March 7 2020, 2 weeks after the very first GFNY race in Bali, the second race was being held in Monterrey Mexico.

Monterrey, the third largest city of Mexico,  is also being nicknamed “La Ciudad de las Montañas”  Because the “city of the mountains” is completely surrounded by mountain ranges.  So there are multiple challenges for enthousiastic cyclists.
Montererrey has a very beautiful old centre “el bario antiguo’”  wich is the city’s cultural urban centre. The city’s “Centro” has some fantastic shopping possibilities and it is in this centre where the Expo location of GFNY is located. In the beautiful event centre called Pabellòn M.
The expo is perfectly set up with various  exhibitors from the bicycle industry with their newest products. And a beautifull terrace where you  can catch a glimps of the mountain range “Sierra Madre Oriental, home of the final climb of the long 130k route.

Already at the expo the enourmous enthousiasme of the GFNY cyclists is being felt.
We have seen a lot of GFNY expo’s over the years and I have to admit, this is one of the most impressive settings so far. Organizer Shaun Gad has realy raised the bar with this Venue!
Although Mexico might not have a very rich cycle history, we should not forget that one of the pro peloton;s  best climbers in the 1980’s and early 90’s  was the Mexican Raúl Alcalá. With 2 Tour de France stage wins, and 2 overall eight places. He is also a perfect example of the of the saying “once a cyclist, always a cyclist” becomming Mexican national champion in time trail at the age of 46 !

The tour de france win of Egan Bernal in 2019 has boosted cycling moral in the latin america’s enourmously and you can feel that vibe also in Mexico!    Cycling is hot..

The Monterrey GFNY starts at 7:00 in the morning at the Parque Funidora, an urban park at the former grounds of the Monterrey Steel Company. When the green GFNY armada start to gather in the park to go tot he start corrals it is still dark, but the park is beautifully lit with hundreds of lights
in the trees, creating a very nice atmosphere.

Unfornatly the weather today is not your typical mexican sunny day, but at least temperature is perfect and no rainfall predicted… a perfect day for cycling.
The GFNY slogan “be a pro for a day” can certainly be seen from the riders today.  The predominantly mexican cyclist have realy made an effort: the average bike we see here would’t look out of place in a pro-race, the level of fitness of the particpants seems to be above average and the pro styled appearance shows that they realy mean business today 😊

The long (160km) and the short distance (100km) start together and the first part is realative flat.
One of the best things about GFNY are the fully closed roads, and not having to worry about manouvre between cars. This is perfectly handled in Monterrey as the peleton heads out to Juaréz.

Most participants have chosen to do the full 160km, probably because the Icing on the cake of this ride comes at the end, with a 7km  climb through Chipinque national park. Although the timed finish is  at the top of Chipinque climb, the ride is not over there… 
What goes up, must come down, as the riders have a ‘tour de france style ‘  rollout back to the Finish zone at the Funidora finish zone.

The GFNY series offer a a great experience all around the world.  Maybe from a roadcycling point off view in ‘not so obvious’ locations, but certainly off the beaten track!
There are races on almost every continent, spreading the joy of cycle racing to all corners of the world. From the main event in New York city,  to the pristine beaches of Cozumel, And from the tropical rainforests in Costa Rica, to the Ricefields in Bali.
NOW might as well be the perfect time in life to adjust your cycling bucket list and start planning your next big adventure . The GFNY World Calendar is the perfect place to start.   😉   

Mehr zu Gfny auf https://gfny.com/gfnyworld/