyGranFondo packets.