Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo facts for kids

The Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo is a huge bicycle ride held every year in Sonoma County, California. It's a "mass participation" event, meaning lots of people ride together. About 7,500 professional and amateur cyclists come from all over the United States and even other continents to join in.

Levi Leipheimer, a former professional cyclist who lives in Sonoma County, started this ride in 2009. It's often called "Levi's GranFondo." There was no GranFondo event held in 2020.

Ride Routes

Levi's GranFondo offers different routes, so there's a challenge for everyone. The routes have different levels of difficulty. This means you can pick one that's right for your cycling skills.

• Piccolino: This is the shortest route, about 22-mile (35 km) long. It's great for beginners or people who just want a fun, easy ride.
• Piccolo: A bit longer at 40-mile (64 km), this route is also good for recreational riders.
• Medio: This intermediate course is about 63 miles (101 km) long. It goes through beautiful vineyards and includes two important climbs.
• Geysers: This route is 81 miles (130 km) and has some serious climbs. You'll climb more than 6,000 ft (1,800 m) in total. But you'll also get amazing views of Sonoma County's wine country.
• Gran: This route used to be 120-mile (190 km). It has been changed to include two long and steep climbs along Stewarts Point Road.
• Growler: The longest and toughest route at 139 miles (224 km). It adds even more climbing to the Gran route, going through the Geysers. The total climbing for the Growler is almost 13,000 feet (4,000 m)!

All participants, no matter which path they choose, start together. They begin in a huge group called a peloton, with over seven thousand cyclists riding side-by-side.

Giving Back

Levi's GranFondo isn't just about cycling; it also helps many good causes. The event has a special part for giving to charities. These charities focus on helping communities. They do this by supporting young people, health programs, and cycling activities.

Some of the organizations that have received help include:

• The Sonoma County Humane Society's Forget Me Not Farm, which helps animals.
• The NorCal High School Mountain Bike League, which gets more kids into cycling.
• The Livestrong Foundation, which supports people affected by cancer.
• The Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, another group helping cancer patients.
• The Pablove Foundation, which fights childhood cancer.

The GranFondo also has its own community giving program. This program gives money to local volunteer fire departments and elementary schools. It also helps local parks and even fixes potholes on popular cycling roads in Sonoma County.

The event has also helped the City of Santa Rosa try to host parts of the Amgen Tour of California. By September 2013, the GranFondo had given over $930,000 to different causes. They expected to give another $212,000 by the end of 2013.