Sir Mark Cavendish and Sir Bradley Wiggins are set to reunite on the bike at a charity event to raise money for those impacted by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, USA.
The pair, who last competed together at the Ghent Six Day in 2016, are two of the guests of honour at the 13th Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville , the sportive founded by former professional cyclist George Hincapie . Cavendish and Wiggins will be joined by 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich too.
This year's Gran Fondo, held on Saturday 19 October, is a special event due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, a "worst-case scenario" weather event, which caused devastation in the USA, in North Carolina in particular. At least 213 people died across six states as a result of the storm, which caused flooding, strong winds and storm surges.
A portion of the revenue from the weekend will be donated to the Polk County Community Foundation, set up to help one particularly hard-hit part of North Carolina.
Because of the natural disaster, the route has been modified to a 19-mile course entirely within Greenville County, in order to stay in South Carolina, and not impact emergency services.
"We initially thought that we were going to cancel the event," Rich Hincapie, president of Hincapie Events, said in a press release. "But then I realised 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 thirteen years. We want to rally the global cycling community and really make a difference in Polk County. Our goal is to raise one million dollars."
"Our friends in North Carolina have supported this event for over a decade," he continued. "Now, it is our turn to give back to them and help them rebuild their community.
"The proceeds collected will be donated directly to Polk County Community Foundation in North Carolina. We selected Polk County as this is the home of Saluda, Tryon, and Columbus, all of which have gladly hosted rest stops, partnered with our event, and cheered us on during our Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville rides."
As well as the Gran Fondo, there will be a Celebrity Chef Dinner, attended by Cavendish, Wiggins, and Ullrich, and the After Party post-ride. At this, an artist will paint a picture of Cavendish live, which will then be auctioned off to help fundraising efforts.
Last month, Wiggins returned to the bike for the first time in "nearly three years" as part of a 50-mile meet and greet ride, ahead of which he said he was "a little bit nervous" .
"I'm in a really good place now," he said pre-ride. "It's been nice to remember just how many friends I've got in this sport."
Cavendish, meanwhile, is set to retire at the end of the season, after riding the Tour de France Singapore Criterium . He was knighted last week .
Online registration is still open for Gran Fondo Hincapie Greenville until 18 October, and will be available on-site on the Friday and Saturday of the event.
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