While we’ve got your attention, we’re putting together a post-event survey that can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/granfondo. It’s a shortie, about 25 questions, and we’ve got about a hundred prizes to give out to randomly-selected opinion donors who complete the survey. Big prizes include 2 entries into next year’s GranFondo, soft shell GranFondo jackets from REI, GranFondo messenger bags, and trainer jackets from Capo, but count on riding apparel from Team RadioShack and Giro, bike lube from ProGold, gift cards from Road ID, and more. We’re including a link for an additional survey INSIDE the regular survey just for the ladies with additional femme-specific prizes from Capo. We love making it rain goodies almost as we love tabulating survey data, so do us a solid and make us doubly happy in one fell shot from you. Figure we’ll close up the survey on November 4, so don’t put it off, eh?

Thanks again for a great day earlier this month. We’re still glowing and hope you all are too.

Every year, we put on a bold face. Chests are jutted outwards, shoulders are rolled back, upper lips are stiffened, all in service of projecting confidence as we convene our little 7.5 kilo-person bike ride. Truth be told, we’re never sure of how this thing is going to go until the sun has set on event day and even then, we’re not positive.

But you all never disappoint. You bring a freshness and vitality to this ride like no other. You make it special; you make it feel new. Not to get all Mariah Carey up in here, but you all help us pull this thing off in ways we’re not sure we can effectively communicate. For this, we’re extremely thankful. Nice work.

We’re going to quiet our assault on your inbox for a while, but before we go dim, we had a couple of bits to impart.

Our Parting Shots:
Ride/Race Reports–If The GranFondo Happens And No One Blogs It, Did It Really Take Place?
Photos–You, Your Bike, Our Hills, Your Suitcase Of Courage
E-Swag Bag–Discounts From Sponsors, Sans Paper Cuts
Results–A Good Time Was Had By All
Merchandise–GranFondo Dry Goods Store Remains Open For Business
Fondo Survey–Like Belly Buttons, Everyone Has Opinions
Save The Date–Levi’s GranFondo’s 2012 Date Is Official

Words From Afield
We’ve carved out a special section of our website devoted to the tap tap tapping of our more journalistically inclined riders. Enjoy their perspective on the day’s events, warts and all, and take careful note if they mentioned you and that thing you did. Don’t shrug your shoulders; you know exactly what we’re talking about. We’ll keep stocking them as they come in, so if we don’t have yours, send us a link and we’ll get it listed.

A Light Collection
The last of the photos we took are being filed in preparation for unveiling. We know that you all have been patiently waiting and we don’t want to keep you tapping your feet too much longer. We’ll be making those available by the end of the week, so plan on thumbing through these over the weekend and reliving the good times. As for that one super-awesome-fantastic shot of you, it’s in there and we’ll work with you to find it. Stay tuned on how we’re going to make that an easy process. We’re working to keep your privacy private and deliver those lovely pixels, just bear with us for a short bit. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled at www.granfondo.smugmug.com.

Electro-Deals
Rather than pepper your GranFondo musette bag with piece after piece of 4×6 card stock, we opted to host the offers, post-event, on our website. This way, you get less to recycle, you can refer to the site again and again, and our sponsors don’t have to pay for printing and shipping, which means better and better deals. We’re still working on populating those, but keep thine eyes trained to www.levisgranfondo.com/swagbag for the chance to enjoy products and services from Nissan, Road ID, 1st Endurance, and more.

Results Are In
Your times are all up and available for bragging and excuse-generating. We’re keeping a link to them at www.levisgranfondo.com for now. We say “for now,” because these results are still unofficial and the incorrect outlier times are being adjusted as you read this. Any corrections or concerns, please let us know over at levisgranfondo@bikemonkey.net and we’ll get you sorted right quick. Can’t have you hanging your head when you should be holding it up high, can we?

Our Perch For Merch
GranFondo goodies may have passed you by in the hustle and the bustle of event weekend. We do have some bits and pieces left and, if you’re interested, let’s talk turkey. Remaining jerseys, shorts, pint glasses, bottles, etc. can all be had at www.levisgranfondo.com/store.

Feedin’ Back
We’re going to be sending out a survey soon and we’d just love it if you all would take the 11 and a half minutes (yep, we timed it) to fill it out. Yes, we read each one. Yes, it matters. Yes, we’ll change the event based on your thoughtful comments. What’s in it for you, other than shaping one of the industry’s raddest events? Prizes, baby. That’s what. We’ll have stuff ranging from GranFondo soft shells, gloves from Giro, GranFondo jerseys and apparel, water bottles, pint glasses, and more available to respondents. Dig in.

Mark That Calendar
Finally, we want to make sure you know how we feel about our rendezvous last Saturday. Speaking for ourselves, we really had a great time (makes eye contact). We’d been looking forward to it for a while (smiles sweetly). And we’d love to see you again (leans in).

Uh, where were we? Right. Next year’s GranFondo: it’s on September 29th, 2012. It’s the birthday of Miguel Cervantes, Bryant Gumbel, and Sonoma County’s own Les Claypool, so we should all be in a celebratory mood. Look for a registration announcement soon, but mid-January is when you want to be prepared to pull that trigger.

Thanks again to all of you. It was a pleasure, it really was.

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This is getting to be a tradition. A good one, at that.

All the preparation, all the messages, the meetings, the late nights, the training rides, the bike upgrades, the travel, the time snuck away from work: it’s a lot of chatter and a lot of hustle for all of us. Every year though, right about this time, the reality of it sinks in a bit and we realize that, in two short days, a great mass of humanity is all at once going to throw their legs over their top tube, clip in (or not), and smile as the morning sun chases them westward. We all work on a lot of details; it’s nice to be confronted with something so big, yet so simple. It’s nice to take a step back and see each of us do what we all do best: Get together with some friends. Ride our bikes. Enjoy a really really really good day out.

Some parting bits, nice and simple:

1) Give yourself a minute or two extra. It’s a busy morning this Saturday. Come into it calmly and with a goofy grin. Don’t be fidgeting with a cleat or adjusting a brake in the porta-pottie line while the pace car is revving up. Work on the bike the night before, then leave it alone. Lay out the clothes you’ll need and what you’ll want in your pockets. And even then, come to the Finley Center 15 minutes earlier than you think you should. We’d bet the baby and the bathwater that you can find a good use for that little slice of time, if only for a bit of coffee and pastry.

