GFNY Mazatlan is CONFIRMED. The state of Sinaloa has approved GFNY Mazatlan to take place on May 2nd, 2021.

GFNY Mazatlan is taking a number of precautions to keep GFNY riders, staff and volunteers safe. Measures include social distancing, modifying aspects of the race to prevent congregations of people and avoiding contamination from surfaces.

 

REGISTRATION / PACKET PICKUP & EXPO

In order to enter this years expo and race packet pick up area you will need to make a reservation by visiting this link https://gfny.cc/iframe?id=74&lang=en where you will be able to choose an appropriate day and time for your convenience.  This year all participants will have there waivers emailed to them which you will need to print, sign and bring to the race packet pick up area.  For this year you are only permitted to bring one friend or family member inside the expo area since there will be a max capacity limit.  Please make sure to arrive no more than 10 minutes before your reservation time.

Upon your arrival to the GFNY Mazatlan expo area our staff will implement a few sanitary measures which will include temperature checks, disinfection of clothing and feet and use of antibacterial gel.  The use of face masks is mandatory in order to enter the expo area and must be worn at all times.  Please also make sure to respect all social distancing requirements.  We ask that everyone helps us to complete these new sanitary protocols for everyone’s safety.

 

RACE PACKET PICKUP

All participants will be able to scan with their phone a special QR code where you will be able to find your participant bib number.  The QR codes will be placed outside and inside the expo area to help avoid any contact points.

Once you have arrived inside the main packet pickup area you will notice an amplified space with more lines while you wait to pick up your race number and goodie bag.  Please make sure to respect all social distancing regulations which will be clearly marked.  Our staff will have complete sanitary gear including face masks, visors and gloves in order to hand you your race packet in a sanitary fashion.  For this year all goodie bags will include a GFNY pen which you can use for signing additional documentation and our famous sign-in wall.

As always the GFNY Mazatlan magazine will be emailed to all participants before the race and we will also include QR codes for everyone to be able to download them at the expo area as well.

Please consider that all of these new sanitary protocols are to avoid gatherings of large crowds and for safe social distancing.  Everyone will have a max time limit inside of the expo area so that everyone will have ample time to enjoy the experience while inside.

 

RACE DAY

STARTING CORRALS

The big day has finally arrived!  To guarantee the safety of all our participants we have established special sanitary filters before being permitted inside your starting corrals. Count on amplified space inside your staring corrals as well as all access points for safe social distancing. In order to access the starting corrals our GFNY volunteers will monitor that all protocols are completed.  Please make sure to have the official 2021 GFNY jerseys, race numbers, bracelet and your face mask.

Once you have been granted access inside the starting corrals please find your correct corral which will be the color of your bracelet.  Make sure to stand at a safe social distance while waiting inside your corral and keep your face mask on until the race starts.  Once the race starts you may remove your face mask but please storage it in your rear jersey pocket since you will need it to enter any of our aid stations or finish area after the race.

For this year there will not be any baggage storage so please make arrangements or bring only the bare necessities for your race.

 

AID STATIONS

 

Take a breath!  We know that racing is very demanding on your body which is why we want you to focus on the race.  For the tranquility of all our participants all our aid stations will include all the sanitary and safety measures such as mandatory use of face masks and safe social distancing.

All aid stations will be amplified with multiple access lines and a one-way traffic flow. All pre-packaged food will be placed on our expanded tables which you will be able to grab and go.

Each service point will contain all available food and hydration options to reduce need to move locations or come in close proximity with another rider.

All food items will be single-packed for hygiene. Cups will be pre-filled. Filling of bottles will be done by the aid station team pouring into the rider’s bottle to avoid surface contamination.

Our GFNY staff will be in-charge of refilling all the food on the tables according to our new sanitary protocols. Tables, bathrooms and all touch points will be regularly disinfected by our cleaning crews as well.

We also invite all participants to bring there own food and drinks this year which will also help you to have a faster finishing time.

 

PORTABLE TOILETS

Portable toilets will be set up in a one-way flow with an entry and exit path. Hand sanitizer will be available.

