My First GFNY World Championship

For years, people have been telling me that I need to check out Gran Fondo New York. Now I can now tell you that it’s wild!

My GFNY weekend started with a Canyon Session pre-ride from the Rapha New York City location in bustling SoHo. The skyscrapers made for a deep canyon-like backdrop. Aboard a fleet of Enduraces and Aeroads, our crew set out for a great 15-mile ride. At the end we rode up the George Washington Bridge and took in some awesome city views. The bikes were a hit with the group, and we capped off the experience with coffee and gelatos.

Next morning, the backdrop of the GFNY start was unreal. The event stages 6,000 riders on the world’s busiest bridge – the double-decked George Washington Bridge – suspended above the Hudson River spanning from Fort Lee, New Jersey to Manhattan. In the GFNY start coral I joined Nelson Vails (Olympic silver-medalist track cyclist), NFL Hall-of-Famers, famous golfers, actors, and thousands of cyclists for what is the Boston Marathon of Gran Fondos.

The GFNY World Championship is the culmination of a 19-race global series; and half of the entrants had traveled internationally to compete. To add to the race’s excitement, the promoter put up a $10,000 premium for the first rider to cross the finish line of the hilly one hundred mile course if they could do so in less than four hours. I had hopes that a group would work together to make this possible, but it would play out to be a tactical and explosive race with many attacks and alliances formed out on the road.

The format of a GFNY event is unique, and really strange for me, because everyone must wear the same jersey. While this is kind of cool, it makes reading the race much more difficult. I was racing against cyclists from Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and Germany, and the only things I knew about them were what I could guess based off their riding styles.

The race was very aggressive and two riders snuck away from the lead group around mile-30 to the base of Bear Mountain. The chase got excited and really picked up the pace on the slopes of the climb. At the top of Bear Mountain, the group was whittled down to about twenty. I was dropping off the back by about 15 seconds and had to go full-gas to make contact by the bottom of the descent.

Daniel Hernandez and Jochen Wallenborn, winners of GFNY Colombia and GFNY European Championship, made a break and quickly opened up a gap of almost one minute. Knowing these guys meant business I sprung into action. I knew one of them could win, and if I didn’t get across I wouldn’t have the chance. Seeing me go, Ricardo Pichetta also jumped. Pichetta is more of a climber at just over 110 lbs., so I had to do a lion’s share of the work to bridge the gap.

It was risky bringing Pichetta, GFNY Italy winner, across the gap because he would be well suited to the finishing climb. I started to cramp and it was taking almost 20 minutes to close the gap, but we inched closer. Once we made contact, we took a small break and then hit the final climbs as a group of four. Pichetta attacked several times, sticking it on the final climb! The group strung out, I chased but I lost his wheel and struggled to hold him in sight. I knew that the final 2 kilometers would be straight into a headwind and that I could chase him down with the advantage of my Aeroad equipped with some really fast DT 1100 wheels. I went as hard as I could. I couldn’t believe it when I closed the gap with 500 meters to go. We played cat and mouse, unknowingly allowing the German to close in behind us!

The finish line in sight, I took a dash for it but Pichetta tried to block me from passing. He ran me into the inflatable arch. I was the clear victor after Pichetta was relegated for obstructing my sprint. It was crazy, but I was award the win!

The crowd was awesome and the live coverage was great. I have to thank Canyon for making the wind-cutting Aeroad. The bike really made the difference enabling me to win.

So how about that $10,000 prize? While we carried a 24.7 mph average to Bear Mountain, the punchy tactics that played out slowed the average speed. We finished in about 4:15. The sub-4-hour finish is definitely possible, but remains elusive and will surely tempt riders to return.

Bishop Expands Role with Canyon Bicycles

Jeremiah has expanded his role as a Canyon athlete. Reaching beyond the race courses, he shares new opportunities and experiences as a Brand Ambassador and manager of the Canyon East Coast demo program.

Join Jeremiah for a ride, or follow along as he races in the biggest and most exciting events on the calendar.

To be among the first to get updates about upcoming Canyon Demo Events and other Experiences, follow Canyon Events on Facebook and subscribe to the Canyon newsletter.

Bishop Earns Top Spot at Iron Mountain 100

The NUE Iron Mountain 100k mountain bike race took place June 24, in Damascus, Virginia. Part of the National Ultra Endurance series, this was a new venue added on the 2018 race schedule.

Taking the win in the men’s open class at the was Jeremiah Bishop (Canyon Topeak Factory Racing), with a time of 4:24:01.

“[Bishop’s friend and travel companion for the weekend] Keck Baker found out his step-father was killed in an auto accident at 5:30 that morning. It was a challenging morning. Then, on the way to the race, we hit a deer with the van”

Bishop put the day in perspective by saying, “Sometimes you win by finishing, sometimes adversity finds a way of distilling how lucky it is that we can do such things for the few moments we have on earth.”

“The gun went off, and I was not ready,” he said. “Dillion Johnson kept me honest today, attacking the first climb, he kept coming back after I countered his early push! He caught me on the first nasty wet raining descent through the jungle. I had to find my groove but I needed to nail this one.”

Bishop said, he attacked several times on the long grind up to Iron Mountain until he was clear. Along the way, he says he enjoyed “some of the best trails I didn’t know were out there!”

“I won,” Bishop said, “but more importantly, I proved I could turn the day around and stay focused when things got sideways.”

Bishop Repeats Victory at NUE Mohican 100

After setting the course record in 2017, Jeremiah Bishop wins the 2018 Mohican 100-mile with a time of 6:57:53.

After the race, Bishop joked, “Perhaps I had better invite a slower carpool buddy to drive to races with, I thought, as Bryan Lewis [a fellow Virginian who Bishop had talked into joining him for the NUE event] demolished the lead break of NUE contenders on the toughest climb of the day. Christian Tangy and Brian Schwarm lost contact, and I was in trouble.”

Recalling the day’s effort, “OUCH! 400+ watts at 5 1/2 hours in, and I was getting dropped after the second big attack. I clawed my way back to the wheel and we came to a stalemate until the final slick single track where my 20-years of Pro-XC experience gave me an edge. I attacked full gas out of the saddle on every turn and gained just the slightest advantage and take the win at the finish line.”

“I am stoked to take my first win after a 3-month comeback from a major crash in South Africa’s Cape Epic. Not sure where those last 15-minutes of attack speed came from, but I’m glad I had it!”

“Thanks to Canyon, Topeak, Shimano, Fox, and Maxxis.”

For a complete report of the day from the National Ultra Endurance Series, click here.

 

Canyon Topeak Factory Racing Kicks Off 2018 Season