Gran Fondo Hincapie Ready to Roll Out New Event in Bentonville

Gran Fondo Hincapie has been creating cycling experiences for over 12 years and has announced the official courses for their new Bentonville, Ark. event on Sept. 7-8. In partnership with Visit Bentonville, the Ozark Foundation, and Runway Group, the Hincapie-Bentonville event will also host a Junior Challenge with a large cash purse and prizes for cyclists 18 and under. Hincapie Gran Fondo is much more than two days of scenic and epic rides—it’s a multi-day cycling celebration that also includes a Family Fun Festival.
 

On Saturday, Day One of the epic Gran Fondo Hincapie-Bentonville weekend, riders will experience an abundance of rolling hills with a course that heads north out of Bentonville, through Bella Vista, Ark., and then makes an eastern loop into Missouri. See below for Day One course statistics:
 

• Gran – 86.5 Miles | 4,848 feet of elevation gain | 3 Timed Climbs | 3 Rest Stops (view the full route here)
• Medio – 55 Miles | 3,428 feet of elevation gain | 3 Timed Climbs, 2 Rest Stops (view the full route here)
• Piccolo – 18.1 Miles | 1,136 feet of elevation gain | 1 Timed Climb (view the full route here)
   

On Sunday, Day Two of the ultimate cycling experience, riders are treated to a different set of scenic road courses. First, riders will head north out of Bentonville, ride through Bella Vista, Ark., and then make a western loop through Missouri. See below for Day Two course statistics:
 

• Gran – 84.3 Miles | 4,893 feet of elevation gain | 3 Timed Climbs | 4 Rest Stops (view the full route here)
• Medio – 43.7 Miles | 2,788 feet of elevation gain | 2 Timed Climbs, 2 Rest Stops (view the full route here)
• Piccolo – 18 Miles | 1,136 feet of elevation gain | 1 Timed Climb (view the full route here)
   

“What’s great about these courses is that you have flat to rolling hills, wide open countryside and then you come in and out of Bentonville, so there’s a little something for everybody,” said Jamie Godfrey, Hincapie Event Director. “It’s not just for the serious cyclists. It’s for someone who may have never been to a Gran Fondo or mass participation event before.”
 

A Junior Challenge is also being introduced for the Hincapie-Bentonville event, which will feature a large cash purse and prizes for cyclists ages 10–18. Participants will ride the Medio courses but have their own staging and start corral. Riders will be required to present a current 2024 USA Cycling or UCI license. To help grow the sport of cycling and encourage participation amongst young riders, junior riders 18 and under who are not interested in racing, but still want to participate in the Hincapie event are invited to register for any of the Fondo distances for free.
 

“There is simply not enough racing for Juniors around the country. When I grew up, I could race almost every weekend in big fields. We need to bump that back up,” said George Hincapie. “We have a great crop of American professionals now that are helping to elevate the sport in the minds of young riders across the country. For young riders to line up [at the Hincapie-Junior Challenge] and have a professional World Tour-looking stage, it’s a great opportunity for them,” said Hincapie. “Hopefully from starting an event like this, they continue to grow their passion for the sport and never want to leave it, keep getting better, and keep making their lives about cycling. We want to continue to see and grow youth cycling in the United States.”
 

The Gran Fondo Hincapie is more than just a “big ride.” Registration for a Hincapie event means you’re signing up for a multi-day ultimate cycling celebration with not only two days of rides, but also a Family Fun Festival included in the registration cost after each day of riding, complete with gourmet food, entertainment, podium awards, and drinks alongside friends, family, and thousands of other cyclists. Participants also receive an event jersey, chip timing, on-course SAG support, fully stocked rest stops, and free participant photography.
 

“The Hincapie event is unique in that it’s two days plus on Friday night there is a Celebrity Chef Dinner, expo, and packet pick up. People are coming in and spending a whole weekend here. People are signing up for both days, which offers them two different riding experiences. They’re staying in town for two separate nights, hopefully enjoying The Momentary, and eating at our restaurants,” said Jamie Cathey, Outdoor Recreation Events Manager, Visit Bentonville. “For a group of people who might not have thought that Bentonville was a spot for them, this [event] expose that road group…now we’re getting a whole other group of people to know what we know, which is that there is a really amazing cycling culture here, and there is a place for them, too on the road cycling side.”
 

The Bentonville, Ark. event (Sept 7-8) adds to Gran Fondo Hincapie’s world-class lineup of other upcoming events, others having taken place in Lehigh Valley, Pa. (May 31- June 1), followed by Bangor, Maine (June 21-22), and Greenville, S.C. (Oct. 18-19). The Merced, Calif. event took place March 16-17 (view 2024 results here) and the Chattanooga, Tenn. event took place May 3-4 (view 2024 results here).
 

Registration is now open for all 2024 events, including the Hincapie Gran Fondo-Bentonville, September 7-8, 2024. Link to register here.
 

To learn more about Gran Fondo Hincapie please visit https://hincapie.com/ or follow along on social media on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.