Viewfinder: Gran Fondo Cyclists Pedal Through the Palisades

A need for speed cycled through the Palisades on Sunday for the first Gran Fondo Colnago Los Angeles.

Gran Fondo, or “Big Ride” in Italian, is a long-distance, mass-participation cycling event—not race—that is popular in Italy. The rides are open to cyclists of all abilities and most people enter for the challenge and satisfaction of making it to the finish line.

For the Los Angeles event, riders could choose a long course of 72 miles that reached an altitude of 7,100 feet, or a short course of 39 miles that reached an altitude of 2,100 feet. This year's route took cyclists through Pacific Palisades on Pacific Coast Highway on their way to the mountains.  The ride pointed cyclists toward Beverly Hills via Sunset Boulevard.