Troy L. Milliron 
May 17, 2022
Samantha Arnaudo and Luca Vergallito win the GFNY crown in Italy
NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The 10th GFNY NYC World Championship remains the most international cycling race in the world and the largest cycling race west of Europe. The anniversary edition had 6,500 runners from over 90 countries registered for the race. And after 103 miles with 8,500 feet of elevation contested on the roads of New York and New Jersey, the crown went to two Italian riders.
MAN BREED
The start of the Championship is always fast but it was not until the climb of Alpine Hill that Italian Fortunato Ferrara, GFNY Santa Fe champion, attacked and was soon joined by Americans Conor Pulvidente and Nick Wheatley-Schaller as the race turned onto Route 9W. . By the time the trio approached Bear Mountain at mile 40, a large group of 60 riders were nearly five minutes behind.
Wheatley-Schaller suffered the fate of so many other ambitious runners, cracking up on the ascent of Bear Mountain. Ferrara dominated Bear first and Pulvidente backed off, but the chase group of thirteen was closing in. On the way to Gate Hill at mile 60, it was just Ferrara who braved him alone in front, with the voracious peloton descending just two minutes behind.
Approaching Cheesecote at mile 65, two other Italians, Luca Vergallito of the Officine Mattio Cycling Club and Mattia Gaffuri of the Swatt Club, launched ahead of the chasing group, eventually joining their compatriot near the Pomona aid station . Both youngsters have just finished a career as young pros with the Giro d’Italia U23 under their wings. The trio worked together until the NY/NJ State Line Climb, when Ferrera’s previous valiant blitz finally caught up with him.
It was at the bottom two, as Vergallito and Gaffuri raced up River Road. The chasing group could not get organized, seeing their chances fade as the two Italians kept up the frantic pace.
With 150m to go on Fort Lee’s Hudson Terrace, Gaffuri opened the side-to-side sprint but it was Vergallito who had more in his legs and took the GFNY World Championship crown in 4:17:52.
Chilean GFNY champion Adrian Alvarado Teneb took third from a declining Ferrara, three minutes behind the winner.
With Francesco De Candido Romole in fifth, Matteo Draperi in ninth and 2017 champion Ricardo Ricco in eleventh, Italy had 6 riders in the top 11.
Omar Azzem dominated the GFNY races in his native Uruguay and showed with his sixth place that he was no fluke, winning the sprint against Felipe Aros Plaza from neighboring Chile.
Camilo Salazar from Ruta 56 was the best Colombian with “only” 8th place, surely a disappointment for his country, representing with more than 800 riders and still in the top places in the championship. But the Colombians didn’t miss a beat and celebrated the race like no other at the GFNY Finish Village.
GFNY’s Flavio de Luna (Mexico) rode aggressively all day but – in his own words – “ran out of gas” at the end, having not practiced enough or raced at all yet This year. A 10th place finish is impressive, considering he worked all weekend for GFNY Video Production.
Nick Wheatly Schaller was the first American in 16th place. He ran offensively and showed up there with a great first performance. That should inspire more of his compatriots to put the stars and stripes higher in the mix for the 2023 Championship crown.
WOMEN’S RACE
Defending champion Jill Patterson had been busy racing GFNYs on multiple continents, earning an Ecuador victory and multiple podium finishes. If a rider wanted the 2022 crown, she had to take it first.
So did the Italian Samantha Arnaudo (OM.CC), who led the race from start to finish in a dominating fashion and crossed the line in 4:42:24. Second was German pro Hannah Fandel, three minutes away. Patterson completed a world-class podium in 4:47:38.
Ecuadorian pro Daniela Zambrano came fourth, with Arnaudo’s teammate Silvia Visaggi fifth. Colombia’s Lorena Vargas finished sixth ahead of experienced riders Marcia Barrios (Venezuela) and Paolina Allan (Canada).
RACE DAY COVERAGE
GFNY LIVE coverage in English and Spanish drew 100,000 viewers who had the opportunity to comment on the race action and ask the commentary teams questions.
ENSURING A FAIR RACE
Top finishers were guided to doping control by USADA as soon as they finished. Race director Uli Fluhme carried out engine checks on the bikes of the top finishers. No engine was found.
Find all about the race on NYC.GFNY.COM.
About the GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series
GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports events company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand organizes numerous events throughout the year around the world on five continents.
Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts its athletes first.
Bike
Dozens of events around the world. Consult the 2022 calendar here
Riders become PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.
The top 10% (20% at Regionals) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at each GFNY World event.
GFNY NYC World Championship
The 11th annual GFNY World Championship in New York will be held on May 21, 2023. The race features the most international field in the world with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take a challenging 100-mile course from New York to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, against the clock and against themselves in a personal endurance challenge.
The official GFNY website is gfny.com.
Other documents for the use of the media
Video of the GFNY NYC race: here
GFNY NYC Press Images: here
GFNY results: here
GFNY World Calendar Chart: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here
Media Contact
Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Uli Fluhme, [email protected]
Caroline Lindsay, [email protected]
