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84-537: Other mountain groups of similar geological structure are spread along the River Piave to the east— Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave ; and far away over the Adige River to the west— Dolomiti di Brenta (Western Dolomites). A smaller group is called Piccole Dolomiti (Little Dolomites), between the provinces of Trentino, Verona and Vicenza. The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park and many other regional parks are in

168-459: A 19% grade that crossed La Villa. At the top it re-joined the main route to the finish line in Corvara. 9,302 athletes from 64 countries participated in the 2015 event. The theme of the race ‘Forgiveness’, demonstrated that it was a far-ranging event that touched sensibilities. The Maratona is a constant invitation to ride with strong legs and an open mind. 8,903 cyclists started participated in

252-470: A computer, while the latter were posted to competitors’ homes. There were starting grids, with three groups of riders starting at different times. The Maratona dles Dolomites Committee was formed and substituted the Rodes Alta Badia, with the arduous task of organising and foreseeing the ‘future’ of what was becoming a special event as part of a gran fondo cycle race. 6,463 people signed up. There

336-527: A drink, gave the plastic bottle back for collection in a recycling bin. Among the slips given out, some were chosen for free registration in the next Maratona dles Dolomites. There was once again a free shuttle bus to take cyclists to the expo and bib distribution area. Finally, the cleaning staff saw a 50% reduction in waste on the Maratona roads. The event's "Carbon Neutrality" index in 2012 was 80%. Cold, snow, sun and dedication followed in perfect ‘Harmony’ -

420-514: A high numbers’ mechanism with more than 33,500 pre-registrations but a limited numbers race; the Dolomite passes closed for all the race long; charity's objective and eco-sustainable way to live the race with electrical cars and motorbikes for internal use. Among the participants was Sir Bradley Wiggins who completed the race for the first time and stated, " I really enjoyed it although it was very tough ". The route comprised twists and turns through

504-670: A large mountain hut at the rocky saddle just above the Rifugio Tosa in 1897. A similar situation was created at Passo Tuckett where the SAT had constructed the small rifugio Sella in 1905 and the DÖAV Sektion Berlin built a larger hut right next to it. When the last undisturbed major peak in the Brenta Group, Campanile Basso , was finally climbed by Berger and Ampferer in 1899, it appeared that they had heavily relied on

588-590: A later chairman of the prestigious Alpine Club arrived in 1871. He and his companions Francis Fox Tuckett and the French guide François Devouassoud from Chamonix. These men, who all would become main figures of the Golden Age of Alpinism were active in the Brenta Group and Presanella in 1871 and 1872. In 1871 they reached the summit of the Cima Brenta. Other British mountaineers of that era that would add to

672-572: A much more compact and reliable rock on the peaks of the central part of the Brenta Group than in the peripheral subgroups. Eventually, these layers were pushed upwards by the tectonic activity that led to the formation of the Alps during the Eocene, starting some 66 million years ago and leading to the formation of folds and thrust faults . Subsequent erosion carved out the dolomitic landscape with its steep vertical pinnacles, as we know it now. Although

756-404: A ton of useless waste – around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) of plastic), the eco-pocket on the side of the jersey, the use of completely recyclable propylene cups and plates at the finish line refreshment point and a 60% reduction in paper inside the race packs, thanks to the help of partners and sponsors. Numbered slips were also given out to all riders at the finish line who, once they had received

840-604: A tradition in the Dolomites since 1887, when 17-year-old Georg Winkler soloed the first ascent of the pinnacle of the Vajolet Towers . The main centres include: Rocca Pietore alongside the Marmolada Glacier, which lies on the border of Trentino and Veneto, the small towns of Alleghe , Falcade , Auronzo , Cortina d'Ampezzo and the villages of Arabba , Urtijëi and San Martino di Castrozza , as well as

924-570: Is an extension of the preceding shorter Middle course, riders doing the full Maratona dles Dolomites have to proceed with the Middle course. All three courses go through the Dolomite mountains around the Sella Group and over roads on which the Giro d'Italia has taken place. The roads are lined with thousands of spectators and the event is broadcast live on Italian national broadcaster RAI . Along

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1008-580: Is commonly divided into the Western and Eastern Dolomites, separated by a line following the Val Badia–Campolongo Pass–Cordevole Valley (Agordino) axis. The Dolomites may be divided into the following ranges: The Dolomites are renowned for skiing in the winter months and mountain climbing , hiking, cycling and BASE jumping , as well as paragliding and hang gliding in summer and late spring/early autumn. Free climbing has been

