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GREENVILLE—Gran Fondo Hincapie’s 13th annual Greenville cycling event took place this past Saturday. Over 2,000 riders came together for a weekend of riding and fundraising. The event raised close to $700,000 for the Polk County Community Foundation. 

“This year’s Gran Fondo Hincapie was a last-minute shift in focus, but it quickly became a full-scale fundraising effort,” said Rich Hincapie, President of Hincapie Events. “Once we decided to pivot, George, myself, and the whole family started reaching out to our networks. Seeing so many people come together for the fundraising events was incredible. Raising the amount we have so far is my proudest accomplishment in cycling.”

Over the four-day event weekend, all programming aspects were tailored to maximize fundraising, including special dinners, live auctions, and targeted events. Celebrity riders and celebrities from the NFL and motocross racing world showed up in full force in support.

Over 100 people attended a Thursday night fundraiser with Michelin-starred chef Matt Accarrino. On Friday night, 21 beverage companies sponsored a celebrity chef dinner featuring five chefs, which welcomed over 400 people. 

On race day, a big effort was placed on the signage around the expo, which had a QR code for people to make donations. A fundraiser clicker was broadcast during the Festival and Expo all day, and the rest stop on the course was accepting cash donations.

On Saturday night, during the After Party, a live speed painting was done of Mark Cavendish, the Tour de France stage win record-holder, by artist Jared Emerson, signed by Cavendish, and raised $92,500. During the event, an auction was facilitated by a close friend of the Hincapie brothers, Anthony Sullivan, founder and CEO of Sullivan Productions, Inc., the face of OxiClean. Many prized possessions and generous donations were auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the fundraiser. 

The weekend culminated with a high-end fundraising gala in downtown Greenville hosted by the Les Domestiques, a Canadian philanthropic club. This event raised over $240,000, and George Hincapie’s most prized possession was auctioned off as a finale to the incredible weekend of giving.

“The bike I rode to second place in the 2006 Tour de France Prologue in Strasbourg—missing the win by just one-one hundredth of a second—will always be one of my most prized possessions,” said Hincapie. “Auctioning it off for $45,000 was a reminder of how hard work and pushing just a little harder has always been key to reaching my goals. It’s an important reminder for many aspects of life: if we can push harder, we can achieve anything—even to reach our goal of raising a million dollars. Throughout my entire cycling career, helping raise this much money for our local community has become my greatest achievement.”

The Hincapie team still aims to raise one million dollars to help Polk County residents. Donations may be made at polkcountycommunityfoundation.dock.gives. 

To learn more about Gran Fondo Hincapie, visit hincapie.com.

 

Submitted by Alexa McRoberts