GFNY announces UCI Pro race

Gran Premio New York City

May 19, 2024

The inaugural UCI 1.2 men elite pro race “Gran Premio New York City” will be held on May 19, 2024 on the same course and same day as the 12th annual mass participation race “Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC”.

World premiere

Holding a professional and mass-participation race at the same time on the same course is an event format never held before in cycling, although it’s commonly done in running and triathlon. GFNY is taking a revolutionary step to bring professional and mass participation racing together to augment both race fields and take advantage of existing operations, logistics and exposure. Something seemingly obvious for other endurance sports, yet not done in cycling.

In this revolutionary format for cycling, the 180 pros from 25 teams will line up 15 minutes before the 5000 amateurs on the closed-to-traffic lower level of the world’s busiest bridge, George Washington Bridge on May 19, 2024. Both races will follow the one-loop, 137 km (85-mile) GFNY course through Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY with 2000 m (6500 ft) of climbing.

“Adding a pro race to GFNY mass participation races has been in the making since 2014,” says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “This new format of pros and amateurs racing together aims to revolutionize cycling where both traditionally race in separate events. Having the pros take on the same course as the amateurs, just minutes ahead of them, will bring the racing fans closer to their heroes and elevate the event experience for all riders, spectators and sponsors.”

Women’s pro race 

A women’s pro race is in the planning as well but isn’t confirmed until a sponsor is found. The women’s race would start 45 minutes ahead of the men’s professional race and provide the women their own stage as part of this iconic international event. If your company or organization is interested in supporting women racing, please contact GFNY. 

Further GFNY pro races

GFNY plans to add further UCI pro races to several of the other currently 30+ GFNYs around the world. At the top of the list are the GFNY races Miami, Cozumel, Republica Dominicana, Cannes, Kuala Lumpur and Vaujany-L’Alpe d’Huez.

The teams

25 teams from over 15 countries will make GP NYC an exciting race. European Pro Tour teams with Grand Tour pedigree will lead the field, followed by Continental Pro teams from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Local Pro teams will round out the field and get to measure themselves with the best. Ten contracts are already signed and ten more are in the final stages. Interested pro teams have little time left to apply to be a part of the first UCI pro road race in NYC before the field is full.

New York City

New York City is the center for finance, commerce, fashion and international relations, earning its title as the capital of the world. It’s only fitting that NYC hosts an international professional cycling race, the Gran Premio New York City. The teams attending will be an international mix from over 15 countries, and the GP NYC course will serve as an incredible stage to showcase cycling to the world.

GFNY is preparing communication with participating professional teams around cheering for their national heroes who are racing.

The course

Both the pro and amateur races are held on the same one-loop course of 85 miles (137 km) and 6,500ft (2000m) of climbing that has the characteristics of a Belgian spring classic which favors all-rounders.

The races start on the closed-to-traffic George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest bridge. The start area looking over the NYC skyline, suspended over the Hudson River, with upbeat music, interviews, announcements and pre-race excitement offers the most amazing race start in cycling.

The course passes through charming towns, beautiful nature and challenging climbs of Bergen County and Rockland County and the metropolitan life of the world’s capital, New York City.

The race’s finish line and post-race festival are located in Fort Lee, NJ, providing easy access to NYC, airports, hotels, restaurants, highways, and more. 

Live broadcast

Both the pro race Gran Premio NYC and the mass participation race Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC will be broadcast live online and onsite on a jumbo screen at the festival village. Fans at the race as well as all over the world can follow their favorite pro and their friends live.

Weekend activations

Fans get to interact with the pros in several ways during race weekend. The Team Presentation is planned to be held at Times Square and riders will be available for autograph sessions and even group rides. 

The 12th annual NYC Bike Expo, held together with the packet pickup for riders at the GFNY Festival Village in Fort Lee on May 17 and 18, will be the hub for all activities and provide companies the opportunity to showcase their products to an attractive demographic. 

During race week leading up to the professional race, guests can enjoy a variety of exclusive experiences, from a Welcome Reception in Manhattan, a Team Presentation ceremony, the Hospitality Suite at the Michelob ULTRA GFNY NYC post-race festival village, to a Champions’ post-race dinner. Besides photo opportunities and great food and conversation, the unique experiences will provide many new connections, friendships and memories.

Homestays

Homestays have long been a mainstay of endurance sports. For families interested in assisting an athlete from out of town, GFNY is seeking out and coordinating the homestays for pro riders.  

 Hosting a pro is a great opportunity to see how they prepare for the race. It helps the smaller teams to cope with the accommodation costs involved with attending a distant race, and often a homestay is the difference between being able to come to the race or not. Following the pro’s race day on the live broadcast, seeing their good and bad moments and hearing their post-race stories gives the host a deeper connection to the race.

Sponsorship

The format of this event, with a professional race and a large-scale international mass participation race taking place on the same course at the same time, is providing an unparalleled exposure opportunity.

Cycling embodies the two most relevant topics of our time: health and the environment. GFNY adds to your company as a brand concerned with and engaged in these topics.

If your company or organization is interested to align with this modern health & eco brand, GFNY, as well as be a part of this revolutionary, inaugural, unparalleled event, please reach out to GFNY. There are a variety of experiential, engagement and visibility opportunities available, both in-person and via the live broadcast.

More news to come

As GFNY prepares for this ground-breaking race format, more news about the race is going to be shared. Stay tuned in the GFNY facebook page, on instagram, subscribe to GFNY email newsletters by going to gfny.com and providing your email address.