10th Annual Heartbreaker Cycling Invitational: Gainesville, Florida: Mud, Crud, Scenery, Friends, Fun & More!

2021 heartbreaker cycling invitational gainesville florida — A wet edition of the Heartbreaker welcomed riders in 2021

Part of the North Florida Freeride Gravel Series (NFFGS) – and organized by JOM, founder of Gravel Cyclist, the Heartbreaker Cycling Invitational is an event that traverses some of Gainesville’s most beautiful roads. Featuring Live Oak canopies adorned with Spanish moss, dirt, limerock, and paved roads, this ride has it all. The Heartbreaker isn’t really a race, and the ride welcomes riders of all abilities and speeds, to ride the course at speeds of their choosing.

NFFGS – https://www.facebook.com/norflafreeridegravelseries

10th Annual Heartbreaker Cycling Invitational Ride Experience Video

NFFGS Series Sponsors:

Panaracer USA – https://panaracerusa.com
Look Cycle – https://www.lookcycle.com/us-en/

A little Heartbreaker History from JOM

Originally started as a lark some ten years ago, the Heartbreaker began as a Facebook event. The ride was named as a homage to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (RIP Tom) who began their musical careers in Gainesville, Florida. Technically, the original Tom Petty band was Mudcrutch (I have another event dedicated to that name) but either way, I thought the Heartbreaker name lent itself well to my idea of a challenging mixed-surface ride.

The ride has seen various formats during the past ten years; charity ride hosted at a brewery, charity ride hosted at a cafe, and a ride starting and ending at a gas / petrol station, which is next-level classy. The ride always rolls out of town together in a neutral-like fashion, and later, back into town once everyone has regrouped at the designated “finish” point of the ride. The Heartbreaker pioneered the fun rollout concept at Hearbreaker #1, long before the big-name events and sponsored entities came along claiming they are revolutionaries.