2) Don’t go too big before you even go at all. We’re talking about staging here. It’s a long, hard day in the saddle. You may feel frisky at 7:55 AM. You may not at 12:35 PM. It’s important to start with a good group, but it’s more important to finish in one. Pay attention to the signs at staging. Check your time from last year on our results page, if you’ve got that information. Look for your peers–not many of you are riding alone, we suspect. It’s great that you’re excited; so are we. But don’t let it get in the way of a good decision.

3) Be careful out there. You are all good riders and you know what it takes to be prudent on the bike. It’s called common sense for a reason. Drink your fluids. Eat often. Ride under control. Watch the descents, especially when you see signs telling you to do so. Be alert when riding shoulder to shoulder; distractions are no one’s friend. Ride single file when you can and give motorists a break outside of the road closures. We want you all coming back happy and healthy, got it?

4) Have fun. Outside of safety, this is of paramount importance. Go on and stretch your legs. Stretch yourself while you’re at it. We’ve worked hard to make sure you never forget this ride. We encourage you to work equally hard at making it your best day out.

Get some rest. We’ll see you all this Saturday. We honestly can’t wait.

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There are a few descents around here of a certain steepness. They’re private roads, as no right thinking engineer would ever build such a thing for public consumption. They’re so steep that, despite all the braking and adjustments to your center of gravity, you can’t slow down. If you continue to try, you’ll inevitably cartwheel over your handlebars in slow motion, immediately before gravity reclaims you and sends you tumbling at considerable speed down the incline. The only way to pull off these descents is to let go of the brakes, allow the momentum to build, and ride it out. Surrender absolute control, assume success, and let a little faith carry you through; the other option is failure. Every time one doesn’t fight it, they reach the bottom smiling.

You see where we’re going with this, right? Also, the pitches in question are NOT on the course. We may see bargain basement parables and metaphors everywhere we look, but we’re not cruel. Unless you count making you read these newsletters.

The Ducks, They’re All In A Row
Waterskis to Wheels–HED Cycling Propels Us Forward. Quickly.
Getting To The Start–Leave The Keys At Home, eh?
Registration–When, Where, And How To Be Officially Official
Friday Night Lights–What To Do Between Registration And Start Time
Tubes For Rubes–A Free Inner Tire Air Retention Device From NorCal Bike Sport
Fuel For Your Fire–Gels From Clif and Drinks From First Endurance
Fine Tuned Finley–How To Take Maximum Advantage Of Your Start/Finish Venue

HEDs Above The Rest
Waterskis. That’s what Steve Hed was trying to build in Minnesota when he started futzing with carbon fiber technology back in the early ‘80s. This was how he spent his college summers before thinking that maybe, just maybe, someone could actually build a bike wheel with the stuff.

Steve went quickly into the science of aerodynamics when many others were just considering the research potential  of the wind tunnel. Hed’s wheels were quickly placed at the fore of the pro peloton and he grew his business quickly, adding carbon fiber and resin specialists, but keeping the production and quality control in house.

Now, 20 years later, HED Cycling designs and manufactures 16 different models of composite wheels, exported worldwide and used in events from the Tour de France to the Hawaii Ironman to the pretigious North Oaks triathlon championship. Every single wheel is still handmade, but when asked about the best quality of their product, HED Cycling’s Dino Edin simply says this:

“We just make them go fast.”

Stop by the FondoSonoma Festival and say hello to Steve and his crew of bona fide wheel obsessives. They’re back for their third year sponsoring the GranFondo and we’re pleased as punch to have them again.

Point A To Point Be
From wheels we go straight into your arrival at the Finley Center start line on Saturday morning. We know this is America, which means most of us will want to drive at least one car to the start line. Don’t. There’s not enough parking for everyone to drive just one, so we’re going to ask you to follow our preferred approach options here:
1. Ride to the start of the ride. That thing spinning under you with the skinny tires? It’s your best answer. Santa Rosa is mostly flat and full of bike lanes. The Finley Center is accessible by the Santa Rosa Creek trail which bisects the entire west side of town. We’ll have valet bike parking and secure bag check with showers afterward, so bring a change of clothes and a towel–they’ll be waiting for you afterwards.
2. Ride with a group from a local shop. Don’t want to go your own way? Check out our list of local shop rides to the GranFondo start. Make it to these shops, pick up last minute supplies, and get a guided escort to the Finley Center. Did we mention we have valet bike parking and a secure bag check? ‘Cause we do (see above).
3. Use public transit. Buses in Santa Rosa have bike racks and there’s a transit center literally across the street from the start line. It doesn’t get much easier. Check out the transit schedule here.
4. Drive to the start. If you remember about 200 words ago, we mentioned that this wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps you’ve recently had a streak at the roulette tables. Maybe the meter maid looked the other way last week. You probably dodged that tired old prank that’s still going around your office. Just keep in mind that luck is a fickle lady. Yes, we’ve got parking. Yes, it will fill up. It might happen before you get there. We need to respect adjacent businesses and residents by not imposing on their space. And they’ve got really nice signs that indicate just that. This fourth option may work out great for you. Or it may not.

Registration and Packet Pick-up
As we write this, nimble fingers are stuffing your rider bib with your number plate into an envelope with your name on it. These people are doing it out of a deep and abiding affection for you. The least you can do is sign a thank-you card for them on Friday when you pick up your packet, don’t you think? And by “thank-you card,” we mean two one-page event forms. And by “you can sign,” we mean that each one of you needs to individually sign them and present your photo ID to our registration staff. No substitutions, no excuses. Don’t believe us? Ask Levi. We make him do it too, all on Friday.

So every single person in the event has to come down to the Finley Center and handle this piece of business. We are open all day Friday for this, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. We’ll have swag bags for you, vendors hawking goods, our information minister at the ready, and GranFondo merchandise for sale too. We know some of you just can’t make it on Friday, so we’re also running the same circus Saturday morning from 5:30 AM to 7:30 AM–but we beg you: do not put this off. You’ve got a busy wake-up schedule just getting to the Finley Center and staging appropriately for an 8:00 AM departure. Don’t add standing in a line and filling out paperwork to that list. You could better use that time freaking out about whether you’ve made a crucial error in running 115 psi instead of 120 psi or how lame it looks that your helmet straps and your tire sidewalls don’t match.

