Gran Fondos: you’ve possibly raced one, and almost certainly heard of them. Big events, essentially timed sportives, that take place most weekends across Europe, and increasingly more so across the rest of the world. The biggest ones bring thousands of riders together, and can generate significant revenues for organisers. It’s little wonder that each year there are more of them, and that the UCI have jumped on the bandwagon – the sport’s world governing body now has a successful Gran Fondo World Series of 25-35 qualifier events that culminate in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
Just one problem: doping. And a lot of it. Second problem: almost all of it goes undetected.
But with the costs of tests north of €1,000, and no mandatory testing place other than at the aforementioned UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, few organisers have the desire to invest significant sums into their events to deter the cheaters. It has led to a situation where, according to one Gran Fondo organiser in Italy, “every weekend we just know that there are people on the start grid of these events who are doping. We just know it.”
Reward often outweighs the risks
According to the website CycloWorld, which tracks mass participation events across the world, there were over 700 road bike Gran Fondos slated to take place in 2025. Of those, France (116), Italy (96), the United States (93), and Spain (82) lead the way. An estimated 444 of those events – or 62.5% – were in Europe, where world-famous events like the Marmotte, Maratona, Mallorca 312 and Quebrantahuesos are held.
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