Big money on the line: the Growler at Levi's GranFondo sees huge prize money increase to $156,000

The Growler at Levi's GranFondo has cemented its place as the richest road race in the world, boasting a prize purse of $156,000 to be split equally between the top men and women. With prize money for first place at $25,000, second place at $15,000, and awards down to 10th place, the event has seen a staggering 283% increase in its prize purse.

This sixth edition of The Growler promises to draw an elite field of cyclists to tackle the gruelling 139-mile course, featuring more than 13,500 feet of elevation gain on rough roads. Scheduled for Saturday, April 19, the race will run alongside Levi's GranFondo rides and will include separate start times for elite and junior divisions. Organisers have also introduced new finish protocols in Windsor, California, allowing top pros to separate from amateur riders during the final stretch.

"When you have a prize purse this robust, it will guarantee a very deep field, one of the deepest fields we've ever seen. Once that news dropped, every rider globally who can make it happen is coming out of the woodwork. The win will be much more prestigious than the inaugural one," said Peter Stetina to Cyclingnews.

Luke Lamperti of Soudal – Quick-Step, who first rode Levi's GranFondo at the age of eight in 2011, expressed his excitement about competing again on familiar terrain: "For me, it's home roads here in Sonoma County, so any time I have a chance I get to ride with a bunch of people in Sonoma County it's always amazing. Now that it's a race, I'm super excited to come back to it and hopefully competing to win it," he told Cyclingnews.

Lauren De Crescenzo also shared her enthusiasm for the event, highlighting the significance of the prize purse: "I’m so excited about the huge prize purse for The Growler and never thought I would be making a gran fondo one of my season targets."