AFTER THE FINISH

Congratulations! You’ve crossed the finish line.  Once you have finished your race our volunteers will hand you your finisher medal make sure you’re wearing your face mask and will then guide you to our amplified recovery area with more access points and expanded tables for safe social distancing.  You will be able to grab your recovery food and drinks while our volunteers restock all tables according to sanitary protocols.  Just like every year you can count on our medical team ready on standby should any emergency arise.

Our pasta area this year will be expanded even more including more tables, chairs and space for everyone.  To keep this area controlled we ask that everyone keeps tables and chairs in their current locations for safe social distancing.  Your pasta meal will come fresh out of the kitchen and will be given out in a pre-packaged style.

Please remember that the use of face masks and safe social distancing is required at all times while inside the finish area.

GFNY is taking care of every detail to protect you and make sure you have a fun and safe time.  Please help us to keep our race safe by completing all the sanitary protocols that we have implemented to guarantee everyone’s health.

We look forward to racing with you at GFNY Mazatlan 2021, BE A PRO FOR A DAY!

GFNY Mazatlan está CONFIRMADO. El estado de Sinaloa aprobó GFNY Mazatlan para el 2 de Mayo de 2021.

GFNY Mazatlan está tomando una serie de precauciones para mantener seguros a los pasajeros, el personal y los voluntarios de GFNY. Las medidas incluyen el distanciamiento social, modificar aspectos de la carrera para evitar congregaciones de personas y evitar la contaminación de las superficies.

 

REGISTRO / RECOGIDA DE PAQUETES

Para ingresar al área de recogida de paquetes de la exposición y la carrera de este año, deberá hacer una reserva visitando este enlace gfny.cc donde podrá elegir un día y una hora apropiados para su conveniencia. Este año, a todos los participantes se les enviarán exenciones por correo electrónico, que deberá imprimir, firmar y llevar al área de recogida de paquetes de la carrera. Para este año, solo se le permite traer a un amigo o familiar dentro del área de exposición, ya que habrá un límite de capacidad máxima. Asegúrese de llegar no más de 10 minutos antes de la hora de reserva.

A su llegada al área de exposición de GFNY Mazatlan, nuestro personal implementará algunas medidas sanitarias que incluirán controles de temperatura, desinfección de ropa y pies y uso de gel antibacterial. El uso de mascarillas es obligatorio para ingresar al área de exposición y debe usarse en todo momento. Asegúrese también de respetar todos los requisitos de distanciamiento social. Pedimos que todos nos ayuden a completar estos nuevos protocolos sanitarios para la seguridad de todos.

RECOGIDA DEL PAQUETE DE CARRERA

Todos los participantes podrán escanear con su teléfono un código QR especial donde podrá encontrar su número de dorsal de participante. Los códigos QR se colocarán fuera y dentro del área de la exposición para ayudar a evitar cualquier punto de contacto.

Una vez que haya llegado al área principal de recogida de paquetes, notará un espacio ampliado con más líneas mientras espera para recoger su número de carrera y su bolsa de regalos. Por favor asegúrese de respetar todas las regulaciones de distanciamiento social que estarán claramente marcadas. Nuestro personal contará con equipo sanitario completo que incluye mascarillas, viseras y guantes para poder entregarte tu paquete de carrera de manera higiénica. Para este año, todas las bolsas de regalos incluirán un bolígrafo GFNY que puede usar para firmar documentación adicional y nuestro famoso muro de inicio de sesión.

Como siempre, la revista GFNY Cozumel se enviará por correo electrónico a todos los participantes antes de la carrera y también incluiremos códigos QR para que todos puedan descargarlos en el área de la exposición.

Tenga en cuenta que todos estos nuevos protocolos sanitarios son para evitar reuniones de grandes multitudes y para un distanciamiento social seguro. Todos tendrán un límite de tiempo máximo dentro del área de exposición para que todos tengan tiempo suficiente para disfrutar de la experiencia mientras están adentro.

