USA CYCLING GRAN FONDO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

presented by Ourisman Automotive Group, with support from Maryland’s Sports Commission

 
 

Funded in part by a grant from the Michael Erin Busch Sports Fund through Maryland Sports Youth and Amateur Sports Grants Program.

A USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships title, complete with a national championship jersey and medal, will be awarded to the overall winner in each Gran Route (~100 mile) National Championships’ age-group category at the annual USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, which in 2025 will be held as a part of the Gran Fondo Maryland, presented by Ourisman Automotive Group, in Frederick, MD on September 14, 2025.

In the interest of rider safety and lively competition, the 14-16 and 70+ age groups will ride a separate course at the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships. Instead of riding the 100-mile Gran Route, male and female competitors in the Junior 14-16 and 70+ age groups will ride a 68-mile course that features three timed segments.

 
 

While only a select few will win official USA Cycling National Champion jerseys, all riders who participate in the 2025 National Championships event will receive a commemorative jersey from SUAREZ. The jersey pictured is the 2024 participant jersey, not the USA Cycling National Champion jersey. The 2025 commemorative jersey design has not been announced yet.

 

The 2025 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships event will be held at Gran Fondo Maryland. To compete in the National Championships category riders must qualify (see below). Riders do not need to qualify to participate in Gran Fondo Maryland. All normal Maryland Gran Fondo routes (Gran, Medio, Piccolo) are open to all riders to register and do not require qualification.  There is a separate start time for USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships participants, they will start 30 minutes prior to the Gran Fondo Maryland riders.  

Riders can qualify to compete in the National Championship event a number of ways, including results and rankings in Qualification Events. Complete qualification criteria are shown below. The event director reserves the right to adjust the criteria to ensure maximum opportunities for qualified participants.

Cyclists do not need a USA Cycling license to participate in the Gran Fondo National Series-produced events (including Gran Fondo Maryland), or to qualify for the 2025 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships. To be entered in the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, however, a USA Cycling license is required. A USA Cycling license features valuable benefits for all cyclists, including Gran Fondo National Series riders.

Please note:

In addition to the one-day USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, also counts as a points event for the Gran Fondo National Series. View more information on the series competition.

  • The 2023 and 2024 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships are official qualifier events for Masters (racing age 30+) aiming to compete in the 2024 and 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.

    Masters Qualification for 2024 Gran Fondo World Championships

    The 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will be held in Aalborg, Denmark from August 29 to September 1, 2024. The 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships was held on September 17, 2023, and winners of the Masters (racing age 30+) categories at the 2023 Gran Fondo National Championships will be automatically qualified for the 2024 World Championships. Qualified riders will be notified directly by the race director for the World Championships.

    Masters Qualification for 2025 Gran Fondo World Championships

    Masters racers who win their age group competition at the 2024 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, which will be held on September 15, 2024 during Gran Fondo Maryland, will earn an automatic qualification for the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. Riders must meet qualification criteria to compete at the 2024 Gran Fondo National Championships. Riders can qualify for #GFNats through results and participation at SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series events and Partner-Events. Additional #GFNats qualifier events will be announced as they are available.

 

USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship
Eligibility & Qualifications

To participate in Gran Fondo National Series® events, including qualification for the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, cyclists are not required to have an annual USA Cycling license. For riders who qualify, a USA Cycling annual license is required to participate in the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship event.

USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships are open to pre-qualified riders (racing age) 14 and older, who are USA Citizens or Permanent Residents (green card) with a USA Cycling annual license. If you don’t have a license option as listed below, creating your USA Cycling license takes just a few minutes.

LICENSES:

All USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships participants must be members of USA Cycling.  An annual Race, Race+, or International license which can be found on this page are fine.

  • USA Cycling Race License (Junior, Collegiate or Domestic license)

  • USA Cycling International License or equivalent license from a recognized National Federation, with a USA nationality.

ELIGIBLE CYCLISTS: 

Any rider with any experience who qualifies is welcome at the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships. The following exceptions apply for professional riders, which follow UCI regulations:

  • Any rider who has been a member of a team registered with the UCI during the current year.

  • Any rider who has taken part in an Elite event at any of the following events during the current year: World Championships, the Olympic Games, Continental Games, Regional Games, the Commonwealth Games, or a World Cup.