Devil’s Got Plans For Idle Hands
So, you’ve got your registration packet all handled, you’re toying with the swag bag, looking for the free entries into the 2012 GranFondo that we’ve hidden in your special edition of Bike Monkey mag, and you’ve got 12 hours to burn before start time at 8:00 AM the next morning. Right off, you should get yourself to the GranFondo’s RadioShack Downtown event, a pub-crawl like no other. We’ll have all the information at registration for you to enjoy drink specials, food discounts, and more in Santa Rosa’s best downtown venues. Street musicians will be out and food vendors will be on street corners. Roaming hordes of swag-laden interns will be on hand to make sure you’ve got enough goods to make the night worthwhile. You might see some famous faces about, as even Levi and company stay up past 9:00 on rare occasion.

While you’re running around downtown, check out our enological consultant (that’s “winemaker” to you) Ray D’Argenzio’s delightful reception he’s hosting for our GranFondo riders at his winery in Santa Rosa, just off downtown. D’Argenzio Winery makes our Levi’s GranFondo Pinot Noir and donates a portion of the sales of this vintage back to the event. On Friday (hell, on Thursday and Sunday too) from 2:00 to 8:00, Ray will be opening his doors and his wine bottles for you all, rolling out pasta and meatballs, and challenging you all to a beatdown on his new bocce courts. Tasting fees do apply, but it’ll be worth it. Ray loves him some hosting.

And another thing: the Sonoma County Museum is opening a new bicycle exhibit this Friday and throwing a party to match. Loitering in their parking lot will be the local and completely unofficial Gran LaFonda crew and the nice boys running the Whiskeydrome. It’s not confirmed that there’s beer there, but with this crowd, it’s pretty much a given.

Tires Hold Air Better With Free Tubes
Our official bike shop, NorCal Bike Sport, told us to ask you that if they slipped you a note in math class, would you check the box that said “yes, I’ll go steady with you?” We mentioned that this is a weird way to court the business of 7500 cyclists, especially when they can rely on a history of exceptional service in getting people on the road. Case in point? Their second-best business day in 35 years of operation was on the eve of the 2009 GranFondo. Their first best? The eve of the 2010 GranFondo. Build a better mousetrap indeed…

Rather than pass a note to you all, we suggested they stick to their tried and true, free-tube-for-everyone-in-the-GranFondo approach. Come Friday, Sept. 30th, anyone riding the GranFondo can waltz into their shop and get a free tube, no questions asked. They’re even open late (and early Saturday) just for you all. Drop by and say hello. Say it again when you see all their mechanics out on the course providing mechanical support hand in hand with the nice guys from SRAM. Never has your bike been so well-handled. Or you, for that matter.

On-course Goodies From 1st Endurance & Clif Shot
When you’re hungry, you eat. When you’re thirsty, you drink. Sure, it’s not really that simple, but why make it complicated if you don’t have to. Let the calorie brainiacs at Clif and First Endurance do all the thinking for you. We’ll have Clif Shot gels on course this year, as well as Clif mini-bars in your swag bags. Matter of fact, they’re getting stuffed into your bags as we write this. Which means that, come Saturday, you can shoot off the front like a bullet knowing that you’ve got an ounce of caloric confidence in your back jersey pocket. Clif’s gels are formulated to be thick with electrolytes and energy delivery systems while being flavorful, reducing extraneous ingredients, and striving for 100% organic content.

First Endurance is back this year with their EFS drink out on course. These guys have put the lens on sports drinks in a way no other company has. Formulated by racers for racers, First Endurance is always working to improve formulas with the latest technology and ingredients. Trust us, your body’s systems are in very good hands. Fill up your Camelbak Podium bottle from our on-course bottle exchange with EFS and ride like you don’t have any more excuses.

A Fine Point On The Finley Center
Perched on the western margins of Santa Rosa, the Finley Center just became your own proving ground in the banishment of body odor, bike paranoia, and the all-too-common clammy chamois. We’ve set up access to Finley’s showers for you all, just bring your own towel and singing voice.  We’ve also got a huge bag check and bike valet service staffed by the good peoples at the Sonoma County Bike Coalition (link). Let them lord over your boat shoes and crisp polo shirts while you’re out getting a farmer’s tan on bike–they won’t peek in your stuff, we promise. Really. We don’t want to know. Let them keep an eye on your bike when you come back to us for a pint and a plate later in the day. Best we figure, we can’t ask you all to ride your bike to the event start if we don’t happily offer these services, so please do take advantage.

Volunteers are still needed in hundreds of different places. Enlist here!

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters live behind this curtain. No excuses!

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All this bluster, all this bravado. So much talk of inevitability, of critical mass, of undeniable legions of grinning, spinning humans, all shoulder to shoulder and moving like a stroke of paint across the land. Long have we extolled the marvels of this event, its epic emotion, its grand scope.

This kind of flowery purple prose comes off a bit funny when you’re on your 7th coffee, your dirty laundry is draped over your drop bars, Visine is considered breakfast, and every calorie you’ve consumed for the past week has left a trail of foil and greasy cardboard across your kitchen counter.

We’re about 10 days out. It’s crunch time, baby.

Put up the kid gloves and let’s get some dirt under those fingernails. We know you’ll be right there with us.

How To Get Up For The Get Down:
Taking the Stage–Lining Up With 7,500 Of Your New Friends
The Road Before Us–Potholes, Cattleguards, And General Route Safety
Road ID Discounts–Peace Of Mind Right On Your Wrist
SRAM Giveaway: Wi Fli Away–How To Get Yer Mitts on GranFondo-Friendly Gearing
Busting the SAG–How To Get Scooped Up If You’re Pooped Out
The Rest Of The Story–Where And What To Expect At Rest Stops

Making 7,500 Cyclists Move As One
We don’t stage in waves. We don’t stage in intervals. We don’t give head starts. On this day, we ask that you all come together and head out on one damn fine bike ride as a group. This is a core value of our event and it’s an amazing experience to roll out this big. We wouldn’t deny that to anyone.