 

DÍA DE LA CARRERA

CORRALES DE INICIO

¡El gran día finalmente ha llegado! Para garantizar la seguridad de todos nuestros participantes, hemos establecido filtros sanitarios especiales antes de ser permitidos dentro de sus corrales de salida. Cuente con un espacio ampliado dentro de sus corrales de observación, así como con todos los puntos de acceso para un distanciamiento social seguro. Para acceder a los corrales de salida, nuestros voluntarios de GFNY controlarán que se completen todos los protocolos. Asegúrese de tener las camisetas oficiales de la GFNY 2021, los números de carrera, el brazalete y su máscara facial.

Una vez que se le haya otorgado acceso dentro de los corrales de inicio, busque el corral correcto, que será del color de su pulsera. Asegúrate de estar a una distancia social segura mientras esperas dentro de tu corral y mantén tu máscara hasta que comience la carrera. Una vez que comience la carrera, puede quitarse la mascarilla, pero guárdela en el bolsillo trasero de su maillot, ya que la necesitará para ingresar a cualquiera de nuestros avituallamientos o al área de meta después de la carrera. haga arreglos o traiga solo lo necesario para su carrera.

 

ESTACIONES DE AYUDA

¡Tomar un respiro! Sabemos que las carreras son muy exigentes para tu cuerpo, por eso queremos que te concentres en la carrera. Para la tranquilidad de todos nuestros participantes todos nuestros avituallamientos incluirán todos las medidas sanitarias y de seguridad como el uso obligatorio de mascarillas y el distanciamiento social seguro.

Todas las estaciones de ayuda se ampliarán con múltiples líneas de acceso y un flujo de tráfico en un solo sentido. Toda la comida preenvasada se colocará en nuestras mesas ampliadas, que podrá tomar y llevar.

Cada punto de servicio contendrá todas las opciones de alimentos e hidratación disponibles para reducir la necesidad de mudarse de lugar o acercarse a otro pasajero.

Todos los alimentos se envasarán de forma individual por motivos de higiene. Las tazas estarán precargadas. El equipo de la estación de socorro hará el llenado de botellas y las verterá en la botella del ciclista para evitar la contaminación de la superficie.

Nuestro personal de GFNY se encargará de rellenar toda la comida de las mesas según nuestros nuevos protocolos sanitarios. Nuestros equipos de limpieza también desinfectarán periódicamente las mesas, los baños y todos los puntos de contacto.

También invitamos a todos los participantes a traer su propia comida y bebida este año, lo que también les ayudará a tener un tiempo de llegada más rápido.

INODOROS PORTÁTILES

Los baños portátiles se instalarán en un flujo unidireccional con un camino de entrada y salida. Habrá desinfectante de manos disponible.

 

DESPUÉS DE LA LLEGADA

Congratulations! You’ve crossed the finish line. Once you have finished your race our volunteers will hand you your finisher medal make sure you’re wearing your face mask and will then guide you to our amplified recovery area with more access points and expanded tables for safe social distancing. You will be able to grab your recovery food and drinks while our volunteers restock all tables according to sanitary protocols. Just like every year you can count on our medical team ready on standby should any emergency arise.

Nuestro área de pasta este año se ampliará aún más, incluyendo más mesas, sillas y espacio para todos. Para mantener esta área controlada, pedimos que todos mantengan las mesas y sillas en sus ubicaciones actuales para un distanciamiento social seguro. Su comida de pasta saldrá fresca de la cocina y se entregará en un estilo preenvasado.

Recuerde que se requiere el uso de máscaras faciales y un distanciamiento social seguro en todo momento mientras se esté dentro del área de meta.

GFNY se ocupa de cada detalle para protegerte y asegurarse de que pases un rato divertido y seguro. Ayúdanos a mantener nuestra carrera segura completando todos los protocolos sanitarios que hemos implementado para garantizar la salud de todos.

Esperamos competir contigo en GFNY Mazatlan 2021, BE A PRO FOR A DAY!

