Paris-Nice stage winner Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) and UCI Cross-country Marathon MTB world champion Kate Courtney are among the riders making debuts at this year's The Growler race at Levi's GranFondo presented by Skipstone.
Both Lamperti and Courtney are from northern California and wanted to take part in the local event that had exploded in popularity over the first two years. The 136-mile one-day race, with a $156,000 prize purse for elite men and women and a live stream, returns for a third edition on April 25, 2026 in Windsor, California.
Lamperti had planned to ride last year but illness disrupted his April plans as he opted to rest for his second start at the Giro d'Italia with Soudal-QuickStep, where he finished fifth on stage 21 in Rome. He first took part in Levi's GranFondo in 2011, completing the 60-mile route as an eight year old.
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"It's my local fondo and normally I'll be home, so just to be there will be super nice, as will being able to ride with everybody,” he told Cyclingnews, noting that he and his parents were fans of event founder Levi Leipheimer, a former WorldTour veteran.
"I met Levi [Leipheimer] after my parents signed me up for his GranFondo. These roads shaped me just like they shaped him. To think that something like Skipstone's Growler now exists in my hometown is really exciting," he added. "I've been trying to do it for a couple of years and this feels like a special moment."
Previous women's champions Lauren De Crescenzo (2024) and Lauren Stephens (2025) are confirmed to return. They'll line up against top contenders Courtney, Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) and Paige Onweller (Trek-Driftless).
Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) has won the men's Growler both times, and is expected to return from a spring injury to defend his title. Among the newcomers in the elite men's field are Lamperti, former road pros Simon Pellaud (Cervelo-Assos-Maxxis) and Michael Woods
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USA's EuroCrossAcademy accepting applications for trio of summer camps
2025 Vermont ECA camp participant Noah Scholnick bunny-hops a barrier with Coach Andrew Strohmeyer looking on (Image credit: @herve_pelletier.vt)
Applications for a trio of US cyclo-cross summer camps, operated by EuroCrossAcademy (ECA), are now open through Friday, April 3. Registration is open for North American men and women between the ages of 14-22 for the cyclo-cross specific sessions across July, and August dates in Montana and Vermont.
The summer camps incorporate three training sessions per day, in addition to evening classroom coaching sessions with guest speakers. The main focus for ECA is to provide a pathway for young riders to European racing.
“With MTB and road seasons kicking off, cyclo-cross racing might seem like a long way off, but ECA’s mission is to create a participation-to-performance environment, nurture cyclo-cross culture and community, and build ‘cross skills ahead of the actual season through our out-of-competition summer camps,” said ECA director Geoff Proctor, an eight-year member of the UCI Cyclo-cross Commission and multi-time coach for Team USA at Cyclo-cross World Championships.
“Through encouraging coaching, ample training grounds specific to the demands of cyclo-cross, we strive to help these athletes build not only performance on the bike, but holistic confidence in every facet of their lives.”
Riders are required to hold a valid UCI and federation racing license, have at least an intermediate level of cyclo-cross skills, and commit to working hard with an open mind towards group and team objectives.
Participants will be selected and notified by May 12, 2026, and scholarships are available on a case-by-case basis. Travel expenses as well as transportation to and from a camp must be covered by the athlete, or a family member or team.
ECA Summer Camps 2026 schedule
Camp 1 - July 20-25, 2026 in Montana
Camp 2 - July 28-August 2 in Vermont
Camp 3 - August 3-8 in Vermont
Riders from Mexico, USA, Belize and Bermuda earn top 10s at Pan American Road Championships
César Macías earned the silver medal for men and Diana López of Mexico finished one spot off the women's podium in fourth as the Mexican riders were the top North American finishers in elite road races at the Pan American Road Championships this weekend in Colombia.
The elite women raced 120.6km in Cereté, with Chilean Catalina Anais Soto winning the bunch sprint. USA's Emily Ehrlich, who won the silver medal in the elite women's ITT, finished sixth. Time trial gold medallist Kristen Faulkner finished the race outside the top 30, 1:15 back.
Costa Rica's Jason Andrey Huertas edged Macías at the line for the men's road title. Other North American riders in the top 10 were Jonathan Ogando (Dominican Republic) in fourth, Jyven Gonzalez (Belize) in eighth and Kaden Hopkins (Bermuda) in ninth.
Gonzalez rides for trade team L39ION of Los Angeles, with team founders and brothers Cory Williams and Justin Williams both in the field for Belize as well. Cory finished in the field sprint in 28th, with Justin trailing 2:26 back.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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