That said, it’s only going to work as well as you allow it. We need you honest and smart and aware about how you’ll ride that day. We’ve got climbs that go for miles, 12-14% grades, and winds from all points of the compass. This ride is hard. We’re sure that you can do hill sprints that would shame your local club. This isn’t your local club. Stage like you’re going to have fun, not like you’re going to end up in our SAG wagon. The only person out there you’ve got to prove anything to is yourself.

We say this because it’s a safety issue. Stage too far forward and faster riders will have to deal with getting around you, possibly taking unnecessary risks to pass you. Stage too far back and you’re one of those faster riders, possibly taking unnecessary risks. Look for signs on the morning of the ride directing you where your route should start and how fast your average time will be. Not sure? Check out your time from last year over here. First time riding with us? Take your best century ride time and add 20%. Then add another 10%. You get the idea. It’s not a hard science, but only 10% of the 4000 gran riders will come in under 6.5 hours. Plan accordingly and stage humbly.

Between The Ditches
Our roads are imperfect. They follow the contours of the land and have strained under their shifts and heaves over the last century. And, since we can’t afford to fix them, we might as well make them a point of pride. Despite the preponderance of herbal wraps and water with cucumber and mint in it, Sonoma County is still a rural place. There will be potholes. There will be gravel patches. There will be cattleguards. And where there are cattleguards, there will be cattle. And cattle poop. We honestly kinda like it this way.

For those of you who grin when you read this sort of thing, please direct your attention over here to our gravel option.

For the rest of us, all it takes is a bit of awareness. Call out hazards (including the poop) when you see them if you’re working in a group; keep your eyes on the road if you’re simply cruising along. The cattleguards themselves are nothing to worry about, just hit ‘em straight on and you’ll be fine. If you need more tips on those, look over here. You may not see a centerline for most of the route. Just because it’s not painted there doesn’t mean that our centerline rule doesn’t apply. Keep it to the right people. And as for those perfectly engineered roads with predictable grades and turns? They’re not here. When we indicate “Technical Descent Ahead,” boy oh boy do we mean it.

Trust us, your super-high-end road bike can handle it. It was made for this actually. Those hyper-skinny, single-ply track tires though? The super-light deep-dish carbon wheels? Might want to reconsider.  The hills were alive with the sound of exploding carbon wheels on Hauser Bridge last year.

Road ID
Rarely do you have a product that is so inarguably valuable as a Road ID. Everyone who registered for the GranFondo received a $5 gift card towards the purchase of one of their emergency identification products. If you haven’t already used it, the time is now. As an added bonus, use promo code pcGranFondo2011 by September 31st and get 15% off your order. If you need a cherry on top, consider that 25% of your order with this code will go back to Levi’s GranFondo charities. Nobody does win-win-win like the good folks at Road ID.

If you already own a Road ID, check out a few new products including their Wrist ID Slim and the Scout ID, the latter exclusively for use by your 4-legged furry friends. Consider their Firefly products like their Supernova light, which will keep you safe and visible as we lose precious daylight.

Regardless, no matter what product you choose, Road ID has always got your back and will speak for you when you can’t speak for yourselves. It’s what they do.

(Are you an emergency first responder hearing about Road ID for the first time? Check out their First Responder Outreach program found at www.RoadID.com/FirstResponder.)

SRAM: Wider, Faster, Lighter
SRAM has risen to the highest levels of professional cycling by giving riders componentry that inspires confidence and performs flawlessly. Deep in the pro peloton, these guys pride themselves on having the lightest, most efficient, and ergonomic road componentry ever made. Since they’re old pros at Levi’s GranFondo, they thought it best to impart some of that confidence to you all as you struggle to attain King Ridge’s (and other’s) great heights.

To wit, we’re hosting a short little quiz for you all starting now and ending next Monday, September 26th. Answer all the questions correctly, and you’ll be entered to win one of 12 SRAM WiFLi upgrade kits. Link to the quiz is here: http://bit.ly/SRAMgiveaway.

WiFLi stands for wider, faster, lighter road gearing and gets you spinning your little heart out. Designed with an 11-32 cassette and special long cage rear derailleur, SRAM’s WiFLi upgrade kit converts any existing SRAM Road drive train into a hill hungry, King Ridge gobbling machine. Winners will need to bring their bikes with them to registration so that the SRAM Neutral Support team can install the kit just in time for your GranFondo success.

Don’t ride SRAM…yet? We’ll take care of you prize-wise as well, no worries. Regardless of set up, you might as well visit the SRAM Neutral Support team before the event Friday for a bike check and chat, and be sure to stop by the SRAM gang at the FondoSonoma Festival and learn “why WiFLi” first hand. In the meantime, brush up on SRAM here: http://www.sram.com/sram/road/technologies

SAG Support Supports You When You Sag
The SAG wagon is a lovely thing. While we expect you to be reasonably self-sufficient, “Support and Gear” vehicles are there for you. If you are having issues with your health or your bike that require you to call it a day, then let our screened and trained SAG drivers do their job. Don’t put yourself and others in an unsafe position by continuing on when you or your bike can’t operate under reasonable control. We’re going for a safe event for everyone and that’s why the SAG is out and about.

By the same turn, it’s not a taxi service. You don’t get to go home because you miss your cat or wore the wrong socks for your tan line. You’ve made a commitment to challenge yourself. We want you to see it through if you can.

Fondo at Rest
Take ‘em or leave ‘em, they’re here for you. About every 20 miles or so, expect to see a veritable oasis of calories, hydration, and camaraderie. People sign up for the GranFondo just for the rest stops (kinda, but not really) and we’re happy to help do some revivin’ by the roadside. Refresh yourselves with electrolyte-gifted drink from our pals at First Endurance. Guzzle gels from the good people at Clif Shot. And expect to see things like roasted potatoes, PB&Js, pretzels, cookies, fresh fruit, mixed nuts, and, naturally, water at every stop along the way.

Well, almost every stop. The station at the top of Coleman Valley Road is a liquid-only stop with Occidental not far beyond. Abundant calories can be found there, making the Coleman stop more of an extra hydration depot than anything.

Those of you on the gran route can expect a deli-type lunch at Tom Ritchey’s ranch about mid-way through the route. If he’s not riding that day, he may be welding your sandwich together. He’s the one with the hairnet over his mustache.

Tickets are still available for our Festa del Fondo gala dinner!

Volunteers are still needed in hundreds of different places. Enlist here!

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters live behind this curtain. No excuses!

