What do you get when you mix a little bit of Italian with a whole lot of cycling?

You get the Top End Gran Fondo, held on Sunday 14^th August!  Hugely popular and celebrated in the Italian world of cycling, Gran Fondo simply means, “big endurance in Italian.  A Gran Fondo is a long-distance, timed cycling event that tests endurance, and Gran Fondo events welcome cyclists of all skill levels – from the die-hard cyclists through to those who just like to get on the bike and have fun!

These events aren’t races and in the Top End, Gran Fondo allows you to simply enjoy the ride and make it to the finish line!

A number of the team here at Ray White Bayside enjoy cycling, so they have known about Top End Gran Fondo for awhile now!  To give you some background, these events are a recent addition to Australian sporting life, with the first two events held back in 2011.  The first Top End Gran Fondo was held in 2012, and was the third event of its kind ever to be held in this country.

From 2013, the events were held throughout Australia in Darwin, Launceston, the Gold Coast, the Great Ocean Road and Wollongong.  Today Gran Fondo is a popular annual event here in the Top End, and this year’s event is sure to be a success.

This year’s course will be the same as the 2015 one, and in effect is a loop course starting and finishing at the Darwin Waterfront.  Cyclists ride out through Palmerston City and as far as the Territory Wildlife Park where they will cycle the 4km loop, before riding back to the Darwin Waterfront.  All up, the Sunbuild Top End Gran Fondo is a 120km round trip.

This year, a new 60km Half Fondo is being hosted as well, again starting and finishing at the Darwin Waterfront, following the main course as far as Palmerston, and returning to the Waterfront.

There will be traffic management for the course, to help ensure a safe and smooth ride for all participants.

For more information on the event times, registration and more, be sure to visit the event page at: http://www.topendgranfondo.com/.