Information about the largest Polish amateur classic cycling series reached over 7.5 million people and is valued at more than 2.6 million PLN.
The largest audience, over 5 million people, learned about PZU Gran Fondo Series through traditional media – seeing, reading, or hearing about it. More than 2.5 million people followed the cycling events via social media. A report prepared by the Media Monitoring Institute shows that PZU Gran Fondo Series generated significant media interest, not only within the cycling industry.
The media success of PZU Gran Fondo Series is the success of all participants in these races. Thousands of photos and posts, shared with joy and pride by cyclists on their social media channels, their interviews for radio stations, websites, or TV, and, of course, their very presence on the courses – all of this contributes to these outstanding results.
Marek Rutkiewicz – director of PZU Gran Fondo Series
The most information about the PZU Gran Fondo Series cycling races appeared online. In second place was radio, and third were newspapers. All press materials had a positive or neutral tone. There were no articles criticizing the events. This is important for the series’ partners, whose brands were associated entirely positively.
A large portion – as much as 21 percent – of the reach was generated by national media. However, the coverage was dominated primarily by local media. The most publications were produced in the Greater Poland region, where they also achieved the greatest reach.
These results should come as no surprise. We are experiencing a boom in mass sports. Thousands of people participate in running events or triathlons. PZU Gran Fondo Series offers a chance for great fun and competition for those who love cycling. The biggest attraction of these races is that absolutely everyone can find something for themselves during the weekend – from children’s races, through the Family Fondo “bike rally,” all the way to real racing on the Gran Fondo distance.
Maciej Stroiński – press officer, PZU Gran Fondo Series
PZU Gran Fondo Series is an excellent investment for sponsors. Of course, the biggest winner is the PZU brand, the title sponsor. Nearly three-quarters of all publications about the races mentioned the sponsor’s presence, generating over 2.3 million PLN in advertising equivalent. Truly impressive, however, is the brand value of PZU associated with this year’s races. According to the IMM report, it exceeded 6.5 million PLN!
The second-largest sponsor, who can undoubtedly speak of the success of their presence in the project, is the cryptocurrency exchange ZondaCrypto, with a brand value of 4.3 million PLN. The sponsor’s name or logo appeared in 849 publications, generating an advertising equivalent of 662,441 PLN.
The other race sponsors — ActiveJet, Technogym, 4MOVE, Cisowianka, VW Commercial Vehicles, and Shimano — also have plenty to celebrate. According to the IMM report, each of these brands exceeds a brand value of one million PLN.
The effectiveness of our partners’ collaboration with PZU Gran Fondo Series is beyond doubt. It confirms that amateur cycling events are gaining increasing interest among audiences, and the media treat them as a sign of desirable physical activity. Sponsors can use this to build a positive message around their brands.
Jan Szczepłek – sales director, PZU Gran Fondo Series
The host cities are also key partners of the races. Their involvement largely shapes the perception of each event. Among the four cities hosting this year’s races, Poznań leads the way. The image value of the capital of Greater Poland exceeded 5,260,000 PLN. Gdynia achieved over 3,300,000 PLN, while the values for Lublin and Ełk clearly surpassed 2,000,000 PLN.
Cities that recognized the potential of PZU Gran Fondo Series have every reason to feel like the biggest winners of the series. Poznań definitely “hit the jackpot.” The strong results of Ełk and Lublin are also encouraging—these are cities making their debut this year as hosts of our races.
Michał Drelich – CEO of Sport Evolution, organizer of PZU Gran Fondo Series
PZU Gran Fondo Series returns in the 2026 season. The organizers confirm that discussions are underway about expanding the list of cities hosting the races. The first details about next year’s edition of the series are expected to be revealed at the end of the year.