CEDAR FALLS — They encountered less-than-ideal weather conditions, but a little wind and rain didn’t stop most of the participants in Saturday’s Gran Fondo Cedar Valley bicycle race.
Just under 260 people registered for either the 60- or 100-mile routes that started in downtown Cedar Falls at 7 a.m. Those going 100 miles passed through Denver, Elk Run Heights, Gilbertville, Waterloo, Hudson, Reinbeck, Dike and New Hartford before returning downtown. The 60-mile route went as far as Denver and then returned to Cedar Falls on bike trails.
As they finished, bicyclists checked in with Jennifer Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to get their time and pick up a medal if they went 100 miles. She noted participants dealt with rain at two points in the race and then faced headwinds as they returned to Cedar Falls.
“So, it’s been a super challenging day for them,” said Wyatt. The first 100-mile riders arrived shortly after 12:30 p.m. and well over half of all participants were done by 1:45 p.m. “We still have 85 riders out on the course,” she said at that point.
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