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Dear <firstname>,
You are signed up for the Piccolino of Levi's GranFondo, and we're just days away from all the action!
This message serves as a final reminder of what to expect during Levi's GranFondo and to arm you with all you need to know to make the most of your two days with us. Yes, you heard that right dayS...
This year's event features two days of exhibitors, live music, and activities you don't want to miss, so listen up!
On Friday, April 18th, our event kicks off, starting at 2:00 pm at the Windsor Town Green. We highly encourage you to come by Friday to get sorted, check out our exhibitors, and get the lay of the land for where things will take place on Saturday morning. We'll have live music on Friday by local band Gas Money, and beer will be served up from three local microbreweries: Old Caz, Henhouse, and Barrel Brothers. Of course, we haven't forgotten the kids--Good Vybes Lemonade will be there with their vending trailer dedicated entirely to lemonade.
Rider Check-In
Rider check-in takes place at the Huerta Gymnasium right next to the Windsor Town Green. You must appear in person to sign a waiver, get a ride plate, and your free commemorative water bottle and musette bag. Rider check-in also takes place Saturday morning before the ride, but you may be a little rushed to get it done then. That's why we encourage you to come on Friday.
Rider Meeting - 4:00 pm (Optional, but encouraged for Piccolino riders)
Got questions? We have answers in person! We will conduct a rider meeting at 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon right in the center of the Town Green that will feature information for everyone participating. This meeting is optional for gran fondo participants, but it is mandatory for competitors in the Growler race. It will be a great opportunity to meet and greet some of today's top cycling talent. The rider meeting will also be streamed Live on YouTube. Make sure to follow us there ahead of time so you don't miss it if you cannot attend in person.
7:30 am Growler Road Race
The Growler road race is the new race component of Levi's GranFondo, and it will be streamed LIVE at the Festival and on YouTube. This is a historic moment for bike racing in North America. Professional athletes from around the world are converging in Windsor, California to compete on a 138-mile-long course that features nearly 14,000 feet of elevation, making it America's toughest road race. There will be more than 100 men and 70 women competing for a share of a $156,000 purse. The whole thing will be live-broadcast at the festival jumbotron, on outdoor displays at sponsor booths at the festival, and to the world on YouTube.
You are asked to stage according to the staging flags which will be placed along McLelland Drive where you will line up.
Begin to line up at 7:15 AM on Saturday morning.
When you go to line up, make sure to look for the "PICCOLINO" staging flag adjacent to McLelland Drive. It looks like this, and is more than 10 feet tall:
The Piccolino follows PINK
The Piccolino riders will follow the PINK route arrows. They also contain the word "PINK" on them. You will also follow rainbow-colored "ALL" signs which are used when all participants are to travel together along a given section of roadway.
As you reach intersections where different routes go in different directions, you will see multiple colored arrows pointing in different directions. Be sure to always follow the PINK arrow, or the rainbow-colored "ALL" arrows.
The Piccolino is not a race
The Piccolino course is not a race. We provide seat post tags to be placed on your bike, which feature RFID timing chips that are used to record your ride time and verify which route you completed. Your full ride time will be shown in our official "RESULTS" page. However, there are no awards for finishing ahead of other people on any of the gran fondo routes, which all start at 8:00 AM on Saturday.
The Piccolino has no aid stations
The Piccolino does not have any aid stations. The total course length is just 17.6 miles long, and you'll be back at the festival within two hours at the most, where there will be ample refreshments and food.
The Piccolino TURNS AROUND at mile 13!
The Piccolino route must turn around at the Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach before crossing the Healdsburg Bridge. There will be course signage for the Piccolino riders to turn into Veterans Memorial Beach where the route then turns around and heads back towards Windsor. Please be careful making this turn as there may be oncoming traffic across the bridge, towards you. Only turn left when it is safe to do so!
In order to safely facilitate the potential of a sprint finish between the professionals, we have implemented a secondary finish line for everyone else. This secondary finish line is next to the primary finish line, and participants who are not completing the Growler will be required to cross this secondary finish line between the hours of 1:00pm and 3:00pm on Saturday. This means that for a good part of the day, finishers will pass under the primary finish line, but when the professionals are finishing, we will implement this diversion.
If you are diverted to the secondary finish line, you must ride single-file, and use the bike lane, obey all traffic signals, and watch for traffic. During this time you will need to ride underneath Highway 101 en route to the finish. It's a shorter route to the finish line, but mandatory, and your time will reflect this.
Saturday will be full of fun activities. After your easy stroll through Windsor, California, you'll return to the festival where we will have food vendors, exhibitors, live music, cold beverages, and live professional bike racing on display for the world to see. Our awards ceremony is not to be missed in the afternoon where we will crown the winners of the Growler, America's toughest road race.
