If there's one event you must ride in your life, it's the Maratona dles Dolomites (the name is in the Ladino language). It's a joyous and unforgettable celebration of nature's magnificence, of cycling, cameraderie, and the human spirit...of life itself. Each of the more than 8,000 participants is a protagonist, and all know they are a part of something extraordinary. The spectacular course features many legendary Dolomite passes, with roads entirely closed to motorized traffic (and to cyclists who are not official participants). Click here to see the Maratona's own 2010 gallery. Click here to watch the 2009 Rai broadcast (2 parts).

2010

the first climb, Passo Campolongo

Passo Sella

Passo Gardena

GF Campagnolo '08--it was the first year on a spectacular new course, but the end of an era: the event became the Gran Fondo Sportful, named for the cyclewear company located in the nearby town of Fonsazo.

Passo Gardena

(below) Climbing Croce D'Aune and entering the historic enter of Feltre in the GF Campagnolo 2007.

above) in 2006 the finish of the GF Campagnolo moved to the beautiful historic center of Feltre, giving riders yet one more climb to overcome.

(right) 2005 GF Campagnolo. That tall rider and I kept one another company all the way up the Croce d'Aune Pass. After the descent, on which he almost flew off the road trying to keep up with Raimundas Rumsas (who didn't touch his brakes on the hairpins), we found ourselves together at the finish.

Mario, Giovanni, and I at Girolaguna #1. (Their team's name is not a religious statement; it is instead named in memory of a friend's son who perished in an auto accident).

(left) The Giro delle Dolomiti is a 6-stage event--with all the stages being Alpine stages. To spice things up, the riders are timed on one of each day's three or four climbs, and a GC is formulated. On this day there was "only" one climb: the 17 mile, 48 hairpin, 9,045 foot high Stelvio Pass, with its 5,996 feet of vertical gain (but it isn't actually in the Dolomites).

(right) The Passo Giau, very steep but stunningly beautiful. It was the day's hillclimb--preceeded by Passo Fedaia (Marmolada), and followed by the Falzarego and Pordoi passes--a stage worthy of the Giro d'Italia. That's the Ra Gusela peak of the Nuvolau group towering overhead.

Gallery Page 2

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