Marcel Berger has one mission 50 days out from the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Lorne, Victoria.
More than 1,200 amateur racers have so far qualified and registered for the three-day event in October, which this year coincides with Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo that over 1,900 cyclists, including former Australian cricketer Peter Siddle and retired Olympic swimmer Mack Horton, will sign-on for.
Berger is the founder of Mummu Cycling – a company that specialises in fan experiences at some of the world’s biggest bike races including the Tour de France, where guests rode stages alongside Australia’s only Tour champion Cadel Evans hours before the pros did last month. The experiences are said to be the closest you can get to being a pro bike rider, without actually being one.
“Stuey [O’Grady] has got a really good line that he always says, that any closer you’ll literally have a number on your back,” Berger recalls.
“We immerse people into the world of pro cycling because we have worked at every single level of pro cycling. But we’re not a cycling tour operator, we are major event experience experts and that’s where we differ.”
Cadel Evans and Stuart O'Grady with a Mummu Cycling rider at the Tour. Photo: Supplied
The difference with the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships is that men and women, like Simon Gower, from Australia and all over the globe will be pinning a race number on and competing for the coveted rainbow jersey in their respective age categories.
Berger knows this and is determined to make their journey as seamless as possible – with Mummu travel packages designed to cater for the needs of racers, so that all they have to focus on is performing like the pros do.
“I hate the word luxury,” says Berger. “I come from a hospitality background, so I can’t help but service at a certain level.
“We just believe there’s a baseline of service and that’s where we start.”
Mummu is offering an eight-day, six-day, four-day as well as bespoke travel packages for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships including hotel accommodation at the Mantra in Lorne, airport transfers, an onsite mechanic, fully supported recon and recovery rides. Massage, meals and VIP events are optional add-ons.
“They include picking up all their bikes from Melbourne, taking them all down, warm-up rides, dinners. We build their bikes, we’ve got a mechanic onsite, again just taking stress off their plate, so they don’t have to worry about it,” Berger says.
“We’ve got TT training rides on-course. For example, there’s a little bit of road that they’ve just resurfaced that the best way to actually get over it is to bunny hop your TT bike, so it’s those little elements that we do so people don’t have to spend two weeks there and recon themselves,” he continues.
“We understand the complexities of the logistics of cycling very, very well, so we know road closures and because of that we can create a seamless experience where logistics is almost unseen by the customer. Whereas normally it’s at the forefront and the biggest frustration of your life.”
Mummu Cycling travel packages can be purchased through the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships event website.
Berger adds that the option to include pre and post-event dinners is a great way to share the experience and foster community if you’re travelling solo or with a small crew.
“We also try and make people feel like they’re part of a team in a very individual sport,” he says.
“We’ve had sales from Switzerland, Spain, Singapore, Poland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Malaysia, USA, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Germany, France, UK and the UAE.
“It’s just nice to know that you’ve got some people there that can make you feel more comfortable regardless of where they sit in the mix.”
Amateur cyclists pictured competing at the Glasgow Gran Fondo World Championships. Photo: SWpix
Accommodation in Lorne is limited and cyclists participating in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships or Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo are being urged to consider other options. Mummu Cycling still has rooms at the Mantra in Lorne, and alternative places within a 50km radius of the coastal town.
Australian cycling legend turned Hendry’s bike shop owner Simon Gerrans recently relocated from Melbourne to Geelong, which will host the team relay on October 17, and has backed that as a convenient hub to stay. Geelong is about a one-hour drive or train ride from Melbourne, and a one-hour drive to Lorne. Participants will need to be mindful of road closures when travelling to Lorne on competition days and arrive early if staying further out.
“I think we’ll have a lot of people probably staying in Geelong just because Lorne is going to fill up pretty quickly, the accommodation down there,” Gerrans says.
“It’s an hour down the road, so it’s not too far to get to Lorne from Geelong. Make sure you drop into Hendry’s and check out what rides we’re doing.”
Main image: Riders at the 2024 Amy's Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo. Photo: Con Chronis