Race Report: Gran Fondo Italia Coral Gables

fi'zi:k booth at the expo with Team Velocita

I did something different this past Sunday, and took part in the Gran Fondo Italia Coral Gables.  It was a blast.  If you have not done one of these events, I highly recommend it.  You can read more about the events on the Gran Fondo Italia website.  I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in this event through the amazing sponsorship of fi'zi:k, being part of their Team Velocita.

Aside from the event, which was so much fun and very well run, they have an amazing expo the day before with great vendors.  The swag they give out to participants is also great - and includes wine, which is always fun.

There are three distances to chose from - 25 miles, 63 miles or 108 miles.  Since I did the NYC marathon the weeken before, and the Ironman Miami 70.3 the weekend before that, I opted to go with the 63 mile route.  This ended up being a good choice, as I was still tired from the past two weekends of racing.

Locked and loaded at the start line

Obviously being that we are in South Florida, the course is flat.  You can view the 63 mile course map here.  Starting off was pretty tight, but did open up a bit as we progressed through Coral Gables.

It took me about three hours to wrap up, and best of all the finish food at the expo was great.  It rained, which made it a little messy, but overall a great day and a lot of fun.  

Major thank you to fi'zi:k and Gran Fondo Italia!!! It was an amazing event and it is truly an honor to be a part of Team Velocita.