Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville event aims to raise one million dollars to help residents of Polk County
Cycling event will still be held on Oct. 19 with a modified 19-mile course within Greenville County
Greenville, S.C., (October 7, 2024) – Gran Fondo Hincapie announces its 13th annual Greenville cycling event, scheduled to take place on Oct. 19, will instead be held as a fundraising event for the local community impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“We initially thought that we were going to cancel the event,” said Rich Hincapie, President of Hincapie Events. “But then I realized that we could use the Gran Fondo to draw attention to the massive devastation in our area and turn the entire thing into a huge fundraising effort. While we understand that many counties are in need, we want to focus on our neighbors in Polk County who have partnered with us and supported our Gran Fondo event for thirteen years. We want to rally the global cycling community and really make a difference in Polk County. Our goal is to raise one million dollars.
“Our friends in North Carolina have supported this event for over a decade. Now, it is our turn to give back to them and help them rebuild their community. The proceeds collected will be donated directly to Polk County Community Foundation in North Carolina. We selected Polk County as this is the home of Saluda, Tryon, and Columbus, all of which have gladly hosted rest stops, partnered with our event, and cheered us on during our Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville rides,” said Hincapie.
The event will feature a new, modified 19-mile course that is completely within Greenville County. “We do not want to take away any police, rescue, or emergency support from North and South Carolina, and so we chose a course with minimal intersections and traffic,” explained Jamie Godfrey, Hincapie Event Manager. “Our top priority is our staff and participants' safety, so we developed a course that has clear roads and does not go into North Carolina.”
All three distances will still be offered: the Piccolo will do one lap of the course; the Medio will do three laps; and the Gran will do four laps. There will be one rest stop along the course loop at mile 6.5, manned by Hincapie staff and volunteers, and Highway 11 will be closed for the entire event. View the modified course here.
Held since 2012, Gran Fondo Hincapie originated as a retirement ride and celebration for retired professional and Olympic cyclist George Hincapie. Today, Gran Fondo Hincapie hosts events in Arkansas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and California, in addition to the Greenville event. The Greenville event will take place at Hotel Domestique, a European-inspired boutique hotel established by George. As with all of Hincapie’s Gran Fondos, the event is more than just a big ride. Athletes are encouraged to hang around after the finish for a free Festival and an afternoon of music, awards, food, and beverages.
All programming aspects of the Fondo weekend have been tailored to maximize fundraising, including special dinners, live auctions, and targeted events. The event schedule for the weekend includes:
The weekend kicks off on Oct. 18 with the Hincapie Sportswear Warehouse Sale from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a great opportunity to grab some fresh new cycling clothing at excellent prices, with a portion of the sales going to the fundraiser.
That night, the Celebrity Chef Dinner (tickets available here) allows participants to sample culinary creations from the country’s top chefs. Participants can enjoy each course with a glass of wine selected by a master sommelier. Riders will have the opportunity to mingle with one another, the chefs, and special guests, including the most-winning Tour de France rider in history, Mark Cavendish. Additional celebrities who will be in attendance include former British professional road and track racing cyclist Bradley Wiggins and former German professional road cyclist Jan Ullrich.
The evening after the ride, athletes can enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the After Party (tickets available here), as they share stories about the day and hang out with George and the pros. The After Party will feature a live painting of Mark Cavendish by local painter Jared Emerson at 9 p.m. Once the painting is done, there will be a live auction of the painting, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Polk County Community Foundation.
A portion of the revenue from the entire weekend, including the the above events will be donated to the Polk County Community Foundation.
Online registration is still open for Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville through Oct. 13 and will be available on-site Friday and Saturday at the event. All Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville registrations are still valid for the event on October 19. If you live in Western North Carolina and are no longer able to attend the event, please contact registration@hincapiesports.com. Please visit the FAQ page here for more information.
If you’d like to donate to the Polk County Community Foundation, you may donate through this link.
To learn more, please visit https://hincapie.com/ or follow along on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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About Hincapie
Cycling is our life. It’s what we know, and it’s who we are. But we are not a bike company. We’re a people-who-ride-bikes company. We are cyclists, and we are makers. We are master craftsmen of custom-made, high-performance cycling apparel. Our team is our family. Not only do we design our cycling apparel, but we also 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. Cycling inspires everything we do, and every day we work even harder to improve the sport, make it more accessible to others, and build a strong community for future cyclists. Join us on our journey.
About George Hincapie
George Hincapie is a retired professional road cyclist who was one of the most accomplished American cyclists of his generation. Over his 19-year career, he competed in 17 Tours de France, the most of any American cyclist, participated in five Olympic Games and excelled in the Spring Classics, including winning Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 and securing multiple top-10 finishes in Paris-Roubaix. Since retiring from professional cycling in 2012, Hincapie has remained active in the sport as a co-founder of Hincapie Sportswear, which specializes in cycling apparel, and launching a professional cycling team. He is also the co-owner of Hotel Domestique, a luxury cycling destination in South Carolina, and hosts the Gran Fondo Hincapie series with his family.