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Aircraft carriers. The Hadron Collider. Burt Reynold’s mustache: all big, all undeniable, all gargantuan in their ambition. Once loosed, there is little one can do to slow them down.

You see where we’re going with this, yes?

In the last week, we have achieved a critical mass and we likely will not be stopped until our collective enthusiasm uncoils across the tarmac here in the County Sonoma. Hard to imagine that all this chaos knocking around will, in exactly one month, manifest itself in a ribbon of humanity, spinning by the thousands towards lonesome ridges and a shimmering sea.

Somebody should take a picture.

All The News That’s Fit To Print
Shipping Your Bike, Renting Someone Else’s–How To Handle With Care
Camelbak–Hydration Hosts Have H2O (in a bottle. For you.)
FondoSonoma Festival–Beer Me, Feed Me, Make Me Grin
From Medio to Gran–Self-Upgrades and Impulsive On-Course Decisions
A Van By The River–Lodging Update

Shipping and Receiving
There are few people more threatening to our nation’s airlines than the cyclist. Their hideous display of tan lines. Their constant calorie intake. The way their butts actually fit in the seats. And their bikes, their ever present bikes, weighing down our planes with their carbon fiber-ness. Terrible.

At least that’s how one feels when checking into your flight with your favorite ride.

Skip it this time around. Don’t give ‘em the satisfaction. Our pals at NorCal Bike Sport will receive and rebuild your bike to a standard rarely seen in this life. Don’t believe us? Ask the guy working on your bike where he is in July. Don’t be surprised when he tells you he’s in France, keeping bikes running for some guy named Levi while he does this really big race.

Looking to rent a bike for the day? Like a boss, we’ve got bikes available all over town. Check out our rental page here and really travel with ease.

Camelbak
We are indeed ugly bags of mostly water, ever threatened with the loss of our precious bodily fluids, as we sweat to the oldies.

Stop us, before we reference again.

Luckily, we have Camelbak, our partner in the everlong battle of hydration being waged right under our very skin. From their original inspiration involving an IV bag, a tube sock, and a 100 mile Texas road race, to their world-class Podium bottles and innovative wearable hydration systems, Camelbak has been a leader in getting water to your body when you need it the most. They’ll be on course at the GranFondo, running their bottle upgrade program. All you’ve got to do is trade in an old water bottle for a brand-spanking-new Podium bottle, adorned with GranFondo colors, naturally. We’ll take your old bottles and donate them to Bikes For Humanity, where (along with donated bikes) they’ll enjoy a new life in Namibia, helping people travel further for work, medical care, and education. Nice work folks.

Bread Breakin’, Beer Crackin’, Kick Backin’
When you ask 7500 people to go on a ride with you, you take on certain debit. Hospitality extends well beyond the bike in these parts and that means we take those obligations seriously. To wit, we’ve put together an expo that’ll make Barnum blush. Bike exhibits, live music, local food, and tasty tasty New Belgium beer, all solar-powered, thanks to Affinity Solar. Yep, we saw you perk up a bit there. We’ve stacked the FondoSonoma Festival with Venezuelan arepas, Mexican tacos, curries from India, Carolina BBQ, California street cuisine, and of course, Gerard’s Paella, cooked in 9 ft wide pan after 9 ft. wide pan.

You trudged up and down our hills, so we figure that merits some grub and a cold one, all on us. Park your bike, grab a shower, pick up a beer, and enjoy some of the best food you’ve ever earned. Maybe you didn’t ride? Don’t let that stop you. The FondoSonoma Festival is open to the public and we’d love to see people cheering on our brave riders.

Upgrade? You’re all in first class already.
Some of you are feeling spunky. It’s in the air and in our email inboxes. You’ve signed up for the medio and think that, come October 1, you might find a little extra pepper in your pants. For those of you considering making that fateful turn towards King Ridge when you’ve signed up for the piccolo and the medio, we have a “self-upgrade” policy in place on our website.

To sum up, we spend a lot of money per rider, way more than just the food in the rest stop. Motorcycle marshal escorts, on-bike marshals, CHP, police, fire, and emergency communications, protocol and SAG support are all things that your registration money funds, so by upgrading yourself, you’re adding to that burden and increasing the impact we’ve forecasted to communities along the route.

On top of that, you’ll have a color-coded bib and number plates. Our course and on-bike marshals will be on the lookout for this sort of thing and they may ask you not to return next year, which is a bummer for all of us.

If you need to downgrade mid-route because you need to get back to the start for any reason, please do so. But don’t opt for an upgrade just because you feel feisty. It’s not fair to the people who planned and paid for that service. Plus you’d be poaching a charity ride. What would your mother say?

Jumping From Bed to Bed
When an unstoppable object meets an immovable force, that’s usually when things get interesting. In this case, the unstoppable object is hotel beds, the immovable force is you, and the interesting part is where you’re going to sleep. We’ve heard from a lot of our partner hostelries that they are filling up up up and properties with vacancies are moving ever further away from the event start/finish.

The Hilton Sonoma Wine Country and the Hyatt Vineyard Creek are rolling out the deepest, reddest carpet for you: free shoeshine buffs made especially for carbon soles, protein-enhanced recovery mints on your pillows, and a free channel on the TV that shows what’s on all the other channels. Seriously, these two locales will put the cherry on top of your GranFondo experience as you luxuriate and rest within their walls. Don’t believe us? Ask Team Astana, Team RadioShack, and Team BMC Racing. They’ve been running camps out of there for the last few years.

Check out our innkeepers at http://www.levisgranfondo.com/gettingthere/lodging/. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Tickets are still available for our Festa del Fondo gala dinner!

Volunteers are still needed in hundreds of different places. Enlist here!

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters live behind this curtain. No excuses!

[ open in iTunes ]

The fat is falling to the floor here at Bike Monkey HQ. A clarity is settling into our eyes and our chests are puffing themselves up considerably. We’re in full-press Fondo mode and have focused our gaze with great precision on the task ahead. No more races to put on, no more magazine issues to produce; there’s nothing that can stop us from pouring all our energies into creating the best day on the bike any of you have ev–

Sorry. Someone came by the office with a box of puppies. And then we went for a ride. And some pizza. And a few beers. Followed by a nap.

