GFNY Lourdes Tourmalet and GFNY Michigan Ann Arbor took place this past Sunday, June 12

New York City, June 14, 2022 – For the inaugural edition of GFNY Lourdes Tourmalet (France) racers tackled 157km with 4064m of climbing in the legendary French Pyrenees.

Col d’Aspin was the first real obstacle of the day – and it didn’t disappoint. The peloton split into groups with the lead group consisting of five riders.  During the steepest part of the ascent to iconic Col du Tourmalet, the second mountain of the race, Julien Berard (France) pulled away from his contenders. He already scored several GFNY podiums, but this time he was poised to finally take the top spot. After a furious descent under severe storms, Berard took the win in 4:49:10. His countrymen Sebastian Pillon (Jolly Cycles) and Nicolas Capdepuy completed the podium.

In the female race, 2019 GFNY World Champion and 2022 GFNY World Championship runner-up Jill Patterson (USA) dominated. Unchallenged, she took the win in 5:46:39, beating Belgian Sarah Audenart and French Marit Faucogney.

Meanwhile across the pond, GFNY Michigan Ann Arbor provided a very different playground for the racers. The course was 162km long with just over 1000m of climbing, favoring the rouleurs in the peloton.

It was 23-year old Cat.1 racer Ben Gorodetsky from NYC (New England Devo) who took the lead as early as mile 18 – and never looked back. He won in 4:11:59, followed by Dado Slezak (Onyx Racing/USA) 2 ½ minutes back. Wojciech Komsta (Finkraft/Poland) completed the podium in 4:18:07

In the female race, it was a Canadian double with Natascha Piciga taking the win in a time of 04:53:56, followed by her countrywoman Christina Alsop.  Aleksandra Szydelko (Poland) took third, her relentless determination for GFNY and cycling paying off big time!

Next up is GFNY La Vaujany this Sunday, where GFNY riders have to tackle the legendary Alpe d’Huez climb – twice.

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organising events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

30 plus events around the world. View the 2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

Official GFNY Lourdes Tourmalet Video: here

Official GFNY Lourdes Tourmalet Photos: here

GFNY Results: here

GFNY World calendar graphic: here

Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.

Uli Fluhme,

Caroline Lindsay,