Despite being a cycling enthusiast since childhood, it wasn't until I was forty-one that I decided to start actively cycling myself, with the goal of eventually participating in cyclosportives of the monuments of cycling. And as suits a true Fleming, the Tour of Flanders Sportive was the my first goal. In the end, I would finish “Vlaanderen's mooiste” in 2014 and it was an unforgettable experience. Not that I would ever qualify to take the KOM on the Kwaremont, not by the slightest, the personal challenge of completing a true cycling monument was the goal ... and it tasted for more ...
The “Maratona”
Gradually, I became more integrated into the “cycling scene” and, to my great surprise, there turned out to be many more magnificent road sportives than these of the great cycling classics. During one of the many sportives I participated in in the meantime, I found myself in a group that spoke enthusiastically to me about the Maratona, a challenging bike ride around the Sella massif in the Dolomites. “The most beautiful granfondo there is” they wholeheartedly added. And since I had previously tackled the “Sellaronda” several times on skis and was thus more or less familiar with the breathtaking (admittedly) winter landscape, I was immediately convinced to add the “Maratona” to my bucket list and make this my next goal.
Participation not obvious
In 2016, we thus decided to sign up with a group for the Maratona dles Dolomites 2017! However, that ‘Maratona’ indeed turned out to be incredibly popular and it turned out to be not at all easy to participate. First, a pre-registration (pre-registration fee of €2.00) was required from which a maximum of 5,000 participants are then selected by lottery and given the chance to register. Unfortunately, we were not drawn from the whopping +/- 60,000 pre-registrations!
Registration at additional cost ?
On the pre-announced day, the ‘registrations at additional cost’ would open at 18h, so I sat down at my computer to get one of these tickets at the agreed time ... here too, interest seemed to be high because I couldn't get any further than choosing my ticket on the ‘not loading’ web page. When I refreshed the page, it turned out that all those entries had also been sold out in minutes (with the exception of 2 tickets at no less than €500.00).
Perseverance wins
In other words, we would not make the 2017 edition but we would one day cross the ‘Maratona’ off our bucket list ...
The region continued to capture our imagination and so I looked for alternatives to complete the ‘Sellaronda’ by bike for once. It became a participation in the Hero Dolomites , a gruelling MTB marathon, yes around the Sella massif. This unique experience led to an even greater determination to one day take part in the ‘Maratona’ ... which we wouldn't manage until 2024!
Preparation Maratona edition 2024
At the end of 2023, our participation was confirmed and preparations could start. After all, the Maratona dles Dolomites, with 4320 m elevation gain on barely 138 kilometres, is no walk in the park for a cyclist like myself.
Finding a place to stay turned out to be no sinecure either as we were told at our first phone call ‘that's the weekend of the Maratona Mr ... no sorry, everything is fully booked then. Good luck finding a place ...’ I ended up booking a room for 2 at the top of Passo Campolongo (the first climb on the course) at the by the way excellent Laguscei Dolomites Mountain Hotel.
As if the devil were involved, a lingering shoulder injury prevented me from starting training in time so my participation was doubtful for a long time. After five months without cycling, I was finally able to complete my first bike ride (74.68 km) on 19 March 2024 and look forward to an unforgettable participation in the ‘Maratona’. Steadily and with ambition to successfully finish the 138-km trip, I steadily intensified training ...
In the end, I was at the start line on 7 July with only 2,216 km, but 26,927 altimeters in my legs ... not immediately reassuring
First-class organisation
From our arrival in Corvara on Friday 5 July, it was clear that this was a very popular event (see The 10 most popular granfondo in Italy). Collecting your race number, despite long queues, was very well organised. Our race package (in Italian ‘pacco gara’) included, in addition to your bib number, a Maratona cycling jersey and well-known goodies like a can, bar, ... and a can of tuna and a small bottle of prosecco. The enormous POP Merchandising was in full swing and when we asked to buy 2 jerseys for our ladies (at home) on Saturday, before noon, the most common sizes were already sold out.
Truly everything here in Val Badia / Gadertal is dedicated to the event. Countless Maratona ‘beach flags’ at all the hotels, restaurants, shops, ... everyone here is promoting the Maratona. It seemed as if all shops were also selling Maratona merchandising products ... fortunately, which is how we managed to buy 2 women's jerseys.
The start of the granfondo
The day of the race itself you have to get up early (we got up at 4.30 a.m.), but all accommodations willingly cooperate (including breakfast from 4.30 a.m.) to this event which, after all, provides the whole region with tourists on the weekend of the Maratona. Although the organisers provide numerous parking spaces, you have to arrive early and often still have some cycling to do. We decided to descend by bike from the hotel at the top of Passo Campolongo to the starting point in La Villa. Back however ...
