Maratona dles Dolomites Course Profile

Now there are less than two months to go before the 2007 Maratona dles Dolomites. Last year I did the medium length course although I made the cut-off for the long course by 20+ minutes. The only difference is that the long course includes the Passo Giau before the final climb of the Passo Falzarego. I was pretty tired, and as it was the medium course had 10,137 feet of climbing. This year I'm training for the long course which is 85.7 miles with 13,746 feet of climbing. By the way, GRANFONDO magazine readers recently voted the Maratona the most beautiful granfondo in Italy. If you have considered coming to ride in Italy I can recommend that you plan your trip to include participation in this event. It is, in fact, incredibly beautiful and the event organization is superlative. The official event website is www.maratona.it

The Maratona only has approximately 8,000 slots and a lottery is necessary every year as more than 15,000 persons apply. However, there are several tour companies that have slots reserved and that is a sure way to enter; information is available on the Maratona website.

Photos: long course profile (click on photo for larger version); photo from last year's Maratona