Levi's Gran Fondo is one of the most famous Fondos out there. It rolls through the mountains of Santa Rosa, the city streets of Occidental, the scenic coastline of Highway 1 and much more. Bottom line - it's fantastic.
Myself, Stefan and Alex were planning on smashing the Il Regno (117 mile) route. We were hoping to start in the front and hang with the lead group as long as possible. At the start, we got positioned as front row of the Il Regno route. The only people in front of us were the sponsors and VIP's. Somehow, Hannah and Ryan became VIP's!
Once we started rolling, we got the front as fast as possible. We were riding shoulder to shoulder with many cyclists we look up to. Ted King, Levi Liepheimer, Annika Langvard and many more. It was humbling and incredible at the same time.
The first 10 miles were flat and fast. All three of us were sitting top 20 and felt great. At just about the 12 mile mark, there was a big pothole in the road that caused riders to swerve, bunny hop or avoid it in some other fashion. I heard someone behind me go down, but I was unable to turn around because I would have created a safety hazard for the rest of the riders since we were in such a tight pack. A few seconds later, Stefan rides up next to me and tells me that Alex went down. We agreed that I would go back and make sure Alex was alright, and Stefan would continue riding with the lead group.
First off - he was okay! Once I was able to pull out of the pack and turn back, i saw his bike in a ditch on the side of the road and him sitting there. It didn't look great! We talked to some officers and firemen and got the situation sorted out. After Alex was taken to the hospital - the bill was covered in the FREE race fee. Shout out to Levi and Bike Monkey! - I got back in the ride. What felt like 2,000 riders had passed me and I decided that my goal the rest of the ride would be to pass any person that I saw. So that's what I did! I stopped at two rest stops to fill up water and ear about, but aside from that I hammered the remainder of the route. Aside from a bit of pace lining on highway 1 and through the Occidental area, I was alone for the rest of the ride. Fortunately, the route was so amazing that I did not mind one bit. I rode down a very shady, technical descent, shredded some gravel, time trailed highway 1, pinned Coleman Valley Road (A.K.A. - Hell) and much more. The final three miles is a bike path alongside a water canal. I went full time trial mode on the bike path. Well, as much of "full time trial" as a 131 pound dude can do. Arms rested on the bars, head down and eyes forward, flying on the recreational bike path. Basically pro, am I right?!
I sprinted the finish of the Fondo, because #swag, and was was greeted by the welcoming voice of Bill Colbran-Patterson, the NorCal League announcer, as I crossed the line. I love that dude!
Afterwards, Hannah, Stefan, Alex, Ryan and I sat under a tent and ate some Gerard's Paella that was INCREDIBLE - as per usual. Alex was doing much better and roughly resembled a zombie due to all of his gauze over his wounds.
I am glad to say that all of us - including Alex - would agree it was a great day with friends. And when a dude missing half his body weight in skin is having fun, you know it's good.
Photography: Karen Davis
