I’m proud of my choice to offer Hammer Nutrition at my events
I’ve been putting on endurance sports events for more than 25 years. In 2012 when I started the Gran Fondo National Series, my first partnership inquiry went out to Hammer Nutrition. This wasn’t just me looking around for sponsorship and support, this was a strategy to create successful events. The Gran Fondo National Series is comprised of extremely demanding cycling events, most of which are about 100 miles with nearly 10,000 feet again. I wasn’t looking to have riders fail to complete the day and end up hauling them and their bikes back in cars; I needed to make sure my riders were fueled and could get back to the finish line on their own efforts. Since 2012, we’ve put on more than 80 Series events, and every one of them has been supported by Hammer Nutrition, making Hammer our longest standing Series partner, thus enabling the Series to be successful.
Hammer Nutrition products are an important key to the success of the Series. It’s simple really… providing the best quality endurance sport nutrition to my riders makes it more likely they will succeed in their goals and have a better overall experience. This increases the satisfaction of our riders, and their positive sense of achievement makes it more likely they will return to join us for another event. Picking up a rider in a SAG vehicle to give them a ride back is nowhere near as beneficial to my brand, as is helping that same rider accomplish their goal by providing nutrition that optimizes electrolyte and carbohydrate fueling while minimizing GI impact.
I’m proud of my partnership with Hammer Nutrition, I’m also proud of the events my team and I produce and that mean doing the best we can through and through, including making the best fueling choice for our participants to make sure they have a great day on the bike.
Reuben Kline
Gran Fondo National Series Founder & Director
Your go-to Hammer products:
FIZZ, HEED, and Recoverite, along with daily supplements for overall health.
What sport do/did you compete in? And why are you passionate about it?
I was most competitive on the mountain bike and earned a pro license through USAC, but I love being on the bike... any bike. These days I spend more time on the road. I was compelled to start Gran Fondo Nationals Series as a way to offer a more dynamic race experience that used real roads instead of going around in circles and that would welcome more people into road racing.
Favorite memory as a Race Director?
This has to be Asheville in 2021. When I started this endeavor the first event I put on, I named the Gran Fondo National Championship. People had mixed remarks about what I was doing, and many questioned me for putting on a national championship event, with comments like who are you to put on a national championship? I would tell them I'm the guy who came up with the idea and the one doing it. In 2021, when I put on the first USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships, it wasn't a feeling like I proved it; it was a feeling of an undeniable life accomplishment. I had done it, my dedication to BELIEVE IN THE BIKE and create a new time section racing format came to full fruition. It's a life accomplishment that can not be overlooked or distorted, not even for my own personal reality. I personally dedicated myself to this goal and established a new National Championship race format that not only welcomes people into the sport but also makes road racing amazing! It was simply a feeling without doubt and full of admiration for myself and all those who supported my dream.