GFNY Podcast: The Benefits of Coaching

This week on the GFNY Training Center we discuss the benefits of working with a good coach! Through GFNY Coaching we offer plenty of tips and tricks to improve your cycling. But, the reality is, nothing beats a good training program and the knowledge of an experienced coach. This week on the podcast, we discuss why working with a coach can be beneficial and what kind of rider benefits most. Listen Here to Part 1 and Part 2

Our second podcast for the week is all about how to adjust your goals and stay motivated during the pandemic. We all just got the bad news that GFNY NYC has been postponed to May of 2022, which is a big blow for many of us. However, it’s important to keep training, find new goals, and adjust! Coach Christian shares his experiences of keeping athletes motivated through periods of postponed or canceled races and adjusting to the current normal. Listen Here

As always, remember that GFNY Coaching is available wherever you prefer to listen:

GFNY MARATHON // GFNY Gruppo. News #047

In today’s show:

Welcome to GFNY GRUPPO, a channel made to bring to you all the news about the GFNY world.

  • GFNY is getting bigger!, we introduce you GFNY Marathon.
  • GFNY Club

Bienvenidos a GFNY GRUPPO, un canal para mostrarles todo el mundo de GFNY.

  • GFNY crece!, te presentamos GFNY Marathon.
  • GFNY Club

 

 

 

Performance Testing to Track Improvement

This week in the Training Guide, Coach Christian talks about simple performance testing to monitor improvements.

A good training program should be built on hard data and evidence. One of the most important sets of data points you can have as a cyclist is testing data to track your performance over time. You want to know your training is working, you want to know if it’s not working, and you also want to be able to look back and see how you’ve progressed as an athlete over time.

Yet, I’ve come to realize many athletes don’t have a solid, repeatable performance test that they use to measure their form. These tests don’t need to be complicated: yes, lab data or complicated power testing protocols have their place. But today, we’re going to suggest some simple performance tests that anyone can do multiple times during the season to track their progress.

Power Testing

If you have a power meter or a smart trainer, the best combination of simplicity, repeatability and useful data is to simply do a long, well-paced time trial effort every time you want to test your form.

Twenty minute tests are most common, and I think these are fine for most athletes (note: please don’t calculate your FTP by using this number and multiplying by .95, but we can get into that another day).

The most important thing is to always repeat the test under similar conditions: if you use a hill, always use the same or a similar hill. If you use your trainer once, use it always. If you use a flat road, continue using a flat road.

Power output can vary given terrain, so trying to compare an indoor test to an outdoor uphill test is foolish. You’ll only get bad data and trick yourself into seeing improvement when there is none.

Even if you don’t own a power meter, you may have some options for power testing. Many areas have cycling gyms or studios which have smart trainers that measure power output: consider booking a session every 6-12 weeks at one of these to do your testing in an accurate, repeatable way.

Hill-Climb Testing

If you don’t have a power meter, the next best thing is a hill-climb test. This is an age-old practice: if you go to any town where lots of pro riders live, you’ll find there’s a local testing climb where everyone goes to check their form. Monte Serra in Lucca, La Madone on the Cote d’azur, or Rocacorba in Girona are all examples of climbs that are famous not for their use in races, but for being famous test climbs.

If you don’t have a power meter and are using a hill, you can be a bit more flexible with time: ideally a 20-30 minute climb is perfect, but if you only have shorter climbs available, something as short as 10 minutes is fine. I would suggest not going below 10 minutes as the anaerobic contribution starts to become too great.

For outdoor testing, it’s even more important to guarantee similar conditions: when you do a test track the clothing you wore, bottles you carried, and atmospheric conditions that day. Avoid especially windy days that will give you bad data.

Flat TT Testing

The last option for any cyclist should be tracking improvement on a flat TT course. This is suitable if you don’t have a power meter or a local climb to test on, but it’s not ideal.

For flat TT testing, you should choose a loop or an out-and-back to help eliminate the effects of wind. A 20-30 minute course is ideal.

With flat TT testing it’s really important to try to match atmospheric conditions: go on days with low wind-speed and similar conditions to your last test.

If you live somewhere with cold winters, you’ll go slower in winter due to baggier clothes and higher air density. Because of that, you may have to compare tests by time of year: compare winter tests to winter tests, and summer tests to summer tests. You’ll also need far larger improvements to be confident that you’ve actually gotten faster and didn’t just have faster conditions.