Although nearly 10 thousand cyclists had to find their places in the starting area in the morning, the signposting was done to perfection so this too seemed to go very smoothly. As a result of the mass of cycling computers in the vicinity, my Garmin suddenly disconnected with other heart rate monitors ... The attempts to reconnect were in vain ... so it would be cycling by experience and feeling. Given my mediocre preparation, however, I had resolved to stay in the right heart rate zones in order to be able and allowed to complete the entire tour. Allowed? Indeed, because the granfondo has 2 cutt off limits which you have to meet if you want to continue the tour, and the second time limit (towards the Passo Giau) worried me a bit ...
At 6.30 am we were finally allowed to start (under an overcast sky) and I could start completing my Sellaronda trilogy (ski, mtb and road bike). After all, the granfondo starts with the Sellaronda - the tour around the Sella massif - also the course of the shortest route today.
The Sellaronda
After 5 km, the climbing started immediately with the first ascent of the Passo Campolongo, a steady 5.8 km climb at an average of 6.1% ... a warm-up. On the first descent towards Arabba, some unfortunates ahead of us already crashed and here too the organisation excelled ... signallers were already on the spot to warn the cyclists coming up behind.
From Arabba, the next, longer climb of the more famous Passo Pordoi (9.2 km at 6.9%) starts immediately. During this climb, we strongly recommend looking around (while you still can) and enjoying the stunning views and the long string of cyclists winding through the landscape. For me, these images will be remembered best ...
After the descent of the Pordoi, you will end up somewhere halfway up the climb of the Passo Sella (called ‘Passo Sella da bivio Pordoi’) where the steepest kilometres (5.4 km at 8%) from Passo Sella to the ‘Cima Coppi’ of the Maratona dles Dolomites (2244 m) await you.
Descending is done along the Saslong (World Cup ski slope descent) towards Val Gardena without, however, cycling all the way down into the valley to then tackle Passo Gardena ( Grödnerjoch). At just under 6 km at 4.3%, this is the dessert of the Sellaronda tour with a total of 55 km and 1800 altitude metres. From the summit follows a long descent towards a first pass at the finish for those who opted for the mediofondo or granfondo (at least if you meet the first time limit)
The granfondo
With the intended trilogy in the legs and not yet significantly tired, my confidence steadily increased and I could start the real work with a 2nd ascent of Passo Campolongo. This time I pedalled a bit harder in order to pass the 2nd deadline at km 76 on time. Once at the top, however, it started to rain lightly so we had to be a bit more careful on the descents, something that didn't occur to everyone ... one reckless participant whizzed past me and fell in the very last hairpin bend (fortunately without serious consequences).
On the so-called intermediate section towards the Passo Giau, however, it started raining very heavily, visibility was obstructed and it was a case of paying attention in all turns. Despite putting on my rain jacket, I was soaked in no time and it was anything but warm ... I had at least imagined this bucket list granfondo in July with nice weather. Moreover, the heavy rain had also caused water to seep into my Garmin and I could no longer operate the device ...
At the 2nd checkpoint, we (modestly satisfied), witnessed the cheering of 2 ladies who were super excited that they had met the time limit and were allowed to continue the granfondo. I was rather modestly pleased as I knew that the part I feared most was still to come. All the information kept talking about the beast Passo Giau (10 km at 9.3% on average).
Meanwhile, to make matters worse, my Garmin was freaking out and presented me with gradients that could in no way match reality ... not at all favourable for my mood when you know that seeing 10% on the screen automatically gives me a much harder time ( but this might also have something to do with my body weight).
Passo Giau
With my self-confidence cooled, I started the first steep kilometers of this, for me still unknown, but reportedly monstrous climb. About halfway up I got the feeling that things were not going so well anymore and this was confirmed by seeing participants passing by that I recognized ... Due to the persistent rain, increasingly cold wind and my declining enthusiasm I really didn't enjoy - not necessarily in this order - the 29 hairpins and the impressive surroundings of the Passo Giau. From then on it was raking to the summit (the climb really has no rest points) where I eagerly took advantage of the ample and well-supplied food supplies.
With six climbs, 88 kilometers, 3,000 altitude meters, 2 sandwiches with “prosciuto”, a banana, cola, ... in my stomach, I took new courage to complete this personal challenge.
The final stretch
I was really shivering from the cold on the descent so that you really were longing for the next climb (?) The calories ingested clearly did their job and I I did survive the Passo Valparola (11 km at 5.8%) very well. Meanwhile, it had stopped raining and, enjoying and talking, we could recharge ourselves one more time for the 370-metre Mür dl Giat with max gradient of 19% (recommended gear min. 34x30)
Thanks to the many encouragements from the fans, this very steep climb was over faster than expected and we approached the finish line, looking back with satisfaction on a beautiful and fantastically organized granfondo (despite half a day of rain).
Maratona dles Dolomites 2025
We can strongly recommend this granfondo to everyone ... the ‘Maratona’ is definitely one of the cyclosportives that should be on the bucket list of every sportive road cyclist ...
The Maratona dles Dolomites 2025 is scheduled for Sunday, July 6. Pre-registrations for the Maratona dles Dolomites 2025 open on 9 October ... read more
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