In some ways, Merced Gran Fondo Hincapie 2025 was reminicent of Woodstock ’94, except this time around the rock stars were on bikes.
For the non Gen Xers in the room, that means there was mud – tons of it – caked on jerseys, layered on wheels and splattered on faces.
Yet for the hundreds of cycling enthusiasts drawn to Saturday’s event, that additional level of challenge (courtesy of the recent Valley rainstorms) was not a bad thing.
Among those cyclists covered head-to-toe in muck was Los Angeles resident Thomas Reed, who sped his way through the slick sludge to take home first place in the 61-mile Medio Men’s category.
It was Reed’s second visit to Merced Gran Fondo, one that provided a level of redemption. “I did it this last year and blew up on the first climb. So I had to come back,” Reed told The Merced FOCUS. “It was a good feeling to come back.”
Reed also didn’t mind the mire, and even seemed to embrace it. “It’s muddy, it’s fun,” he said with a grin. “Good signage, great racing, everyone just hits it. It’s just fun from start to finish. Cows, greens – the best spring classic there is.”
The route for the gravel biking event, the second hosted in Merced, was wet with mud after periodic rains – along with a brief hailstorm – impacted the San Joaquin Valley over the last few days. The Merced area received a total of about 1.18 inches of rain between Wednesday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Thankfully, Saturday’s race was winking at spring with radiant sunshine. Still, the signs of the past rainstorm were everywhere, as cyclists slogged through oodles of puddles.
Another cyclist who navigated Saturday’s event with grit and grime was Ivan Dominguez, nicknamed “The Cuban Missile.”
Dominguez, a previous winner of the MERCO Cycling Classic and a Pan American Games gold medalist, took home second place in Saturday’s Medio Men’s catergory.
Dominguez, who lives in Sacramento, had a laugh after crossing the finish line, seeing how his bike was completely covered in mud.
Even though he crashed three times, Dominguez still managed to garner one of Saturday’s lead spots. “The places (where they had) water was fine, because you kind of get clean a little bit. But it’s just the mud. You don’t move. You try to move the bike, and there’s no traction,” Dominguez said.
“But, we expect that. You know, I am up in Sacramento, so whatever rains you guys have here, I was getting (it) up there and I was riding under those kinds of conditions.”
A few riders, like Virgil Reyes of Fresno, had to cut their ride short, due to equipment-related issues. The derailer on Reyes’ bike broke, prompting him to hitch a ride with a support vehicle back to the starting/finish line at N and 18th streets.
“It was fun, but definitely a lot of water crossings and a lot of thick mud that we had to go through,” Reyes said. “We had to dismount the bikes a lot and kind of run with our bikes a little bit, or walk.”
Even though he didn’t have the best luck Saturday, Reyes said he expects to return next year. “The course is fantastic,” he said. “The support from the community and the police officers, the course control is just fantastic. They do a nice job.”
Organizers had to cancel the 81 mile “Gran” course, due to the wet conditions caused by the recent rainstorms.
Event organizers made sure to include area youth in the event. Fifty bikes and helmets were donated to local school children, courtesy of Operation Get Out, Boys and Girls Club of Merced, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, Hincapie Sports, Centurion Boats, Trek Bicycles and the city of Merced.
The Gran Fondo Hincapie event was made possbile due to a partnership with El Capitan Hotel Merced and the City of Merced.
Several additional Gran Fondo Hincapie events are scheduled to happen around the nation this year, including Chattanooga, Tennessee; Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania; Bentonville, Arkansas; and Greenville, South Carolina.
Click here for the race results of Saturday’s event.
