Hurricane Helene ripped across the southeastern US on September 26 and carved a path of destruction from Florida to North Carolina and three other states, the lingering impacts impairing communities 20 days later. Instead of cancelling the 13th edition of the Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville on October 19, which passes through sections of the devastated areas, organisers transformed the recreational ride into a recovery fundraiser.
The goal was now to raise $1 million for hurricane relief, with funds directed to Polk County, North Carolina, one of the hard-hit areas just north of Greenville, South Carolina that had been part of the original route. The event will still take place this Saturday but will use a new 19-mile loop that utilises roads exclusively within Greenville County to allow public safety officials in North Carolina to focus on emergency services related to the storm.
Coming in to provide star power for fundraising efforts are British cycling stars Mark Cavendish, who earned a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory this year, and former pro, Bradley Wiggins, who in 2012 won the GC title at the Tour and the time trial gold medal at the Olympic Games. Former German standout Jan Ullrich will also be in attendance.
"We've already raised $180,000 with just word of mouth. By the time you write the article, we will be at more than $200,000," Rich Hincapie, CEO of Hincapie Sportswear and president of Hincapie Events, told Cyclingnews Thursday morning.
Rich Hincapie said there was no hesitation from either Cavendish or Wiggins to be part of the Hincapie Gran Fondo, and they decided to do even more once the event pivoted into disaster relief.
"Cavendish was going to be here and he set up a trip to Disney World with his family around the Gran Fondo. He was going to come by himself, and his whole family wanted to come, so they are basically cutting short their Disney trip to come," Hincapie told Cyclingnews.
He said that Wiggins and former pro, George Hincapie, Rich's brother who is a co-owner in the family businesses, became closer friends this summer while recording 'TheMove' podcasts with co-host Lance Armstrong. Wiggins has been in Greenville all week.
"People can still register Friday or Saturday morning [to ride], and they can still purchase tickets to the after-party Saturday because we have a live auction. A lot of people are still donating tons of stuff, like bicycles, wheels, a $12,000 guitar that we're going to get all the pros to sign, and jerseys signed by the Sirs, which will be popular items."
Cavendish and Wiggins rode together at Sky Procycling the year Wiggins won the maillot jaune, which was the same Tour where Cavendish notched three more stage wins to reach 23. The duo last raced together in 2016 when they captured a gold medal for Team Great Britain in the men's Madison at the Track Cycling World Championships.
Both have now received knighthood honours, Sir Cavendish receiving the esteemed award earlier this month, while Sir Wiggins received the award in 2013.
Both will participate in a Friday night Celebrity Chef Dinner, the Gran Fondo and the After Party, all located at Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest as ticketed events. This will also serve as the finish line for all three ride distances, ranging from one to four laps of the 19-mile course.
The After Party, $75 per ticket, will feature a live painting of Mark Cavendish by local painter Jared Emerson at 9 p.m. EDT. Once the painting is completed, there will be a live auction of the painting, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Polk County Community Foundation. A portion of the revenue from the entire weekend will be donated to the same foundation.
Disaster relief
The death toll across 20 counties in North Carolina had risen to 95 people directly related to the massive storm, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday.
After the storm, more than one million households were without power in the counties in and around the Appalachian Mountains, including 100% of residents and businesses in Polk County. The majority of outages had been restored as of October 16, with the statewide total without service down to approximately 9,000 according to USA Today's national power outage map tracker.
With buildings destroyed, or not covered by insurance, heating was now a major concern as a cold front swept across the region with overnight temperatures plummeting below the freezing mark.
“Our friends in North Carolina have supported this event for over a decade. Now, it is our turn to give back to them and help them rebuild their community. We want to rally the global cycling community and really make a difference in Polk County. Our goal is to raise one million dollars.
"We selected Polk County as this is the home of Saluda, Tryon, and Columbus, all of which have gladly hosted stops, partnered with our event, and cheered us on during our Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville rides,” said Rich Hincapie.
Polk County in North Carolina was among a swath of areas in the western part of that state that suffered heavy damage and loss of life after Hurricane Helene struck Florida's Gulf Coast on Sept 26. Heavy rains caused major flooding and landslides, which wiped out buildings, homes, roads, communication services and power supplies.
“We initially thought that we were going to cancel the event. But then I realized that we could use the Gran Fondo to draw attention to the massive devastation in our area and turn the entire thing into a huge fundraising effort. While we understand that many counties are in need, we want to focus on our neighbours in Polk County who have partnered with us and supported our Gran Fondo event for 13 years."
Hincapie added that while the event would not pass by the famous Wildflower Bakery for the popular rest stop, the owners of the bakery would still make their famous sticky buns and provide them at the aid station on the shorter route.
Held since 2012, Gran Fondo Hincapie originated as a retirement ride and celebration for Grand Tour veteran George Hincapie. Today, Gran Fondo Hincapie hosts events in Arkansas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and California, in addition to the Greenville event. Donations for hurricane relief can be made online.
