Until that miracle materializes, just rest assured that we won’t be wasting your time with these little missives. Logistic information, special offers, and other “big picture” items abound. Consider that we’ve predicted every question you’re going to ask two months before you thinking of it and we’ve gone to the trouble of emailing you the answer ahead of time. With that in mind, to Janet in Mission Viejo, yes, that is indeed my real tan line.

The Flotsam and The Jetsam

Charity Cheat Sheet–What Are The GranFondo Charities?

GranFondo Claus–Exclusive Fundraising Incentives Designed To Curl Your Toes

Trek Bikes–A Hale and Hearty Welcome To One Of Our Top Sponsors

Iron-on Transfers–Passing On Your Registration To Someone Else

Massimo Fondo Training Camp–Train With Levi, Team BMC’s Scott Nydam, and Dr. Max Testa

Charity Cheat Sheet

The GranFondo charities cover a pretty good gamut of beneficiaries and we feel we should be clear about where every dime of money associated with the event ends up. Most people know about last year’s big charities:

–Keep the Tour Santa Rosa: The effort to bring the Tour of California back to Santa Rosa’s streets time and again
–Forget Me Not Farm: A working therapeutic farm where at-risk youth care for and raise abandoned animals.
–Livestrong/Lance Armstrong Foundation: America’s premier cancer research charity, led by the Lance himself.
–GranFondo Community Services: Funding schools and fire departments along the rural route of the GranFondo

In 2010, however, we’ve got a bigger event with bigger opportunities, and we’ve expanded accordingly to include cycling initiatives that’ll make Sonoma County and beyond a better place to ride for locals and tourists:

–Sonoma County Velo Project: Development of site plans and scoping documents for Sonoma County’s first velodrome
–Sonoma County Cycling Signage Program: Creation and placement of cycling-specific signage to encourage safer biking on our premier cycling routes
–VeloStreet’s Grant Program for Cycling Community Initiatives: A competitive grant program to fund cycling projects and programs in Sonoma County and beyond.

We’re all extremely excited about the new opportunities this event affords residents and visitors to Sonoma County. We’re investing in our local community in order to continue to host all these great people who keep wanting to sample all our area has to offer an enterprising and adventurous cyclist.

And speaking of excited about raising money…

Stuff We’re Trying To Give You

We’ve partnered with our sponsors and key partners to set up a veritable North Pole of GranFondo goodies for you all. Hotel stays, rides with Team RadioShack, iPods, GranFondo jerseys and trainer jackets, VIP access throughout the GranFondo, and more can all be yours should you choose to fundraise for the GranFondo charities. Much of these fundraising incentives are not available anywhere else and some of these incentives will truly be some of the most memorable experiences a bike nut would want.

A detailed table of these incentives and the corresponding fundraising level is on the GranFondo website, as is a running tally of who’s raised what so far. We’ve got a section of our website where you can sign up and get your own individual fundraising link that you can use to solicit funds to a dedicated PayPal account. This way you can track exactly how much good work you’ve been doing to date.

We’ve got until September 1st to get these funds good and raised, so time’s a wastin’. We know you can do it. We wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t.

Trek Bikes

Headquartered in Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek Bicycle Corporation is a global leader in bicycle design and manufacturing. From the original hand-built steel touring frames introduced in 1976 to the revolutionary OCLV Carbon first introduced in 1992, Trek’s passion for innovation, quality, and performance leads the industry with next-generation thinking and cutting-edge technology. With countless professional wins, Trek enjoys a rich tradition of victory in the world’s premier cycling events. Today, with a broad range of bicycles and cycling products under the Trek, Gary Fisher, and Bontrager brand names, Trek continues to pursue new ways to bring the joy of cycling to all people.

We’re proud to have Trek on board with the GranFondo, not only because of their industry leadership, but also because these guys get bikes. In their own words, bikes “bring us together, yet allow us to escape. And they take us places we would never see any other way.”

