Top cyclists head to Merced for Gran Fondo Hincapie. They’re welcoming wet weather
A few days of wet weather leading into Saturday’s Gran Fondo Hincapie cycling event that will bring a former Tour de France and other professional cyclists to Merced for the second consecutive year, is welcome, according to event organizers.
Local business owner and cycling enthusiast Doug Fluetsch, who helped bring the event to Merced, says the event is a full-go.
Fire Department, Merced Police Department and event officials checked the status of some of the trails on Wednesday.
After rain hits Merced Thursday and Friday, the forecast is dry for Saturday.
“The people who look for these events, that’s great weather,” Fluetsch said. “They think the dirt is going to be tacky. It’s certainly better than dry dust.”
Originally the Gran Fondo Hincapie was expecting to attract about 500 cyclists.
Fleutsch said that number will be closer to 600, including participants such as George Hincapie, who competed 17 times at the Tour de France during his 19-year professional career. Another big name expected to attend is Iván Domínguez, a gold medalist at the 1997 Pan-American Games and former winner of the MERCO Cycling Classic, a race held in Merced from 1993 through 2013.
The news that event will still go on might not be as exciting for Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto, who has been coaxed into participating in the 60-mile Medio route on Saturday.
“Last year I was at the event,” Serratto said. “It was such an incredible event, I was talking big afterward, ‘All right next year, I’m going to ride and they called my bluff.’”
Serratto said he’s done little to no training for the ride outside of riding an exercise bike at the gym a few times. He’s also getting over a cold this week.
“It’s probably not going to go well,” Serratto said. “I might end up stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. If I can survive, it will be good.”
Fluetsch said he predicts it will take Serratto about 6½ hours to complete the course. Fluetsch also predicts Serratto won’t be getting up off his couch on Sunday.
“We’ll have an ambulance available for him if he needs it,” Fluetsch joked.
The Merced event is the first stop of the 2025 Hincapie season with other events scheduled in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and South Carolina.
According to Fluetsch, about 110 volunteers will help run the Merced Gran Fondo, which means big ride in English, on Saturday.
Operation Get Out is also teaming up with other local donors to give away 50 bikes to members of the Boys & Girls Club of Merced. The 50 local kids will receive bikes and helmets during registration for the event from 3-6 p.m. at the Event Expo, which will be located on N Street between 18th Street and Main Street.
The 50 kids will then lead the entire field of cyclists on Saturday morning by riding down the red-carpet corral to kickoff the event.
The event starts at 8 a.m. near the El Capitan Hotel, which is hosting many of the participants.
The Merced Police Department has issued a traffic advisory with the list of road closures due to the event on Saturday. N Street from West 19th Street through the Courthouse Park (West 21st Street) and West 21st Street to M Street (including all cross traffic) will be closed from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The slow lane will be closed on southbound M Street from Rambler to 21st Street from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be intermittent closures throughout the day on M Street at West 22nd, West 23rd, West 25th, West 26th and Bear Creek, along with G Street at Bear Creak. Bear Creek at McKeen and Lake Road at Bellevue and Yosemite will also see intermittent closures throughout the day on Saturday as riders make their way through town.
There will be three rides participants can choose from that range in distance and difficulty.
For the more advanced cyclists there is the 81-mile Gran route, which starts in downtown Merced and takes riders through country trails and roads up to Mariposa, with an elevation climb of 4,940 feet and almost half of the course unpaved.
The 60-mile Medio route features about half the elevation climb through Merced County than the Gran. For beginners, there is the 6.5 mile Piccolo ride that travels along Bear Creek to McKee before returning back to the starting point downtown.
Fluetsch says there is definitely excitement growing as the event draws near.
“It’s really good for the community to see these kind of athletes come to Merced and to hear people from out of town talk about how wonderful we have it,” he said. “Being from Merced, living in Merced, you see the bruises. The people who come here for this event love the scenery. It’s really cool to hear. Merced need something to be proud of and this helps our community pride a ton.”
