Greenville, S.C., (October 23, 2024) – Gran Fondo Hincapie’s 13th annual Greenville cycling event took place this past Saturday, welcoming over 2,000 riders for a weekend of riding and fundraising. The event raised close to $700,000 and continued efforts to raise one million dollars for the Polk County Community Foundation.
Participants were aged six to 85, residing from 42 states and 13 countries, including Denmark, Switzerland, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, England, Canada, Mexico, and Spain, to name a few. Leading into and during the event weekend, the Hincapie team rallied the global community with the ultimate goal of raising over one million dollars for a local community heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene. Their efforts aren’t done yet.
“This year’s Gran Fondo Hincapie was a last-minute shift in focus, but it quickly became a full-scale fundraising effort,” said Rich Hincapie, President of Hincapie Events. “Once we decided to pivot, George, myself, and the whole family started reaching out to our networks. We worked tirelessly in the lead-up to the event weekend—calling, texting, emailing individuals and groups, calling in favors, and rallying support from the global community—not just cyclists, but anyone who believed in the cause. It was incredible to see so many people come together for the fundraising events, which spanned four days. Raising the amount we have so far is my proudest accomplishment in cycling.”
As with all of Hincapie’s Gran Fondos, and more than ever with this Greenville event, the weekend was much more than just a big ride. Leading into the event weekend, a global press release was distributed and picked up by all major bike media, which helped rally the cycling community. Over the four-day event weekend, all programming aspects of the weekend were tailored to maximize fundraising, including special dinners, live auctions, and targeted events. Celebrity riders showed up in full force in support including Sir Mark Cavendish, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Jan Ullrich, Jolanda Neff, Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde, and Victor Hugo Pena as well as celebrities from the NFL and motocross racing world.
A Thursday night fundraiser with Michelin star chef Matt Accarrino had over 100 people in attendance and a Celebrity Chef Dinner on Friday night, featuring five chefs, was sponsored by 21 beverage companies and welcomed over 400 people. On race day, a big effort was placed on the signage around the expo, which had a QR code for people to make donations. A fundraiser clicker was broadcast during the Festival and Expo all day, and the rest stop on course was accepting cash donations.
On Saturday night, during the After Party, a live speed painting was done of Mark Cavendish, the Tour de France stage win record-holder, by artist Jared Emerson, which was signed by Cavendish, and raised $92,500. During the event, an auction was facilitated by a close friend of the Hincapie brothers, Anthony Sullivan, founder and CEO of Sullivan Productions, Inc., the face of OxiClean. Many prized possessions and generous donations were auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the fundraiser.
The weekend culminated with a high-end fundraising gala in downtown Greenville, hosted by the Les Domestiques, a Canadian philanthropic club whose motto is “cyclists that serve.” This event alone raised over $240,000 and George Hincapie’s most prized possession was auctioned off as a finale to the incredible weekend of giving.
“The bike I rode to second place in the 2006 Tour de France Prologue in Strasbourg—missing the win by just one-one hundredth of a second—will always be one of my most prized possessions,” said Hincapie. “Auctioning it off for $45,000 was a reminder of how hard work and pushing just a little harder has always been key to reaching my goals. It’s an important reminder for many aspects of life: if we can push harder, we can achieve anything—even to reach our goal of raising a million dollars. Throughout my entire cycling career, helping raise this much money for our local community has become my greatest achievement.”
The Hincapie team still has their eye on their ultimate goal of raising one million dollars to help residents of Polk County. Donations may be made through this link.
To learn more about Gran Fondo Hincapie please visit https://hincapie.com/ or follow along on social media on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
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