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For those of us in the thick of planning one of the most complex road cycling events on the continent and having been doing so tirelessly for the last year, ten days feels like a minuscule measurement. So small that to us, it's actually finally here. We are already packing trailers, moving equipment, building festival infrastructure, preparing aid stations, marking courses, and readying to launch the first "televised" live long-distance race broadcast to take place in North America in half a decade.
Athletes from around the world will converge in Sonoma County to compete in America's toughest road bike race, and it will be live-streamed for free on YouTube so that the world can see. But there's a whole lot more going on than just a hard-earned, mega-purse road race. There's also a festival, live music, a free family ride, the whole gran fondo experience, two days of exhibitors, a jumbotron so you can all watch the race from the Windsor Town Green, and ice cream -- loads of it, and beer too, dad.
The Family Fondo is FREE! Kids, parents, and loved ones can join the brand-new 8-mile, flat route through the town of Windsor. This year's ride will be led by the Sunday Funday Windsor Ride group! Gather at 9:00 AM on McLelland and Market. Roll at 9:30 AM • Ride finishes before 11:00 AM
Most of you will be riding non-competitively in the gran fondo of our event, which starts at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 19th. It is what we've been doing for 16 years now, and will feature thousands of guests from around the world who will roll out in unison just as they have done since 2009. If you're here for the first time, you'll want to know a thing or two about your arrival, check-in, and lining up. All of this information can be found in our rider guide which is extensive. Please read it thoroughly!
Some super important parts that cannot be overlooked are rider check-in, staging, and route colors. It's all in there!
The Growler is both a race, and also a route with three separate starts depending on whether you're racing (by approval only), or riding (anyone can sign up). Competitors from around the world have been vetted and approved to race the Growler, and this portion of the event is what will be live-streamed on YouTube beginning at 11:00 AM Pacific Time and for the entire day if you are at the festival watching our jumbotron. If you signed up to ride the growler as an amateur, then you will start at 8:00 AM. But if you are one of the 170 professional athletes who have been vetted and approved, you will start with either the men at 7:30 AM or the women at 7:35 AM.
This short teaser expresses how the live stream of The Growler road race is poised:
We will send information that is specific to the route you've selected because each route is a little different. Because we all roll out together, it can be easy to follow the wheel of the person in front of you and neglect to pay attention to proper signage. We want to help you avoid this mistake, and will share route information and GPX files for each route so that you can arrive prepared for the best day on two wheels.
There's still room, and time to join Levi's GranFondo! If you want to ride in the GranFondo, you can still sign up. Tell your friends. If they're not cyclists, the weekend will still be very enjoyable. We will host two days of exhibitors (there are more than 40!) at the Windsor Town Green, live music on both days, and our two FREE rides that anyone can join.
This event takes hundreds of volunteers to produce. It's a highly complex operation, and none of it can be done without a helping hand. Your support as a volunteer not only makes sure we are able to produce a grand experience for everyone who participates, it also allows us to focus more resources on the charitable efforts that go into raising money for King Ridge Foundation, and the kids it supports.
The tasks at hand vary from moving and setting up at the festival to flagging at important intersections and neighborhood streets so that the athletes of the Growler can race safely back to Windsor.
If you have a little time on your hands, please sign up as a volunteer and help produce one of the biggest events in the country!
We will see many of you in just 10 short days, if not sooner, and we can't wait for the world to see what we have in store. Thank you for joining us!
