That was probably my biggest experience and challenge so far on the bike.
In December 2017 I was asked if I would like to come to the Maratona dles Dolomites, I knew that you can only start with a lottery and without knowing exactly what to expect there, however, I said yes.
It wasn't until much later that I went to the website and took a look at what to expect and then I wasn't quite sure whether I could do it at all. It was over 130km with more than 4000 meters of altitude spread over 7 passes, but there was no way back for me, I was committed. There was an option for a shorter route, but not for me... 😀
But after I rode the three passes (Susten, Grimsel and Furka) in June, I was a little more confident with the ride ahead.
So everything was packed and a few days later I headed for the Dolomites, where we were accommodated with a great group in an accommodation right at the start. After we got our start number and starter kit, we rolled up for the next day. It is the Passo Valparolo because there is no such thing as flat in the Dolomites 😉
In the evening we cooked together and talked about the coming day.
After a short night the time had come. It was very quiet in the accommodation and everyone was ready, but there was a sense of nervousness in the air. Afterwards we rolled to the start where I had last seen most of them for the next few hours, because we started in different starting blocks. I was in the first starting block, then it all began.
A large group started moving and headed for the first pass of the day, it was very chaotic and narrow on the Passo Campolongo. The whole thing went on like this on the Passo Pordoi, Passo Sella and Passo Gardena. The passes were all easy to ride and not too steep so that I got over all the passes at my own pace. The views made the efforts all more worthwhile. This region was fantastically beautiful and far exceeded my expectations. After the first 4 passes we went over the Passo Campolongo for the second time and the peloton slowly splintered and the first ones also ended their Maratona here. But it was clear to me that I wanted to keep going. Fortunately, the only part of about 10 kilometers was still relatively flat, so the remaining 120 kilometers were either up or down.
Then the time had come, the Passo Giau followed with 9.9 kilometers and an average gradient of almost 10%, the toughest pass of the whole day, in some parts it had sections with an ascent of 12-13%. I was looking forward to the following 29 hairpin bends, even if they seemed endless and the many riders who pushed their bikes up made me feel insecure. But I was not deterred and rode on at my own pace, one turn after the other and just enjoyed the breathtaking view. Once at the top I allowed myself a break to eat something, fill up the bottles and enjoy the view.
Then came the two passes, Falzarego and Valparola, which were again very smooth and pleasant to ride in terms of the gradient. What a great feeling I was standing on the Valparola and I now knew it was almost done, so I looked around again before I started the last descent for the day. After it was really quiet in the last three passes, it got very tight and chaotic again. The last tough meters came with the Mur dl Giat, with an incline of up to 19%. The road wasn't particularly wide and many got off their bikes.
For me it was clear, I bit the bullet and pushed through. There were people at the edge of the road who applauded, they created the right mood and so the last tough meters were done and you could almost freewheel to the finish. I did it and I was very grateful for this great experience 🙂 The whole day was very well organized and there was a great atmosphere. After the party in the finish area and after I had eaten a lot, it was back to the accommodation, where we all had a restful night.
Here you can take a look at the route on Strava: Maratona dles Dolomites 2018.
The next day we rode again Passo Gardena We rode very comfortably to loosen up our legs, of course with lunch and ice cream. After that it was unfortunately time to pack things again and go back to Switzerland. I will definitely come back to this region to ride my road bike because the region is just wonderful.
