by Chris Geiser

It was back in June when I had first started to use and abuse the phrase “Double-Double” in reference to doubling our GFNY adventures in Europe in September, that I realized that I would not be a GFNY 3x finisher. Oh wait — Cozumel, I was initially dismissive. “I will never get away with it”, I thought. A double-double adventure in Europe, followed by a Veteran’s Day long weekend in tropical Mexico to celebrate GFNY with a final race for 2018. But here we are. In that article in June, I closed with the “I reserve the right to change my mind about Cozumel, btw”.

We are on for GFNY Cozumel, which has led me to unveil a few new and fun hashtags. #screwbasemiles #letskeepracing #GFNYFallSeason — are the battle cries that will take us into Thanksgiving. As everyone is starting to trade the bike for the weight room, and for Zwift, and saying things like “we are just trying to get base miles going before the season starts, I am getting to Great Kills beach as often as possible to ride in headwinds that I hope simulate the legendary headwinds of the GFNY Cozumel race. Screw base miles — let’s race! #GFNYFallSeason — my accident in April made 2018 all about the Fall. Or rather, the fall made it all about the Fall. I am digging being “a fall racing dude”. Almost like that surfer you see on the beach in January.

Tom and I in Portugal, Toto and I in Italy in 2017. We’re getting the band back together in Cozumel! Ari Dee will be there, and we are waiting on a few others to confirm.

But enough about me….(I know right, insufferable, it’s brutal, I can’t even stand listening to me talk about me anymore). Let’s talk about someone of substance.

Meet Shaun Gad

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on the phone with Shaun Gad. Shaun is not only the organizer of GFNY Cozumel, now in its fifth year, but also one of the organizers of GFNY Jerusalem, running its second edition this coming May! In setting up the interview I sent some questions ahead of time, and offered “feel free to fill in by email if you prefer” — I figured he was as slammed as a 120mm stem at this point in the season with the race coming up. He shot back immediately, “let’s get on the phone, I think you will really find my answers to these questions very interesting.” Spoiler alert! I did!

Shaun Gad from the unauthorized theft of his Facebook profile picture. Not surprisingly, it was the only photo I could find of him alone. And that’s what GFNY is all about!

The Cycling Life

Tell us about your cycling life? How did you end up here?

“I grew up in NYC and used to travel to Mt. Snow for mountain biking events, these were NORBA (National Off Road Bicycle Association) sanctioned races. I have always been on the bike. Whether BMX or free style. If it had wheels on it I was passionate about it since I was born. I love it and it’s close to my heart. I have never let go of that sense of Freedom that the bicycle gives you.

I grew up in Queens and then moved to Long Island, and started doing group rides along the LIE and a few small races, crits in Harlem, nothing fancy. I had an opportunity after I was finished with school, to go to Mexico, and had the opportunity to work in our family business here, and I ended up choosing Cozumel. This was 20 years ago. I wasn’t so big into cycling for five or six years, but once I was back into it, I was traveling and getting into being a big fan of cycling again. The Tour, the Giro, the USA Pro Challenge.

I then started a team here in Mexico. Old riders, new riders…

I was working for a big company with a lot of resources, and used that to help to build cycling here in Mexico. Helping organizers, organizing races myself. Mexico was just starting to build a cycling scene. You would get to a race and there would be the fancy bikes, and the cool gear, and then the local racers, that just had a bike, and no fancy gear. And when the race started, the local guys on the basic bikes were the ones that had the legs. Never ever underestimate anyone, especially here.

Please tell us about how you got involved with GFNY? There is always a great story here, what is yours?

Cozumel first started with my partner Miguel Gonzales and I helped the government facilitate IronMan events and it was doing very well on the Island, but there were no pure cycling events. The secretary of tourism, had asked the question, “do you think we can bring any other events here?” I knew there was GFNY, and several others, I emailed them all, and Uli and Lidia responded within three seconds. I was the first one to ask if they would like to bring the franchise out of the U.S. The Mexico and Italy races happened around the same time.

We met in person, went over my background, how we can build the event, the logistics we would need for the event, and it didn’t take long for us to all agree. The funny thing was that after all that I went to the same school as Lidia. Miguel and I wanted to bring it in for fun. We didn’t see ourselves as an event company. We thought, “we’ve been putting local races together, like helping make the IronMan happen on the Island but lets focus on cycling”. I have a degree in marketing, so I did everything I knew how to combine that with what I knew about cycling and promote the heck out of the race. We had 1100 riders the first year, and we thought “wow -this is the right recipe”.

Looking at how people are marketing and promoting events, and the bike stores, the ones that have the right lingo, and the ones that are just doing what they can to market their company, we realized that we needed to do things a little differently.

It was more, for us, saying the right thing the right way to connect with the riders. It’s one cyclist talking to another, and sharing a passion. My goal is to not only get people into it, but how to evolve as a rider once you get started. How to get to the top of the climb, and how to survive the heat of the race. You have the hunger to get better, how much further can I take my body next week and the week after. People like the challenge and seeing what they can put their body through.