Conclusion

The goal with performance testing is to track improvement over time and make sure your training plan is working. Otherwise, you’re only going by feel, and have no real idea if what you’re doing is working.

There’s a number of ways to test, as we’ve laid out above, but it’s worth doing your best to seek out power testing or using a long climb. Flat TT testing should be a last option.

Be sure to record your test data somewhere where you won’t lose it. Training Peaks or Strava is a great way to do this. Include important data so that you can repeat the test under the same or similar conditions.

 

 

Remember, you can find the Training Center Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts:

 

 

GFNY expands into other endurance races

GFNY, the global cycling marathon series today announces its expansion into road and off-road running as well as mountain bike marathons.

NEW YORK CITY, February 11, 2021 – With the expansion into running and mountain bike marathon events, GFNY now becomes “GFNY – the Global Endurance Sports Series”.

GFNY will offer runners and mountain bikers the same high-quality, safe experience that it has been delivering around the world to road cyclists for the past ten years. All GFNY races will continue to follow a consistent set of rules and offer a great athlete and family experience. GFNY will also continue its stance on anti-doping as an utmost priority to maintain fair racing.Every athlete, regardless of ability, talent, level or placement gets to BE A PRO FOR A DAY® at GFNY races.

“At every GFNY, the athlete is the core of the event,” said Lidia Flume, GFNY’s Co-founder. “With four decades of event experience (racing and organizing) behind us, we are excited to take GFNY to the next level and offer the same great athlete experience in marathon running, marathon trail running, and marathon mountain biking. GFNY’s passion is endurance sports, where we can test our physical and mental fortitude, overcome barriers and reach the finish line. Expanding the series to other endurance sports is a natural progression for the global GFNY brand.”

GFNY races enjoy an extremely international participant field, with 20-100 countries represented at every GFNY. The https://gfny.cc proprietary ticketing and results platform provides a seamless pre-race and post-race athlete experience. GFNY.cc provides athletes their own user accounts where they can track their tickets, results and multi-finisher medals, and organizers a global ticketing system available in the local language and the choice of 50+ currencies for the athlete to select.

GFNY athletes have access to a variety of benefits to keep them engaged, inspired and focused on their goals. GFNY Club, GFNY Coaching, GFNY Gruppo YouTube show, Daily Coffee with GFNY podcast, group rides and group runs, collectable medals and camps to name a few, are available to athletes globally.

The official, mandatory GFNY jersey for all participants that has become the hallmark of GFNY cycling marathons around the world will continue to be part of the registration package for mountain biking, and the GFNY singlet for marathons and trail marathons. Other race benefits at GFNY races include the collectable GFNY goodie bag, chip timing for everyone, full on course support, podium awards and medal.

Further, the established Qualification system for starting in the front of the field in the Qualifier Corral by placing in the top 10% or 20% of GFNY races will continue to be available for cyclist, but now expand to each discipline, globally.

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sport event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing 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

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021 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 16, 2021. 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

GFNY GESS World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Emma Bishop, 
Uli Fluhme, 

Only When Chased — A Cyclist’s Marathon Journey into Running

Prologue

A Nod to the Velominati — Before I Tell Them to Sod Off!

A Brief Affair

A Huge Impact

Training Center Podcast: Back with Two New Episodes

The Training Center Podcast is back this week, again with two episodes for you to enjoy.

In the first episode of the week, we give training advice to the time-crunched cyclist. How should you get maximum performance if you only have 6 or 7 hours per week to train? We break down balancing variety vs consistency, talk about the importance of getting in long rides when you can, and stress that you shouldn’t just be riding as hard as you can every time out the door. Listen to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

The second episode of the week is Smart Weight Loss. Weight loss is a goal for many cyclists, either for health or performance reasons. But to lose weight properly we need to understand some of the science behind weight loss, as well as understand how to lose weight while still preserving training quality. This is a great episode if you’re struggling to lose weight, or successfully losing weight but feel like you struggle to get in hard training. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

And remember, you can find the Training Center Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts:

GFNY CLUB & 3X MEDAL // GFNY Gruppo. News #46

In today’s show:

Welcome to GFNY GRUPPO, a channel made to bring to you all the news about the GFNY world.

