Thanks. I've heard the term often but never been sure what it means. 4 hours for 100k is impressive.
I've only ever done one, and it was 4:14 moving time (4:31 elapsed time) for 109Km (68 miles) - but that was with a group of 8.
Thanks. I've heard the term often but never been sure what it means. 4 hours for 100k is impressive.
Thanks. I've heard the term often but never been sure what it means. 4 hours for 100k is impressive.
I've only ever done one, and it was 4:14 moving time (4:31 elapsed time) for 109Km (68 miles) - but that was with a group of 8.
Except I didn't do it
Frondo was a very niche pun - I like to listen to Bevis Frond and similar 'frondy' music
My elapsed time (as opposed to moving) was over 6 hours. The extra time mostly came in 10 to 15 minute chunks
That sent me scurrying off to my records. Fastest I've ever done 100k was a bit of a cheat. I knew there was a howling wind from the West. So I took a train to Gatwick and rode to Whitstable with the wind at my back. 4:39 moving and 5:24 overal for 114 km.
Slowest was ... er ... last weekend. My rain and hills fest on Saturday 6:26 moving with just under 90 mins of stopped time for bang on 100k. With some of the routes I have planned I expect I will break that record in the near future!
Incidentally, I looked up the term Gran Fondo and it seems to be used in various different ways. So it's not surprising I was never sure what it meant.
The official Italian meaning - and it's an Italian phrase so they get first dibs - is a mass-start timed event of 120km or more. But it's also used more loosely in various places to mean roughly the same as "sportive" with no strict definition. And there's the Strava definition of 100k that you mention. And there's the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, which seems to be a mega serious racing thing UCI-sanctioned races ... focusing on both very competitive riders who either just miss the skills and talent to become a Pro Elite rider or who still want to compete at a high level at a later age (link). But I'm not sure of the distances. So is it a timed event or is it a race? Is it 120km or more or less? Who knows?
https://epicroadrides.com/cycling-blog/what-is-a-gran-fondo-sportive-cycling-guide/
Have had some arrogant keyboard warrior inform me that definitively, in no uncertain terms:
Century = 100 miles
No such thing as a metric century
Gran Fondo = 100km
I left that forum/platform.
Only managed 2 sub 4 hour 100km as I tend to cycle in lumpy areas:
View attachment 701817
View attachment 701818
I was very light just before lockdown and used to just go out and ride as hard as I could every time!
Been looking for decades and never seen a native British snake - used to see loads back home
The only time I have come across the term Gran Fondo (except for the Strava challenge which probably doesn't count) was also as part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, namely the Tour of Cambridgeshire, which was essentially the UK qualifier for the Worlds event. Now they had a "Race" and a "Grand Fondo" over the same course and both could be used to set a qualifying time, so what was the difference you ask? The Race was split by age categories which went off at five minute intervals and if you were a first over the line in your age group, you won. The Gran Fondo however was a mass start (after the racers had already long gone) and was based on electronic chip time at the start and finish lines, e.g. if you started 10 minutes behind me, but finished only 8 minutes back, then you beat me by 2 minutes.Incidentally, I looked up the term Gran Fondo and it seems to be used in various different ways. So it's not surprising I was never sure what it meant.
The official Italian meaning - and it's an Italian phrase so they get first dibs - is a mass-start timed event of 120km or more. But it's also used more loosely in various places to mean roughly the same as "sportive" with no strict definition. And there's the Strava definition of 100k that you mention. And there's the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, which seems to be a mega serious racing thing UCI-sanctioned races ... focusing on both very competitive riders who either just miss the skills and talent to become a Pro Elite rider or who still want to compete at a high level at a later age (link). But I'm not sure of the distances. So is it a timed event or is it a race? Is it 120km or more or less? Who knows?