Anyway, we’re enjoying the bizarre comfort that comes from having one single intimidating purpose. When it comes to the Fondo, we’re all yours, every minute of every day. More or less.

A Trail of Crumbs:
Merchandise Makes Landfall–A Little Present From Our Friends At Capo
Trek Bikes–The Power of Belief
TwittyFace–Where To Find Us Talking About What We Had For Lunch
Forget Me Not Farm–You Should Know The Good Work You’re Supporting
Finding Your Way–Training Tips from El Patron and Route Maps For All You Planning Types

From Milan With Love

We traffic in faith around here a fair bit. Just like you, we had naught but two-dimensional drawings of the GranFondo apparel for 2011. Just like you, we had nothing but the staunch record of our friends at Capo to keep us from losing sleep each night. Completely unlike you, we were sitting on a hill of cash you all gave us so you could get the bike clothing of your dreams. Last week, all that faith turned into shimmering, skin-hugging sweetness from scalp to sole. The GranFondo kits are in and, for all of you who pre-ordered, they’re in the mail.

For those who didn’t pre-order, we’ll have tons available at the event, both Friday and Saturday. Best get there early, though. Stock is limited to what’s on hand and we’ll go through it quickly. Mockups, prices, descriptions, and sizing charts are still on our website at www.levisgranfondo.com/store.

#Follow@Social_Media, FTW, OMG

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, we are living in a new, bold age, where relationships are defined in a new technological vernacular. Also, you can totally check out your ex’s new fling and see visual proof that dumping you was the biggest mistake they ever made. You think Zuckerberg doesn’t do that?

Seriously, while this all can be a bit goofy, we’re stoked on being able to talk (and listen) to each of you casually and effectively. We Twitter madly under @levisgranfondo and our name is in the Book of Faces at www.facebook.com/levisgranfondo. Follow us. Like us. You know you want to.

Forget Me Not Farm

Levi’s GranFondo is, above all, a fundraising ride. Our beneficiaries are admittedly complex, but they’ve been chosen for one reason: they’re a reflection of our own diverse community and of the quality of life we strive for here in Sonoma County. Case in point: Forget Me Not Farm.

Levi and his wife Odessa are well-known animal lovers and believers in the power of a fuzzy companion’s affection and healing company. It was only natural that started working with Forget Me Not Farm, a working Sonoma County farm that not only rescues abandoned farm animals, but pairs them with at-risk children who care for them. These kids form long-term relationships and emotional connections with these animals, discovering the value of affection, curiosity, and responsibility in the unconditional ways that people often cannot. For some kids, this Farm is a refuge and is the only consistent and reliable part of their tumultuous lives.

A portion of the proceeds from the GranFondo will go to support Forget Me Not Farm for the third year in a row. We hope you’re as proud of your part in these kids’ lives as we are.

Trek Bicycles

The name Trek Bicycles has long been considered synonymous with innovation, performance, and quality. They were there when the world needed the best handmade steel touring frames in the 70s. They were pushing the envelope with their OCLV Carbon in the 90s. Today is no exception, with collections of premier bikes designed to put the rider on the edge of their goals, be it crushing the competition or cruising the boardwalk. You see these bikes under professional champions and Trek loves nothing more than bringing that winning capacity to you.

We’re proud to share Levi’s GranFondo with a company that sees bikes as a way to save both the world and ourselves. In Trek’s own words, only a bike can “take us places we would never see any other way.”

And we couldn’t agree more.

The Road Ahead

You tell us. Better to know every inch of the road ahead or to abandon caution and expose oneself to the whims and winds of the world?

Ah, pre-riding. If you’d like, please do so. We’ve got maps and elevation profiles on the website with rest stops marked, so plan away. Should you opt for a pre-Fondo jaunt or two, remember you’re in someone else’s backyard and there are no road closures, no support, and little to no cell signal. Ride with respect and do not underestimate the technical descents, steep grades, and all-around long-way-from-home-ness of GranFondo routes. Especially the gran route.

On the day of the event, we’ll have the course signed so well, you won’t need a turn-by-turn sheet or map. We’ll have the whole course so well signed, Stevie Wonder could ride it. Higher ground, indeed.

Training Tips from El Patron

You all may have heard that our main man Levi just put the wood to several of his peers at the recent US Pro Challenge, taking the win for Stage 1 and putting himself in a keen position going forward. As such, we figure he’s got something to say about getting some performance out of one’s bag of bones. A while back, he saw fit to put some of his GranFondo training tips to paper for our bros at Road ID. You’ve still got time to turn those legs into quads of destruction…or at least sausages of distinction. Check it over here. And send LL some sweet thoughts via Twitter and Facebook. He reads each one (not kidding!).

Tickets are still available for our Festa del Fondo gala dinner!

Volunteers are still needed in hundreds of different places. Enlist here!

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters live behind this curtain. No excuses!

Life in Sonoma County can be somewhat insular. Sure, we’ve heard of things like “San Francisco,”  “Hooters Restaurants,” and “debt ceilings.” We’ve even seen pictures of them on the internet, but, like most people, we usually are content to stay close to home, enjoying the sea breezes, taking daily hot stone massages, and quaffing the Cabernet that we all have piped into our faucets. It’s a simple, country life, but we’re proud of it.

For those of you beyond our borders, consider this newsletter a beacon of hope. Let the GranFondo represent the end to a summer of toil and drudgery; may these missives become wayfinding respites along the way, a light unto a path leading to a fine day out, one punctuated with soaring views, blissful exertion, and the most exhilarating cycling on our great blue orb.

Also there will be snacks. Which is cool.

Every Which Way:

Fondo Beyond Fondo–Your Weekend Dance Card
Shift The Way You Move–Welcome Back to Nissan
2011 Route Notes–Important Changes and Cutoff Info

The Other Stuff
No good athlete skips the warm up. Your dear friends at Levi’s GranFondo are no exception and we enjoy this, the one comparison we can make between ourselves and, you know, athletes. We’ve got scads of screamin’ social situations into which you can dip your toe during the lead up to the GranFondo. Here, for your convenience, is a wee crib sheet of the Fondo goings-on that aren’t precisely the Fondo:

Thursday evening, September 29th:

Festa del Fondo: Our fundraising dinner with Levi and his comrades makes the round again. It’s a grand gala befitting the scale of this ride, make no mistake, and we want you there. Tickets are here (link), but tuck that shirt in, hillbilly.

