Mountain marathon

Thought that was hard?

This area of the Dolomites could well have coined the term ‘a cyclist’s playground’. It is strewn with peaks and passes above 2,000m, and if you base yourself in a village such as Arabba for a week you can do them all (bearing in mind roads can get snowbound between November and March).

If time is not on your side, though, just come for the first weekend of July for the annual Maratona dles Dolomites. This gran fondo is a mere 138km, but over that distance riders amass 4,320m of ascent, making the Maratona even steeper than the infamous Tour du Mont Blanc (338km, 8,500m). The course climbs over 2,000m six times, ticking off Passos Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Giau, Falzarego and Valparola as it goes.

The Maratona is a seriously sought-after event and this year’s places have largely been assigned, but on March 23rd a further 194 tickets will go on sale, ranging from €500 to €1,500 (regular price €150), with each ticket’s proceeds going to charity.