One of NYC's Most Prestigious Races Returns this Weekend
As we have covered in our State of the Sport and Race Director Diaries series, grassroots bike racing in the United States always seems to be on edge. One of the few constants to the race calendar seems to be change. That is certainly true for New York City where once big races like the Orchard Beach Criterium and the Fort Lee Criterium have disappeared from the schedule, alongside short lived but memorable events like Governor’s Island, a race that I could not even find photographic evidence ever existed.
Amid that change, a few races have managed to survive for the long haul. For NYC, some of the stalwarts remain the Grant’s Tomb Criterium, the Harlem Criterium, and the race that was once the biggest of them all: the Mengoni Grand Prix. In recent years, some of the prestige and history around the Mengoni Grand Prix has probably faded, especially following the death of Fred Mengoni, the race’s longtime benefactor. So ahead of the 2023 edition of the Mengoni Grand Prix this weekend, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane for what was, for a period of time, the biggest race in New York City.
Fred Mengoni and His Namesake Race
The history of the Mengoni Grand Prix is inseparable from race founder and long-time sponsor Fred Mengoni. For decades, Fred was a mainstay of the New York City cycling community - starting as a cyclist himself before creating an GS Mengoni, an elite racing team that would ultimately feature some of the biggest stars of the US cycling scene including Mike McCarthy, Steve Bauer, and George Hincapie. In later years, GS Mengoni would transition to become more of a New York City centric team, with Fred Mengoni supporting the squad from the sidelines in Central Park. Fred Mengoni passed away in 2018, but he is remembered in the continuation of his namesake race and in the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.
It’s the classic American success story that we never get tired of hearing: A man moves to the United States with nothing but a dream in his head and a few dollars in his pocket. Out of that few dollars a fortune is born—not easily, of course, but with great dedication and grit, overcoming obstacles that seem insurmountable at the time, but that teach the man great lessons about believing in himself and never giving up.
The cycling world version of this story is Fred Mengoni. Mengoni grew up in Osimo, Italy, where he was an instrument-maker. After watching Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Mengoni decided he wanted to see New York in person, so he visited some friends there … and he never left.
Mengoni eventually got a job as an instrument repairman, saving up enough money to invest in the stock market. His luck didn’t prove good there, as he lost much of his investments when the market fell, but he didn’t give up; he took the rest of his savings ($8,000 at the time), and decided to invest it in real estate. There, he found much more success.
But Mengoni soon learned that more work didn’t just translate to more money; it almost meant more stress. Looking to relieve some of that unwanted energy, Mengoni picked up a pastime he had since left behind in Italy: cycling. And as he began every morning with a 30k ride through Central Park, he remembered why he used to relish racing as a teenager. Soon after he founded his own elite racing club, which flourished in the 1980s. Mengoni then provided funding to purchase the UCI affiliation for US pro cycling, co-founding USPRO in 1985 and becoming the President for a few years before it merged with USCF, now under USA Cycling.
It was right after this, when Mengoni returned to his elite cycling club, that he met young George and Rich Hincapie. Through Mengoni’s guidance and mentorship, George grew to be a talented racer, participating in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona before going pro with the Motorola Team alongside Lance Armstrong.
“Cycling is an expensive sport,” says Rich Hincapie. “Fred Mengoni was critical in our development, as his support allowed us to have better equipment and participate in bigger races. Fred’s mentorship really helped George to develop as a world-class cyclist.”
To honor Mengoni’s legacy, the Hincapie brothers joined forces with the Century Road Club Association (CRCA) to hold a race in his honor. Called the CRCA Hincapie Grand Prix in Honor of Fred Mengoni, the race runs through Central Park where Mengoni used to go on his early morning rides.
“The Mengoni Grand Prix is the CRCAs longest running race,” explains Jeff Young, a member of the board of CRCA. “This is one of three open races we hold in Central Park, so it’s a longer race that offers more categories than races in our CRCA club series. We’re thrilled that the race has been extremely successful, attracting cyclists from all over the region to compete.”
“I’m thrilled that the Mengoni Grand Prix has been so successful,” says George Hincapie. “It’s my hope that this race can play a small part in furthering the sport of cycling and Mengoni’s legacy. He did so much for us; the least we can do is pay it forward.”
Source: Hincapie Sports
Excerpts from the Mengoni Grand Prix’s History
1983: The Former US National Champion Is Attacked by a Jogger
Unfortunately the one record of the Mengoni Grand Prix in the New York Times archive is from 1983 when former United States National Champion and TDF racer Jock Boyer was apparently attacked by an angry jogger mid-race.
Jonathan (Jock) Boyer, a former national champion and the only American to compete in the Tour de France, suffered a broken collarbone yesterday when he was pushed from his bike by a jogger near the finish of a 50-mile race in Central Park.
