Team Skyline’s Sean Christen takes pro race win, while Italy’s domination in the open race gets cracks

NEW YORK CITY, May 20, 2025 – The second annual UCI 1.2 men’s elite pro race Gran Premio New York City was held Sunday and commenced just ten minutes before the 13th Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC, a mass participation race held on the same course and annual culmination of over 30 GFNY races around the globe.

GRAN PREMIO NEW YORK CITY (UCI 1.2)

The 122 rider strong field of Gran Premio New York City started so fast that the first riders were dropped in the early stages. During the tough part of the 135km course with 2000m of climbing, the Colombian Teams Medellin and NU as well as Belgian team Alpecin Deceuninck and Italy’s Swatt attacked frequently to break up a peloton. A group of seven riders escaped but was caught later again due to the work of the teams not represented at the front. 

In the end, the race came down to a spectacular arrival of 30 riders together. Sean Christen (USA, Skyline) was clearly the strongest in the decidedly uphill sprint, gapping Bryan Sanchez (COL, Team Medellin) and Kasper Andersen (DEN, Swatt) by three bike lengths.

Part of the race was the unique Team GFNY Pro: six successful GFNY riders had the once in a lifetime chance to compete among pros. In particular Italo Junior De Oliveira Feletti (Brazil), Ben Gorodetsky (NYC, USA) and Ward Wauters (Belgium) showed an impressive performance mixing it up with the best. Team GFNY Pro plays a key role in demonstrating the need to unite amateur and pro pelotons in order to allow a fluid progression for riders into higher ranked races.

MICHELOB ULTRA GFNY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP NYC Mass Participation Race

At the Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC, the Italian dominance was broken – but only in the women’s race. French Saure Tyffen, racing for the Italian team OM.CC, took the win in 3:48:48, almost two minutes ahead of American Liza Ray. Two-time GFNY Republica Dominicana champion Flor Espiritusanto (DOM) completed the podium.

In the men’s race, defending GFNY NYC champion and winner of GFNY Bahamas Manuele Caddeo (OM.CC/ITA) had to settle for fourth. With his team mate Matteo Raimondi (ITA) attacking and forming a lead group of three, his hands were tied. Racing to the line with Raimondi were former pros Jan Bakelants (BEL) and GFNY’s own Luis Lemus (MEX).

In the photo finish sprint, Raimondi had the upper hand on Bakelants. Lemus finished an incredible third after having worked to produce the GFNY event all week and only knowing at 10pm the night before that he gets to race.

Former Tour de France champion Pedro Delgado (Spain) took the win in the 65-69 age group, showing that you can be in incredible shape, even long after a pro career.

A REVOLUTIONARY FORMAT

Combining a professional race with a mass-participation event on the same course and at the same time is a revolutionary format in cycling. With this second edition, GFNY continued to break new ground by uniting amateur and professional racers in a single event. This innovative approach provides scale, increased visibility for sponsors, and aligns with cycling’s inherent accessibility, allowing fans a closer connection to the pros. 

GFNY is committed to strengthening and sustaining cycling by focusing on its unique merits, rather than trying to force it into the mold of unrelated sports. This approach, grounded in tradition and embracing appropriate new technology, offers a sustainable path forward for the sport of cycling.

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 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 its athletes first.

The official GFNY website is: gfny.com.

Cycling – Mass Participation

Dozens of races held around the world. View the latest 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 Elite Qualifier Corral at every GFNY event.

Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC

The 14th annual Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 17, 2026. Athletes take on a challenging route to compete against each other, the clock, and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC website is NYC.GFNY.COM.

Cycling – Pro Racing

At Gran Premio New York City, professional teams race the same course as riders at the Michelob ULTRA GFNY World Championship NYC – but with a 10-minute head start. The third edition will be held on May 17, 2026.

Adding a women’s pro race would elevate the event further. The proposed format would have women starting 45 minutes ahead of the men’s pro race, giving them their own stage. However, the extended road closures required for this addition increase costs by $100,000.

For those interested in supporting women’s racing, GFNY is inviting companies and organizations to help sponsor this important addition. Contact GFNY to discuss partnership opportunities.

The official Gran Premio New York City website is GP.GFNY.COM.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: 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,