.png)
A few weeks ago we said we were taking extra time to work through the details of bringing route changes to 2027. Today we have some important things to share with you. Let's start with the biggest news first.
Eighteen years ago we created a ride with three options to choose from: Piccolo, Medio, and Gran. A few years later, we added the Growler. But the names themselves have done little to honor the true nature of what made this so special. These routes all shared something in common that became the reasons people wanted to experience Sonoma County: rugged landscapes, towering redwoods, bucolic valley floors, technicolored vineyards, the smell of grapes at harvest, and the fresh, cool, humid Pacific breeze. The roads we picked connected all of this together in a single day of people moving through one of the most beautiful and accessible places to ride your road bike in the world.
But perhaps the greatest magnetism Levi's GranFondo held was an invitation to ride your bike beside one of the greatest natural wonders on the planet: the immensely deep and restless Pacific Ocean. It is the most powerful single force in nature, and one you can literally touch with your bare skin. It is the engine from which all life on this earth was created, and that which perpetuates our existence today.
When you visit the place where this wonder meets the land we inhabit, the possibility of realization for most people becomes so dominant that it's impossible for the experience not to change you incrementally in some way.
As the engineers of Levi's GranFondo, we often live out our days within the confines of the thing which we've created, making it difficult to comprehend the way that it is experienced by those who it was built for. But one thing that we've been acutely aware of for the last eight years is that we've needed to return one of the most fundamental components that made this day so great on day 1. In 2027, we will do just that.
Let's go for a ride.
The 2027 edition of Levi's GranFondo will offer three new route options in addition to the existing Piccolo and Family Fondo. The Medio, Gran, and Growler routes will all visit the Pacific Ocean next year. They will feature steep pitches and stunning views of the sea with rest stops right on the coastline. All four routes can be viewed in detail today on our website.
Registration will open tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM Pacific Time for select participants for this week only. Limited access to priority registration will be offered to those who were signed up to ride in 2026 (whether you actually made it to the event or not). As long as you were registered for the ride, you will get this email. The one exception will be for those who opted out of receiving our emails.
Check your inbox tomorrow morning if you were registered for the ride in 2026, and you will be able to register for these new routes!
If you did not register in 2026, your opportunity will come after past participants have been given a crack at grabbing one of these new route spots. Registration for you and everyone else will open in two more weeks, on Sunday, September 13th at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.
Juniors may register immediately, beginning today. Juniors may register here.
Elite competitors are not guaranteed entry into Skipstone's Growler Road Race. If you wish to race with the elites, you must apply. Applications are now being accepted; however, your acceptance may not be confirmed for a few weeks. Click here to apply.