That’ll do.

Ride Swappin’

The only constant in the universe is change. Who are we to stand in the face of such a formidable truth? What sort of people would issue tickets to Tough Luck Avenue every time someone told us they couldn’t make the GranFondo for whatever reason?

With excuses ranging from poor fitness to work conflicts, we’re happy to facilitate your passing on your registration to some highly stoked individual. Most people are making these connections  on our Facebook page, along with 499,999,999 other people.The form for this is up on the website and we do have to charge a modest 25 bucks for our trouble, but covering that extra fee is between you and the new best friend you just made.

Also, while we appreciate imaginative excuses, we never get sick of hearing that you forgot to ask your wife and now she won’t let you come. Gotta love the classics…

Massimo Fondo Training Camp

And in the spirit of fundraising, we’ve got a hell of an opportunity available here. Levi has partnered with Scott Nydam of BMC Racing Team and Dr. Max Testa, big time cycling physician and Levi’s personal trainer, to offer a 3-day training camp here in Sonoma County along the GranFondo routes. You and 11 other folks will be riding alongside Levi and Scott on some of the best roads in Sonoma County, at fitness levels designed to develop any and every participant’s maximum cycling endurance. Off the bike, participants will have lactate threshold testing, personal bike fittings, and one-on-one ongoing consultations with Dr. Testa. BMC Racing’s team mechanic Rich Sangali will be tuning and optimizing everyone’s bikes and Team RadioShack soigneur Brenda Phelps will be coordinating the post-ride therapeutic body work. The camp will include 4 nights of lodging  in Santa Rosa for the 12 participants and includes an entry into the GranFondo route of their choice with VIP event access.

Now, this opportunity doesn’t come cheap. Each participant in the Massimo Fondo training camp will have to fork over $5,000 for this experience. Before you all choke on your energy gel, consider a few things. Aside from the free lodging and entry into a sold-out GranFondo as a VIP, this is a chance to be treated like a professional cyclist of the highest order with some of the world’s best cycling resources, all dedicated to improving your personal fitness in a way that you’ve never experienced before. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, a portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the GranFondo charities. So yeah, it’s expensive and it’s not for everyone, but for those folks looking to support the GranFondo and have the cycling experience of a lifetime, go ahead and sign up for more information at www.massimofondo.com. You’ll be glad you did.

www.dz-nuts.com

Clementine plans eco-fabulous events that are mindful of environment, community and budget. We structure our services around the triple bottom line principle: economy, ecology, and community impact. We offer realistic options that lessen environmental impact and are cutting edge in the green collar economy. A Clementine event is never trashy!

www.clementineecoevents.com

1) There is a lovely jersey available for this year’s GranFondo

2) It’s made by Capo, specialists in making us all look and feel well above average

3) It’s designed by Odessa Gunn, Levi’s wife and the “avant” in our “avant-garde” fashion sense

4) Sizes are European in origin, also known as way small. READ THE SIZING CHART!

5) Pre-orders are available until 5 PM PST on June 1

6) On event day, we may not have GranFondo jerseys in your size. We may not have many jerseys at all. Want a guarantee? Pre-order.

7) We can’t accommodate exchanges. Too many people, too many different sizes. Read the sizing chart and measure if you have to.

Pre-orders can be made here: http://www.levisgranfondo.com/p/store/

So get going good people. The clock is ticking and we don’t want to think that you’ve let a chance like this pass you by. Besides, you’ll look great in this thing.

Just like your 20th high school reunion, male pattern baldness, or that recurring rash, we’ve snuck up on you. Seems like just a few short months ago, we were all basking in the glow of our inaugural event, both you lovely riders and we lowly staff. Lots of back patting, plenty of “why, thank yous,” and the occasional “I told you so.” On our end, we had spare time again. We were able to do laundry. We ate food that didn’t come in a cardboard box. A precious few of us even started riding bikes again.