Boyer, who lives in Pebble Beach, Calif., but spends most of his time on the European circuit, was preparing for his closing sprint in the G.S. Mengoni Grand Prix, with only Ian Jackson of Australia ahead of him.
He was pedaling uphill near 74th Street when an unidentified jogger, apparently annoyed at the presence of the bikers, ran onto the course and struck Boyer with his elbow, causing him to lose control and fall. Jackson won the race in 1 hour 46 minutes 56 seconds and earned the $500 first prize.
Fred Mengoni, the race sponsor who was following the racers in a car, said, ''I thought at first it was an accident, but observers at the finish line told me the jogger punched Jock with an elbow and caused him to lose control.'' He said that Boyer was about 35 seconds behind Jackson and traveling about 25 miles an hour.
Boyer was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital for the collarbone injury and for cuts and bruises, then released. His wife, Elizabeth, said that he had also suffered temporary amnesia.
Jackson finished 300 yards ahead of John Lovell of New York, the runner- up. In a 25-mile race, Koichiro Tanoka of New York, won in 56:06, followed by Anthony Caseta of Larchmont, N.Y.
Source: New York Times
2005: An Olympic Gold Medal Winner MAkes An Appearance
More than a decade later, the Mengoni Grand Prix made an appearance in Cycling News around the participation of Olympic Gold Medalist Marty Nothstein. Future Olympist Evelyn Stevens also raced the 2008 Mengoni Grand Prix, but Nothstein and Mike McCarthy may still be the only Gold Medalists to have raced the event (internet: please tell us if this is wrong!).
Although New York City did not get the 2012 Olympic Games, New Yorkers have a chance to watch an Olympic champion go for the win this Saturday in Central Park. American Marty Nothstein, gold medal winner in the Sydney Games track cycling competitions, leads a very strong field in Saturday's Mengoni Grand Prix bicycle race, to be held in Central Park.
Nothstein, of the Navigators pro team, is bringing top teammates as well - including Russian Olympians Vasilli Davidenko and Oleg Grishkine and the reigning Irish national champion David O'Loughlin. This is Nothstein's final year of racing, and he faces strong challenges in trying to win the Mengoni Grand Prix for the first time in several attempts.
Among the other favourites are two riders from the Dominican Republic who both now reside in New Jersey. One is last year's winner Melito Heredia of the Toga Bikes team. The other is another former winner (and a former Dominican national champion), Roselvert "Pollo" Marte of the GS Mengoni Team.
The GS Mengoni team, like Saturday's race, is sponsored by Fred Mengoni, a former competitive cyclist from Italy who has played a key role in the development of bike racing in the US through support for many past champions. The GS Mengoni team includes Discovery Channel cyclist George Hincapie, former world-professional champion Mike McCarthy and 1984 Olympic gold medallist Alexi Grewal (all of the US) among its alumni. Mr. Mengoni, who made his fortune in real estate in New York, considers himself one of Greg LeMond's closest advisors.
Saturday's lineup also includes 23-year-old Lisban Quintero of the GS Mengoni team, Todd Herriott and Davide Frattini of the Colavita-Sutter Home professional team, the UPMC-America's Cycling Team with 2002 winner Joe Papp and two former Uruguayan national champions (Alvaro Tardaguila and Mateo Sasso) and the Jittery Joe's-Kalahari pro team led by former junior world champion Jeff Hopkins. Also racing are Wendy Cruz (who captured the inaugural edition of the Tour of Puerto Rico earlier this year), Emile Abraham (the top rider from Trinidad and Tobago), and 2004 Mengoni Grand Prix runner-up Bill Elliston with his Argentinean teammate Alejandro Acton.
Among members of the promoting club, Kevin Molloy of the CRCA-Axis team will lead the charge.
In the women's race, Ashley Kimmet of Colavita-Cooking Light returns to defend her 2004 and 2002 wins. She'll face local sprinters such as Caryl Gale of CRCA-TEAm Lipton, Sarah Chubb-Sauvayre of CRCA-Comedy Central, Ashley McCullough of Deno's Wonder Wheel and Hannah Long of CRCA-Sanchez-Metro.
Start time is 6:00AM. Expected finish time is 7:15AM for the 30-mile women's race and 7:40AM for the 42-mile men's event. The total prize list is $5,000.
Source: Cycling News
2015: To Be Determined Racer Lisa Vandivort Wins MEngoni
While not nearly on par with former National Champions and Olympic Gold Medalists showing up on Central Park start line, we can’t help but toss in a shout out to the 2015 edition of the race where TBD racer Lisa Vandivort took home the Championship in the Women’s Elite field.
The Mengoni Grand Prix on the TBD Journal
Photos from the 2019 Mengoni Grand Prix
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
Another exciting and at times chaotic morning of racing in Central Park