Supermaratona: New road bike challenge in the Dolomites with 8400 metres of altitude difference

The Maratona dles Dolomites has been one of the most popular road cycling events in Europe for years. This is also due to the manageable difficulties: the 55 kilometre short route has only 1780 metres of altitude and even the longest route, at 138 kilometres and 4230 metres of altitude, does not present any extreme hurdles. This becomes clear when you compare it to the Ötztal Cycle Marathon, the long lap of the Alpenbrevet or races such as the Supergiro Dolomiti.

The Maratona organisers are now offering a real test for fans of long routes with a lot of elevation gain: the Supermaratona offers an impressive 8400 metres of elevation gain spread over 286 kilometres. It follows in the historical footsteps of the Dolomites Marathon. The routes of the Maratona dles Dolomites have always been the same in recent years - but in the founding years, they alternated regularly. The new "Supermaratona" challenge picks up on this history and offers all 13 passes that have ever been ridden in the history of the cycling marathon on one lap. Around 8400 metres in altitude spread over 286 kilometres is a brutally tough challenge.

Supermaratona on your own

The Supermaratona is not organised as an event, but the route can be ridden on your own. The GPX file and a map are available on the maratona.it website. The start is in Badia and the finish is in Corvarra. The route was inaugurated at the beginning of July by Italian mountaineer Hervé Barmasse: it took him around 15 hours to complete the Supermaratona. "It may sound strange, especially because I'm a mountaineer, but the biggest difficulty during the journey was facing the icy temperatures. Then there was the heavy traffic and the long hours in solitude. However, I experienced moments of intense communion with nature, such as when climbing the Pordoi in complete darkness, where the silence and the sound of the wind created an almost magical atmosphere. Cycling at night on the Alpine passes is one of the most beautiful memories of this experience," he told the Italian website MountainBlog.

Start: Badia
GoalCorvara

Passes travelledPasso Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Fedaia, Passo Duran, Forcella Staulanza, Passo Giau, Passo Tre Croci, Passo Valparola, Passo Campolongo, Passo Pordoi, Passo Sella, Passo Gardena

More road bike tours: Cycle tour Dolomites