Friday morning, September 30th:

Fundraiser Ride with Levi: Top fundraisers get to ride with El Patron as well as Team RadioShack (and other) pros. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Check out our fundraising incentives here and get goin’.

Friday evening, September 30th:

RadioShack Downtown: Our presenting sponsor, RadioShack, is hosting a party in the streets of our fair city. Throughout downtown Santa Rosa, businesses are offering deals on food and drink for Fondo folks. We’ll throw a quick reference card into your registration packet.

Gran La Fonda: Sonoma County framebuilders, bike art types, and Napolean Dynamite fans threw a fete last year in an empty downtown lot. It ended up being hundreds of people partying in the street while 10-foot tall, flame-throwing penny farthings rode around in circles. They figured they’d try it again this year.

Sonoma County Museum: The good folks at the Sonoma County Museum are putting together a cycling exhibit for the fall and are hosting a keen fete in celebration. This will be happening suspiciously close to the Gran La Fonda ground zero.

D’Argenzio Mixer: Italo-philes and wine lovers will want to park your saddle parts at D’Argenzio Winery, right off downtown Santa Rosa, home of the GranFondo Pinot Noir. Ray D’Argenzio’s got a great patio, bocce, and will likely be trucking out enough food to blush a sumo lord.

Saturday afternoon, October 1st:

FondoSonoma Festival: Naturally, our finish-line festival is not to be missed. Easy to attend for all riders and open to our adoring (more or less) public, we’ll have food, cycling exhibits, beer from New Belgium , live music, bike valet, kids’ activities, and plenty of places for you to relax and drink in your best day on two wheels. Space is still available, but going fast.

Nissan and the Innovation For Endurance
Once again, we’re putting palm to palm in rapid succession for our pals at Nissan, who’ve graciously offered their support of the GranFondo in 2011. They’re keeping us rolling for the duration of this gig, making our on-course support way more impressive than us hitchhiking. A major sponsor of Team RadioShack as well, these guys also host the Innovation for Endurance training hub with blogs from Levi, yoga tips from Tara Stiles, and cycling bits from Chris Carmichael (amongst others). Check it out and you could enter to win the all new, 100% electric, zero tailpipe emissions Nissan LEAF. If you win, we’ll trade you the old Bike Monkey corporate car for it.

Look for them on the road and at the FondoSonoma Festival. They’re the ones on four wheels.

Course Changes for 2011, including Gran Route Cutoffs
With time comes change. 2011 is no different and, for those of you manically pre-riding the GranFondo routes optimizing lap split times, wattage outputs, and other fitness-y things, we offer the following bits of departure from previous years:

Cutoffs. Not Just For Jeans Anymore: In order to keep things safe, we’re instituting a mandatory, police-enforced cutoff for the gran route riders. Any gran route rider not able to make the right turn onto Cazadero Highway from River Road before 10:30 AM will be sent onto the medio route heading to the coast from that point. This intersection is about 25 miles from the 8:00 AM start. Even if staging takes you a half hour, you’ve still got 2 hours to get to this point. If you’re ready for the gran, we figure you can pull this off.

Landslide Tortures Me: The descent back on Coleman Valley Road has been shifted near its end in Occidental and replaced with a descent back on Bittner Road, thanks to a landslide caused by thousands of cyclists (kidding). Bittner’s still a gorgeous, ripping drop, just without a gaping 23 foot hole in one lane where the road used to be.

We’re Losing Moving our Lunch: In better keeping with the timing of the midday meal, we’re providing lunch 10 miles further down the road for those on the gran route. Tom Ritchey’s ranch will play host to the lunch stop and he’s stoked to be giving back to the very bike community that has kept a smile on his face for the last 40 years. Additionally, the views from this spot will ease digestion, as dropped jaws and bulging eyes allow for improved calorie consumption. Ask any boa constrictor. We’ll still have the rest stop on the top of King Ridge Road, but it won’t have extra food options there. For those of you really paying attention, this also makes the Fort Ross School stop redundant, so it’s been nixed.

Our Personal Favorite: Ladies and gents, it’s still technically unofficial, but we’re almost positive we’ll be offering a gravel option this year. Just about every epic ride in Sonoma County ends up traversing dirt at some point; it’s not fair to you out-of-towners that we not make that part of your GranFondo experience. Rest assured, we’ll be working on a way to reward those who don’t let a dirty bottom bracket and the lack of asphalt limit their opportunities to exalt. Curious? It’s called Willow Creek Road. Googling “stairway to heaven,” while appropriate, will result in inaccurate results.

Hey, Levi’s probably ruling the Tour of Utah time trial as you read this. He’s defending his title on this event over the next several days and we’re wishing him much success. He’d love the good vibes from you all, we’re sure of it.

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters are available here. No excuses!

See that big scary bear in the header? Get used to that fiery-eyed ursine, because you and he are about to be spending a lot more time together. We’re 11 weeks out from this little bike party we’re throwing on October 1 and we’ve got a lot to tell you about how to make the most of our time together. For those of you new to this dance, that means that you’ll be getting notes from us detailing all the answers for questions you haven’t yet thought to ask, delivered to your inbox, artfully worded, and sprinkled with humor. For those of you who aren’t new, stop grimacing and rolling your eyes. They weren’t that bad. Besides, your face is going to stick like that.

Whichever you are, expect one of these every week starting, well, soon. Expect too that those who read these will have a different GranFondo experience than those who don’t. We’ll keep ‘em shorter this time around, despite the blabby nature of the schmuck who writes them. For those of you who can’t be bothered to read a 1000 word email, we’re working on a podcast version and will likely tweet each newsletter, line by line, word by word #nonotreally.

The New Pollution:

Come On In. The Water’s Fine.
Festa del Fondo: The Gran Gala
A Hand Out For A Hand Up
Looking For A Miracle
Here’s To You, RadioShack
The Goodness of Over 1000 Hearts

Space Available. Inquire Within

Sure the 103 mile gran route sold out within 6 days, all 4000 spots. But its red-headed stepbrothers, the medio and piccolo route, still have room for a few hundred more riders. Both great rides in their own rights, these 65 and 32 mile options stand to tickle many a fancy, especially should one wish to take part of the pretty freaking cool pageantry of riding with 7499 other humans. If you know anyone who’s undecided about being part of the GranFondo, the time for that fence-sitting is over. These spots are trickling away and represent the last chance for folks to get in and ride without paying a transfer fee. Think we’re kidding? We’re fortunate to have sold out this event wall to wall every year. Both of them. Commit here and be at ease.

