New on the North American racing scene for 2024 is a one-day race worthy of comparisons to European spring Classics, with big climbs, big ‘character’ and a big pay day. The Growler will roar in Windsor, California on April 13 with a professional field joining amateur riders on the hunt to claim chunks of a $20,000 cash purse.
The Growler is one of seven ride options at Levi’s GranFondo, which was founded by former WorldTour pro Levi Leipheimer in 2009. It is the first time in the four-year history of the longest route, 139 miles of ‘single track for road bikes’ with 13,500 feet of climbing, that pros and amateurs compete together for cash prizes. $20,000 will be split evenly among the top five men and five women. Also new is that winners of The Growler will be determined at the finish line of a full course rather than at the top of the final climb.
The trek across wine country of Sonoma County in northern California can be bucolic, but Sonoma-native Peter Stetina, who was one of the first pros to jump on board, said the rough roads and gruelling terrain lend comparisons already to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
“The local excitement around this is already palpable and I cannot convey how difficult and majestic this route is. It is the hardest one-day course in America, hands down,” Stetina explained to Cyclingnews.
Confirmed for the start line with Stetina are other former WorldTour riders now dominating the pro gravel circuit, including Petr Vakoč, Lachlan Morton and Ian Boswell, while the women’s field includes multi-discipline stars Sarah Sturm, Heather Jackson and Peta Mullens. All but Boswell are part of the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix off-road series.
Stetina described the event as a ‘proper road race’, though it is non-traditional in many respects, such as no team cars are permitted on course. In a nod to gravel racing, aid stations will be positioned on the route and a rolling closure enforced.
“Here in SoCo, we call our road riding ‘Sonoma County single track’. The roads are sinuous, pitchy, and often beat up. It makes the riding very dynamic, and I always train on 30c tires. Think of it as gravel bike handling for road bikes, very fun!”
The calendar and geographical position for The Growler makes the event appealing for the off-road cast of characters competing in North American gravel series, with Belgian Waffle Ride Utah the weekend before on April 6 and Sea Otter Classic’s Fuego XL in Monterrey, California following on…
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