  • 3x 2021 medal
  • GFNY Club
  • GFNY Club corral
  • Giveaway: VIP upgrades in Mazatlán

Bienvenidos a GFNY GRUPPO, un canal para mostrarles todo el mundo de GFNY.

  • Medalla 3x 2021
  • GFNY Club
  • GFNY Club corral
  • Sorteo: upgrade VIP en Mazatlán

 

 

 

To Rest Week or not to Rest Week?

In this week’s edition of the Training Guide, GFNY Coach Christian discusses whether or not you should program rest weeks into your training plan.

Rest Weeks vs De-load weeks

Before we start, it’s important to discuss some definitions. Athletes often think of rest weeks and de-load weeks as being interchangeable. However, in my opinion, they are very different things.

A rest week is just that: a week solid of rest or very easy training. On one hand, it can give the body a big break from the stress of training. On the other hand, after a week of rest or near-rest, detraining will already take a major chunk out of your fitness.

A de-load week is simply a small reduction in training volume and intensity. Perhaps 70% of the volume and intensity of your hardest week of training during that particular training cycle is a good number for a de-load week.

A de-load week can also be accomplished in several ways. One way would be to apply that 70% factor across the whole training week: reduce volume and intensity of all workouts across the week.

Another way is to simply take a few rest days, followed by normal training. My favorite way to do this is simple: take Monday and Tuesday totally off, ride easy on Wednesday to wake the body up a bit, and get back to normal training on Thursday. So while the volume will be down for the week, it’s really three days of rest vs an entire week of rest. This can be ideal to recover from a big week of training: a training camp; a holiday weekend full of long rides; or just a big-time overload week.

Rest Weeks: The dos and don’ts

I always cringe when I see amateur athletes taking very easy weeks or full rest weeks on a routine basis. In my opinion, there’s no reason an athlete should have to take rest weeks through the course of a season.

After seven days of rest or easy riding, detraining is already occurring. Athletes who take frequent rest weeks often note feeling flat, stale and unfit the week following their rest week.

Also, most athletes aren’t doing enough damage to truly need frequent rest weeks. Adhering to the common 3 week on/1 week cycle of training, where the 4th week is a rest week, will simply lead to under-training for most people.

There’s a few exceptions:

-At the end of the season. Taking a rest week, or even two or three, is a good idea at the end of a long season.

-Mid-season if you have a very long season. If, say, you have a goal event in May, and another in September, taking a rest week right after your event in May can be a good re-set before beginning to train again for your event in September.

De-load weeks: the dos and don’ts

De-load weeks are far more useful, and should be far more frequent, than rest weeks. Whereas a rest week will leave you lethargic and under-trained, a deload week should leave you fresh, sharp, and motivated.

However, I still see athletes overuse de-load weeks. For example, the traditional 3 weeks on/1 week ‘off’ format can work well when we use the 4th week as a de-load week and not a pure rest week. However, I don’t think this is necessary for athletes training at low volume. If your big weeks are less than around 14 hours a week of training, I don’t suggest taking a de-load week after every 3 weeks of training.

That doesn’t mean to never take deload weeks, it just means to take them when you need them: after a training camp or long weekend of riding as we mentioned above, during a period that life has you slammed and you’re extremely busy with work/family/off-the-bike things, or after a race.

For athletes who are training with high volume, then taking a de-load week after 3-4 weeks of hard training can be a good way to freshen your legs and guard against overtraining.

Remember that life often intervenes

Another reason I don’t plan deload or rest weeks often for amateur athletes is that life often intervenes and provides unplanned rest anyway.

Work trips and vacations often provide rest throughout the season.

On the other hand, life stress can come up and force me, as a coach, to plan some rest if I know the athlete is stressed, busy, or not sleeping enough.

For that reason, I rarely pre-plan deload or rest weeks with busy athletes, and instead adapt on the fly when I see signs they might need some rest. If you’re a self-coached athlete, I suggest you try to do the same.

 

 

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