The Festa del Fondo

Every year before the GranFondo, we get with Levi to throw a quiet little party for a few folks. And by “quiet little party,” we mean the finest night north of San Francisco, and by “a few folks,” we mean a party where 150 honored guests can rub elbows with pro riders, bike industry luminaries, and VIPs from all over the country as they bid on storied items from the cycling world and wine country. We’ve made room for you at our table and would love for you to join us. Tour of California announcer Dave Towle will be calling the shots all night, the food and wine will be off the charts, and Levi will, if you ask nicely, let you have a bite of his dessert.

Sign up over at www.levisgranfondo.com/festa and let us show you just how good time off the bike can be. Make your reservations now for this September 29th event and break bread like never before.

Our Presenting Sponsor

At Bike Monkey, we work every day. There are no Saturdays. There are no Mondays. We call it a “decentralized office culture,” but what it really means is that we check our emails from trailheads and ridgetops. Mobility is key not only to the success of our business, but to our happiness. We wouldn’t be able to keep our nose to the grindstone if the rest of us were stuck in an office. So when RadioShack came back to us this year and wanted to support Levi and the GranFondo as our presenting sponsor, we were happy to have them along in 2011. Sure, it’s nice to partner with the outfit behind cycling’s premiere team, but we’re also stoked to work with a company that trades in the technology that’s allowed us to live life on our terms.

Thanks guys. For everything.

Raising the Fun

It’s easy to forget that Levi’s GranFondo is more than just your best day out. As a charity ride, we’re supporting groups that build communities, whether that be the Forget-Me-Not Farm for at-risk kids, an international organization like the Lance Armstrong Foundation, or our own non-profit, dispensing donations to underserved rural areas and bike-positive projects. It’s a complicated thing we’re doing here, so do yourself a favor and drink in the good work you’ll be doing by riding in this event. We’re betting that people want to be part of something that’s more than a simple turn of the pedals and, for those good folks, we’ve created a fundraising program that’ll knock your socks off. We’ve tapped our sponsors to rain down the goods for all of our fundraisers, including a warm up ride with members of Team RadioShack on the Friday before the big ride for those who go the distance.

Sign up for your fundraising account here and get to hustling. All donations are tax-deductible and we’re going to be stocking this part of our website with tips and support materials to make your campaign as easy as we can. Go get ‘em.

Miles To Go Before You Sleep?

Best thing about hotels: the art. No, that’s not it. Endless reruns of CSI: Wherever? Nope. Oh, the bed? Yes: handy indeed for those of us who enjoy a reprieve after a convincing day on the bike, a nice place to eat leftovers, and also, you know, sleep. Thing is, we here in Sonoma County don’t have 7,500 beds available. But we do have 7,500 of you. Those of you running the numbers in your heads right now are probably also heading over to the lodging section of our website to see which of our fine hostelries are offering special Fondo discounts to you all. We have it on good authority that the Hyatt Vineyard Creek and the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country are especially pleased to host you and have bought extra batches of mints for those pillows of yours. Sleep tight.

Exchange Rate

Things happen. Tides turn. Sands shift. As we near the event, plenty o’ folks are looking to shed their registrations, especially in the sold-out gran route. There’s another mountain of folks looking to snatch them up. Most people are making this love connection on our Facebook page. Looking to make a change? Rules and how-tos are on the Transfers section of our website.

Philanthrohumanitarians

No machine works without being well-oiled. The GranFondo is no different. For us, that lubricant is an army of volunteers who truly make this event what it is. And who don’t mind being compared to high viscosity grease.

In the 2010 GranFondo, we had the help of nearly 1000 volunteers and we’ll need even more in 2011. We pride ourselves in treating our fine Samaritans with food, t-shirts, discounts on GranFondo merchandise, a huge post-GranFondo appreciation party, and our knee-scraping thanks. Plus, they get an insider’s glance on the glamorous world of event promotion. Should you be one of these prospectively lucky people, sign up and let us know how you’d like to spend your time with us.

Missed an issue? Previous newsletters are available here. No excuses!

Overheard at Milan-San Remo and translated from the original Italian: “Of course I didn’t let him buy me a drink. Did you see how wide his lapels were? And those pleated slacks? Horrible.”

A lot of people thumb their nose at fashion. These folks like to think that they’re above evaluating people based on appearance and caring about something as silly as clothes. Usually people who do this are wearing stained sweatpants as they scratch at an unspecified rash creeping across their stomach. Our point? There’s nothing wrong with coming off sharp. And on October 1, 2011, you’ll want to be the envy of every rider on earth. We can help.

We’ve rolled out a whole new kit this year: jersey, shorts, arm warmers, socks, caps, and helmets. Designed by our in-house style consultant, Odessa Gunn, and manufactured for us by Capo (with helmets by Giro), this is your chance to leave sartorial apathy behind and get in the looking good game. Drape yourself in these lovely bits and feel certain that discerning, smoking hot Italian fashion-o-philes will never speak ill of you as they watch you pedal your sweet little heart out.

The jersey and shorts have been up on our site for a while now and, rest assured, all the other apparel items will match swimmingly. We’ve got bundled pricing for folks wanting to get the whole kit (or most of it) as well as individual prices. By pre-ordering now, you’re assured to not only get your kit early, but to have your size guaranteed. Everyone who waits until event day will have to deal with stock on hand and, if the last two years are any measure, we will run out.

Another thing: Capo jerseys are Euro sized, which means your normal “medium” could be a Euro “XL.” Check the Capo sizing chart for measurements as they do run small on everyone. Failure to do this means you’ve got to exchange it with us, causing delays and taking the chance on us running out of your desired size. Measure, people. It’s an investment in your own happiness.

Last day to pre-order is April 15th! After that, we’re making our apparel order and it’s in Italy’s hands! You can still order goods after that, but you’ll have missed the guaranteed size/quantity train, just as if you were buying these at the merchandise table on event day.

Here’s to our lovely clothes matching your flawless lines. Or at least covering up (and holding in) all that stuff you don’t want people to see.