But no more. We’re back.

For those of you new to Levi’s GranFondo, you’ve just opened your first event newsletter. It’s a humble little format, but we’re going to make the best of our time together. For those of you returning, well, this is old hat by now. Let’s get something straight right out of the gates, buck-o: we’re not tossing these things out to annoy or beleaguer. There’s genuinely important information in here, some of it crucial to completing the ride. We can say with absolute certainty that folks who read the newsletter will have a completely different GranFondo experience than those who don’t. They’ll be in the know about logistics, ride prep, special offers from our sponsors, rad local knowledge and how many beers it takes us to write these things (Usually 3, but occasionally more).

So we’re off and running. We’ll start slow, but pick up the frequency of these as we get closer to the event. For now, we’ll get you up to date on our planning so far. Already we’ve got action for you to spring into.

All The Pretty Little Horses:
Scalpers Need Not Apply
Shackin’ Up
New Jersey. No, Not The Garden State.
The New (Virtual) Digs
Brother, Can You Spare $8,000?
Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Dew Drop Inn
An All-Volunteer Army

We Built, You Came.

It’s probably not much of a surprise, but when we opened up the registration gates on December 15th, you all descended on our website like a pack of hungry hyenas. You watched our refresh rate slow to a crawl and the 6,000 spots available in the GranFondo began falling away. The Gran Route (our 103 miler) sold out its 3,000 spots in 3 weeks. We were pretty pleased, as you can guess. The 2,000 spots in the Medio Route (the 65 miler) are all but gone. There are 50 left, so if you know someone who’s still mulling it over, you may want to give them a not-so-gentle nudge. Our Piccolo Route (the 36 miler) still has spots though, and it’s perfect for folks who are looking to stretch their legs and get back to town in time for lunch. It’s got just a smidge of climbing and a heaping portion of pleasant valley cruising with many dashes of vineyards and forested lanes. This is the best way for beginners to become a part of our Fondo community and we’ve got a fair bit of spaces left, so talk it up, why dontcha?

Our Presenting Sponsor

If there was a way to email applause, we’d do it.

Events like Levi’s GranFondo require sponsorship and industry partners to get off the ground. Normally, we drag folks through a brutal negotiation process where there’s a lot of sweating, brinksmanship, oxford cloth shirts, and starched collars. Not this time. RadioShack came on board early in the 2010 event with a desire to support epic cycling events as well as one of Team RadioShack’s premiere riders. We’re immensely pleased to partner with them and look forward to their role in a big 2010 GranFondo.

For those of you living under rocks, RadioShack, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the most respected names in the retail landscape. They’ve got more than 5,000 stores in the United States and Mexico and have grown to become a leader in mobile consumer electronics. For those of you wondering what the connection is between cycling and mobile electronics, ask yourself how many times you leave the house on a ride with your cell phone or mp3 player. It’s a fast-moving world out there and bikes are no exception; staying connected to friends and family is an important part of how we live and how we ride.

Plus, those RadioShack folks just love kickin’ it on their bikes.

2010 GranFondo Jersey

As I write this, the design for our 2010 GranFondo jersey is being finalized by our crackerjack artistic team and our head fashionista, Forget Me Not Farm crusader, Canadian emissary, and Levi spousal unit, Odessa Gunn. As I write this, code is being encrypted on our website so you can click click click ’til your heart’s content. As you read this, the 2010 GranFondo jersey pre-orders will be ON!

They’re made for us by the Italian superstars over at Capo clothing and they’ll make you twice as insightful, three times as fast, and six times more attractive. Seriously, they’re Capo’s lovely Corsa model, full-zip, short sleeve, three pocket jerseys and they are a pleasure to wear while you soar over our lovely coastal ridge tops or tackle your local summits and hills. Remember this though, as it’s extremely important: read the sizing chart. Here it is again, translated into loud yelling: READ THE SIZING CHART!!! These are European sizes, which is another way to say “teeny.” These folks eat coffee and existentialism. Huge numbers of people ordered sizes that were too small for them last year. Agony and misery ensued. Rivers ran with salty tears. You get the idea. Read the chart. Measure if you have to. We will not be able to accommodate exchanges.