  • Any rider who has points in the UCI World Ranking® as of January 1, 2025. (Consideration may be made on a case by case basis for retired riders.

QUALIFICATION SYSTEM:

To compete for the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship, riders must first qualify for a starting slot. Qualifications slots will be awarded based on rider’s placement in official Gran Fondo National Series® events over the previous 18 months prior to the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships or as listed below: 

  • Gran Fondo National Series Event Results Qualification:  In the 18-month period (why 18 months?) preceding the USA Cycling National Championships, a rider must achieve one of the results from the list below.

    • Top 25% finish in an age group in a Gran Route (~100 mile) at any Series Event, based on the number of starters in that age group.

    • Top 3 finish in an age group category in Gran Route (~100 mile) at any Series Event, regardless of the number of starters.

    • Complete two (2) or more Gran Route (~100 mile) events at official Series Events

    • Junior 14-16 Male and Female riders can qualify by riding Medio (~60 mile) route at any Series Event.

Note: The qualification age groups are delimited from the 10 year groups we use for awards to 5 in order to match the National Championships award age groups.

  • International Gran Fondo Results Qualification (UCI)

    • Top 25% finish in age group category at the previous UCI Gran Fondo World Championship based on the number of starters.

    • Riders pre-qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.

  • USA Cycling Automatic Qualifications

    • Current USA Cycling Amateur or Masters National Champions in any USA Cycling Discipline (Masters - any age group).

    • Elite Road Race or Criterium Champions (if eligible as defined above).

    • Riders who finish on the podium (top 3) in age group category at the Gran Fondo National Championships automatic qualify for following year’s National Championships

  • Discretionary Entries

    • Gran Fondo National Series may grant entry to the Gran Fondo National Championships event at the discretion of the Event Director. Each official Gran Fondo National Series qualifier event may grant up to 4 discretionary entries to riders who participated in their qualification event. These entries must be confirmed to Series by each Gran Fondo National Series organizer within 14 days after qualification event. 

REGULATIONS:  

The USA Cycling Grand Fondo National Championships are run under USA Cycling Regulations and generally follow Series regulations:

Age: Your age for determining your competition age class, is your age as of December 31, 2025.

Anti-doping: All participants registered for the event, having received their numbers, are eligible to be selected for anti-doping tests under USA Cycling’s Policy II. Anti-Doping

Bicycles:

For a National Championships, bicycles must meet the requirements for the event. The following regulations are in line with all USA Cycling National Championships.

  • Standard road bicycles with a double diamond frame, wheels of the same diameter (550-700 mm), are required.  Bicycles must be propelled solely by the rider’s legs (no e-bikes) and have 3 points of support; saddle, pedals and handlebars) with the following characteristics:

    • Dimensions. Bicycles may be no more than 185 cm long and 50 cm wide

    • No protective shield, fairing, or other device on any part of the bicycle, which has the sole purpose reducing air resistance. No disc wheels allowed.

    • Handlebars shall be standard road form, ends shall be solidly plugged, and without any additional arm supports or aero extensions.

    • Brakes. All bicycles must have an independent, functional brake on each wheel.

    • No recumbents, tricycles or tandems are allowed in the National Championships event.

Conduct: By entering the event, the participant agrees to respect the regulations and policies of USA Cycling and Gran Fondo National Series, and the particular regulations of the event:

  • The participant agrees to accept the directions of the event organizers and all public authorities and emergency service personnel.

  • Each participant must sign a USA Cycling event waiver acknowledging that he/she accepts the risks mentioned in this document (Parent or Guardian must additionally sign for minor participants).

    • Each participant agrees that he is participating at his own risk and accepts the risks inherent in the sport. These risks include, but are not limited to sickness, injuries from falls, accidents, and risks related to road traffic and weather conditions. It is each rider’s responsibility to ensure that he is physically capable and healthy enough to participate in the event being entered.

    • Participants must demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times.

    • Participants must behave in a way that respects the environment. Littering or any similar behavior will not be tolerated.

Helmets: Helmets must be worn at all times during the event. Riders must wear a securely fastened helmet that meets the laboratory testing standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard for bicycle helmets

Numbers:  Cyclists must wear all numbers and or timing equipment issued.

Rules of the road. The following riding rules must be followed:

  • Participants must respect the relevant traffic laws at all times.

