Maratona dles Dolomites 2026

The Maratona dles Dolomites is a one-day amateur road cycling race held in the Dolomites on the first Sunday of July. The full Maratona course covers 138 km with 4,230 m of climbing and seven mountain passes. Riders can also select the 106 km Middle course or the 55 km Sellaronda course. Demand exceeds field size: approximately 9,000 riders are selected from about 30,000 applicants. Cyclists attend from over 70 nations, with half the start list reserved for Italians. The route begins early in Alta Badia, taking riders over Dolomite climbs including Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, and Giau. The Giau pass is nearly 10 km long with an average gradient over 9%. The event originated as a gathering for the Alta Badia-Raiffeisen cycling club, with 166 riders starting from Pedraces on a 175 km route across seven passes. Early editions were challenging; one cold, rainy edition canceled competition times but allowed the ride to continue, and the Maratona pennant was introduced shortly after. Over 1,000 volunteers now support the event, which National Geographic described as “one of the biggest, most passionate, and most chaotic bike races on Earth.”