For example when you are here in Cozumel, when you get to the other side of the Island, it’s windy, one of the things in the race tips — stay to the right and stay in the drops — BUT — only when you see the bushes. When you are near the bushes, it’s usually a cross wind, those bushes will block the crosswind. Get into an echelon when there are no bushes. When there are bushes, get in a pace-line get in your drops, and move through.

Our teammate Hector “Nairo” Viscano above left with Luis Lemus, signing in, and starting the race at GFNY Cozumel.

Some people beg me not to give that away. A lot of riders figure this out by the second lap. And they may see other people doing that as well. This can take you from a 36 km per hour to a 44. The winner last year did 42 km per hour for the entire race. You’re going to get some fast speeds here. The first 20 minutes are uncomfortable. Scale of 1–10 it will be an 8 or a 9. Then you will get into your pace and you will carry that to the KOW and then you will be uncomfortable again. Then you will find your rhythm again. Some people get excited going through downtown and waste a lot of energy. You need to be smart about how you spend your power.

Editor’s note — uncomfortable sounds about right for keeping up with a fast group off the front. At GFNY Deutschland, my heart rate was 170 beats per minute in the neutral start. In Portugal, Tom and I decided to negative split the course, and our plan worked pretty well. But the course in Cozumel is a different kind of challenging. Fast racers, strong winds, and flat out, balls out, get the lead out, till you zonk out, full gas until you are under the kite. Trying to hold the wheels of the fast groups will be a challenge, but will make for a better overall effort. My fastest forty kilometers ever, at GFNY Italia in 2017, came as a result of one of these types of courses.

And on the Other Side of the World….

Once complete with the race in November, Shaun will likely turn his attention back to the GFNY Jerusalem, coming up on May 3, 2019. The first GFNY Jerusalem was held this past Spring, right before the Giro came to town. When the news broke here in NYC about the Jerusalem race, the Giro, and just the entire scope of the evolution of cycling in Jerusalem, the excitement about all of it started to swell. Several of our Gavia Cycling teammates were signed up and ready to go. GFNY was touching down in the Middle East -how did this come about?

As I understand, you are the organizer for both Cozumel and Jerusalem. What are the challenges that come with organizing two races, in these very diverse parts of the world?

Having the right team. Everything is about your team. Teamwork. If there are things I am not capable of doing, then I rely on my teammates. They are all my friends. The pillar is that one of my teammates ilan Zaviv, is over there, in Jerusalem.

When the Israeli government contacted us, they wanted to get us there before the Giro. ilan lives in Jerusalem, and has tour companies, understands logistics, and said “let me put together a team over here”. He collaborated with the largest event company in Jerusalem, (organizers of the Tel Aviv marathon for instance), and in putting that team together, told the government — we are ready, let’s talk. We went over everything, and spoke to the Mayor of Jerusalem. He had the route planned for us. We had never seen that before. I wanted to get on the bike with him!

For me, that we were going past where my father is buried, I felt like my father was bringing me to Jerusalem. It was a big deal. We shook hands, and did the paperwork. Jerusalem is completely different than any other GFNY. The route, the logistics, the people, it is completely different. I was super impressed with all the support we received for the race.

   

The Jerusalem jersey and medal, start line, and Gavia teammates, Mark, Karen, and Benny.

I have heard 5+ Stars from everyone that has raced in Cozumel. Please tell us your secret for putting on such a great race? 

I always want to make the races better, and more entertaining. Here in Cozumel, it’s like a Broadway production. We are entertaining you from the minute you get off the plane, and leaving you hungry for more when you get on the plane for home.

The truth is, it takes time to put these things together and do it the right way. I would never want to limit my ability to put together a great event. But I love to ride, and if I don’t ride three times a week I go cuckoo. So you have to have a balance, and in mixing the two.

I don’t look at myself as a pioneer. It’s a big passion, and it has been for a very long time. We were fortunate enough to build a fashionable race, with a quality brand, and that’s what I am trying to represent what people see as what cycling is. There are so many more ways to explain it than “I went out to ride my bike”. Social media has brought so many people that share that pleasure of cycling, and turned it into something more pleasurable in building these types of events. There were Gran Fondo’s before us obviously, but there is something to be said for how GFNY operates vs other events. Like I said before, it’s the recipe. To build a community of like minded riders, or those that aspire to be part of this type of challenge and race against others. You can do whatever you want with GFNY, race against the clock, yourself, the podium, others in your age group, the wind here in Cozumel. There are so many things that make us interesting. We are a pioneer in that category because no one has done that before. Cycling is a sport for everyone! That’s the foundation of cycling! Bringing community together and not separating it.

Next Stop Borrego, then Cozumel

Before we are off Cozumel in November, Tom and I have some business with a 6 hour ITT in Borrego Springs, California. It should be an excellent preparation for the fast course, and windy conditions, and allow us to test our mettle without riding in a pack. The fall season has been something to behold. To have the motivation to keep training hard, keep riding, and keep bringing it every day, has put a Spring in my step that has almost made me forget that it was Fall. #GFNYFallSeason #ScrewBaseMiles #LetsKeepRacing

With sincere gratitude to Shaun Gad for spending the time with me. We are so looking forward to racing at GFNY Cozumel. This will be my 3x medal achievement for 2018, and my 9th GFNY overall. Stay tuned to find out where number 10 will happen!