  • Stopping for all stop signs and traffic lights unless waived through by a police officer.

  • You must never cross the center line, if you do you may be disqualified and asked to leave the course

  • You may not travel backwards on the course. If waiting for riding partners, it’s allowed to pull over and wait. This means no “circling around” on the road before entering a timed segment.

  • You must stay to the right-hand side of the lane at all times unless passing

  • You must have a device to carry water with you while riding

  • You are recommended to carry spare tire equipment and means of inflation.

Staging:  Riders will have numbers verified and timing equipment scanned before being staged by age group, in start corral.

Start: A single start shall be given for all riders. (The USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships will be started, with an appropriate time gap, before the remaining Gran Fondo Maryland events.)

Team Work/Cooperation. During the entire event (USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships and Gran Fondo Maryland), cooperation between any rider or group of riders is allowed, regardless of gender, age group or event they may be participating in.

Timing.  The following regulations govern timing of the event.

  • Competition format is based on combined time through four (4) designated timed sections. Timed section details and locations are published before event. Start and finish locations for timed sections are clearly marked by flags and lines on the road.

  • A rider’s start-to-finish time is not calculated/measured for placement.

  • Times are taken at the crossing of each timing point.

  • The winner is determined by the best combined time of the four timed sections.

    • Ties will be broken by the fastest last section time.

  • To be eligible for a National Championship title, you must enter and exit timed sections during the posted and published times.

    • All timed sections are open for specific durations. You must enter and exit each timed section within the specified open time scheduled for each section.

    • For timed sections to be counted, riders must complete the official course and cross the official finish line by completing timed sections in sequential order and maintain an average progression speed of at least 10mph (note: this is not average ride speed, this is average progression speed and includes all stopped time, i.e., total time).

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES AND JERSEYS:  USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships are held for riders in the following age groups.

  • Awards shall consist of a first-place championship jersey and medals to five places. Championship jerseys and medals will be awarded for any age group represented.

  • The following age groups for awards for Men and Women are defined by rider’s age as of December 31 of the year of the National Championships. 

    • 14-16 (Junior 14-16 riders can qualify through participation in Medio or Gran routes at Gran Fondo National Series events and Partner-Events. Junior 14-16 Male and Female riders will compete on a modified 67-mile route at #GFNats.)

    • 17-18

    • 19-24

    • 25-29

    • 30-34

    • 35-39

    • 40-44

    • 45-49

    • 50-54

    • 55-59

    • 60-64

    • 65-69

    • 70-74*

    • 75 -79*

    • 80 and over*

  • * Male and Female riders in the 70+ age groups will compete on a modified 67-mile route at #GFNats.

Please note:

The Gran Fondo National Series® series and USA Cycling are pleased to announce the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships.  This National Championship will occur at one of the Gran Fondo National Series events each year. This event will crown age group Gran Fondo National Champions at this prestigious event. At the end of the Gran Fondo National Series season, riders with the best three Gran Fondo finishes (including the National Championships) in their age groups will be crowned Series Winners of the Gran Fondo National Series.

Notification of Qualification

Athletes who qualify through results at qualifier events will be notified via email the Thursday after Gran Fondo National Series receives event results from the organizer. Athletes who believe they have met the qualification criteria and have not been contacted can apply for an entry by emailing jason.calderon@granfondoseries.com. Athletes who qualify will be able to register for the championships event (National Championships wave of 2025 Gran Fondo Maryland) immediately upon being notified that they have met the qualification criteria. Entry to the championships event will require an entry fee.

Why is the Qualification Period 18 Months?

We chose to recognize results from within the 18 months prior to the Gran Fondo National Championship in order for cyclists to be able to qualify by riding the same gran fondo two consecutive years. While we encourage cyclists to participate in many different events, we recognize there might not be a second Qualification Event nearby. As an example, a rider who participates in Gran Fondo Highlands in June 2024 and June 2025 would qualify for the National Championship on September 14, 2025. The 18-month qualification window also creates future opportunity to move the National Championship event to other locations at various times of year.

Qualification Events

Riders can meet the performance standards above by participating in any of the following gran fondos within a period of 18 months prior to the GF National Championships event. Additional events may be added to the list at any time, based on Event Organizer’s decision and Gran Fondo National Championships Series Event Qualification Criteria.