There may be additional jerseys available for folks who don’t pre-order, but you’re taking a big chance here. You may not have the size available should you come asking the day before the event. Hell, there may be none available at all. So do what’s right: get to ordering your jersey now. We want you all looking crazy good come GranFondo day. Pre-orders for jerseys will wrap up by May 31st, so get crackin’

Thanks For Noticing

Part of our “off-season” toiling was a website redesign for the GranFondo. It went live a few weeks ago and we’re tickled pink about the whole thing. Not only do we think it looks better, but we’ve added some bells, whistles, and assorted pots and pans that bang together. Take a minute, stroll through, and educate yourself about what you’re in for come October 9. We’ll be making additions and generally “robusting” the site as we move along, so come early, come often. Trust us, getting busted while checking out a charity cycling event’s website at work is better than getting busted looking at Facebook while on the clock. Again.

Raising the Fun

One of the aforementioned bells and whistles on that shiny new website? Individual fundraising for the GranFondo charities. Yep, this year, you can create an account on our site, share the link with friends, and start your own ruthless fundraising campaign, forever designed to leave your mark on the world. In order to help this whole process along, we’ve held secret negotiations with sponsors like RadioShack, Trek, RoadID, and Capo, to get exclusive GranFondo gear for your efforts. For those that really bring it, we’re opening up VIP access to auctions, receptions, and hospitality tents all over the GranFondo, including a ride with Team RadioShack the day before the big ride. Want a cherry on top? First person who gets to $8,000 gets this little item from the Tour of the Gila Mountains, signed by El Patron (that’s Levi, folks), Jason Montgomery, and some guy named Lance Armstrong.

Levi’s GranFondo is a charity ride that benefits numerous child welfare charities, including Forget Me Not Farm, as well as the Keep the Tour campaign to continue to bring the Tour of California back to Levi’s hometown of Santa Rosa. All cash donations to Levi’s GranFondo are tax deductible.

And speaking of fundraising…

Road ID Is Cleaning Out The Garage.

Old pals at Road ID are having a spring giveaway where they pull stuff out of their garage to give to lucky customers. Luckily, their garage is filled with a Hed Cycling Ardennes wheelset, an iPad, and $250 Road ID gift cards. They’re offering up these goodies to folks who come to the site and do one of a few things, one of which is donating $2 to GranFondo charities. This is a hell of a deal, so by all means, get on over there before it wraps up on May 31st. Thanks in advance for your good judgment and thanks to Road ID for stoking us out (again).

Away In A Manger

Well, okay, not yet. But there’s 6,000 riders in this thing and a fair bit of you want to get hotel rooms here in Sonoma County. We’re a hospitable lot, but there is a limit to the amount of beds in our area. If you’ve made plans to ride the GranFondo, go on and take care of the rest by booking your hotel. We’ve got these places all warmed up for you, all you’ve got to do is check out the “Getting There” section of the website for more information. Book it through our site and enjoy special rates available only to GranFondo participants. The nice folks at 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. Booked your room waaaaay early and didn’t get a special room rate? Contact our hospitality duchess, Lisa so we can make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

Volunteers From Here to Here

We need volunteers. A lot of volunteers. Over 600 folks helped us out last year and had a great time. At least that’s what they told us. We’re going to need even more help in 2010, so if you know someone who can lend a hand, send ‘em our way. We’ll provide food, t-shirts, discounts on GranFondo merchandise, a huge post-GranFondo appreciation party, and our boundless gratitude. Also, they get to work with glowingly attractive and sleep-deprived event staff. Lucky ducks.

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

It’s almost here. It’s amazing. Its designer is Odessa Gunn.