Gran Fondo cycling marathon brings international 'big ride' to Western Pa.

About 300 green-clad cyclists are set to make their way through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties as part of a bike marathon planned this month.

The race, called Gran Fondo New York Pittsburgh, will begin and end in Monroeville after taking riders through a large loop of the Alle-Kiski Valley and eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh.

The race is set for Sept. 21. Registration remains open until Sept. 20.

Gran Fondo New York — GFNY for short — is a bike racing organization that plans long-distance endurance challenges. Its name comes from the Italian term meaning “big ride” and the group’s origins in New York City, where it held its first race in 2011.

Since then, under the guidance of co-founder and president Lidia Fluhme, the challenges have expanded throughout the United States and the world. GFNY Ecuador, for example, is set for a week after the Pittsburgh-area race.

The local event was catalyzed by Amy Capcara, a director at the Visit Monroeville tourist agency, after meeting Fluhme at a trade show in London. Though Fluhme had never been to Pittsburgh, the two began devising a way to bring a GFNY race to the region.

The course begins at the Community College of Allegheny County’s Boyce campus in Monroeville before heading north through Plum on New Texas Road. At the intersection of Renton and Sardis roads, riders will begin heading east in the first part of a large loop.

Weaving eastward through Westmoreland County, riders will turn back west near the Kiski River in Bell Township. From there, the course goes over Beaver Run Reservoir before following Saltsburg Road back to Plum.

Riders completing the full 80-mile race will traverse the loop twice, while recreational riders on a 47-mile journey will head back south to Monroeville after one loop.

Fluhme said no roads will be closed for the race, but police will guide the cyclists through the course. The route, she said, is “very beautiful,” but she isn’t expecting significant road delays as cyclists take in the scenery.

“It mixes enjoyment, safety and logistical feasibility,” she said.

Because of the hilly terrain, Fluhme said she’s not expecting a large peloton of riders moving at one pace. Instead, viewers and residents can expect smaller groups of cyclists navigating up and over the hills of the area.

She said a viewing area would be set up for riders’ families and interested viewers at Daugherty’s Orchards along Saltsburg Road in Murrysville.

In Monroeville, Capcara expects the event to have a low impact on traffic but a powerful economic and cultural impact for the area.

Any time the hotel rooms in the municipality are filled is a good thing for Monroeville, but the race will also shine an international light on the area, Capcara said.

“It’s a really cool event, and we’re super excited about it,” she said.

Much of the cost of the event, including paid police overtime, was covered by a grant from the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Capcara said.

Though riders from more than a half-dozen countries will compete in the race, she said, residents can also expect to see some local officials, including Monroeville Manager Alex Graziani, take up the challenge.

Fluhme said she’s already planning for another iteration of the race next September. In the future, she’s hoping to draw more local people onto bikes.

“We’re definitely going to be working more to expand both the local and regional reach to have more Pittsburgh-area cyclists and also casual riders who are looking for a challenge,” she said.