1092-692: Is very small but offers a splendid view into the central part of the Brenta Group. Most hikers come to the Brenta Group to hike along the Via della Bocchette and connected vie ferrate, like Sentiero Castiglioni . A completion of the whole south–north itinerary departing from Rif. Agostini along the Sentiero Castiglioni, Sentiero dell'Ideale, Bocchette Centrali, Bocchette Alte, Sentiero Benini and Sentiero Costanzi, ending at Rifugio Peller would require in total approximately 28 walking/climbing hours. Therefore, an entire network of Alpine huts exists above

1176-672: The British Alpine Club , undertook the east–west traverse of the Brenta Group over the Bocca di Brenta. A year later he reached the summit of the Cima Tosa, only to find out that a few days earlier, on July 20, 1865, the summit had been claimed by Bepi Loss from Primiero and his companions. Ball wrote about his endeavors in the Alpine Journal and attracted other British explorers to the Brenta Group. Douglas Freshfield ,

1260-542: The First World War , the front line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian Army ran through the Dolomites, where both sides used mines extensively. Open-air war museums are at Cinque Torri (Five Towers), Monte Piana and Mount Lagazuoi. Many people visit the Dolomites to climb the vie ferrate , protected paths through the rock walls that were created during the war. A number of long-distance footpaths traverse

1344-593: The Molveno Lake and the Tovèl Lake are the most significant. Notable peaks of the Brenta Group are: Recent research has suggested that Cima Tosa is not as high as 3173 metres and is probably lower than Cima Brenta. The main mountain passes of the Brenta Group are: The Brenta Group had probably been frequently explored by local hunters, but the scientific and alpinistic exploration started in 1864 when John Ball , (Irish-)British explorer and founder of

1428-645: The Southern Limestone Alps mountain group. They are located in the Province of Trentino , in northeastern Italy . It is the only dolomitic group west of the Adige River. Therefore, geographically, they have not always been considered a part of the Dolomites mountain ranges. Geologically, however, they definitely are - and therefore sometimes called the "Western Dolomites" . As part of

1512-470: The "Maratona for Kids", still organised by Maria Canins. The success of the Maratona continued, known as ‘Fostüs’, ‘traces’. The race was broadcast live from the start and for the first time there was a YouTube film contest dedicated to the Maratona. Energy was the theme. A shuttle service was set up to avoid polluting roads in Alta Badia. The number of requests to take part increased continually, but

1596-567: The 2000 meter altitude, mostly operated by the SAT as part of the Club Alpino Italiano : Several privately owned mountain huts can be found at lower altitudes. Signed mountain paths cross the entire Brenta Dolomites, giving access to much frequented areas of these mountains. Hikers can choose between very challenging itineraries like the Bochette Alte or less demanding alternatives but should always come well prepared with

1680-528: The 2016 event. Half the cyclists were Italian, the other half are a heterogeneous group from five different continents: Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium represented Europe; Qatar, Japan, Korea, Colombia and Kazakhstan, are only some of the nationalities of the cyclists travelling from afar. The theme chosen was ‘the journey’. The theme chosen was LOVE. 9,129 cyclists (962 women) from 69 countries started at 6:30 am from La Villa. That's

1764-626: The Brenta Group in some remarkable images. Trentino was 'Welshtirol', part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, so it was only natural that the DÖAV took an interest in the exploration of these mountains. After Karl Schulz had reached the third and highest summit of the Crozzon di Brenta and reported his findings, other German and Austrian alpinist found their way to the Brenta Group. Important explorative and descriptive work

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1848-529: The Brenta Group, close to Bocca di Brenta: Rifugio Tosa, at 2,439 m (8,002 ft). Local Alpinists like Carlo and Giuseppe Garbari and Nino Pooli, started to follow in the tracks of the local guides Matteo & Bonifacio Nicolussi and Antonio Dallagiacomo, who had led all the foreigners to the summits. The antagonism with the Germanic climbers was exacerbated by an alleged practice of piggybacking on Italic efforts. The DÖAV Sektion Bremen decided to construct

1932-841: The Colle Santa Lucia and Livinallongo municipalities, through which the Maratona cyclists have raced for years. On 29 October 2018 a storm caused huge damage and destroyed millions of trees, roads and paths. For this reason, the Committee of the Maratona dles Dolomites - Enel organized a fund-raising initiative for the two Municipalities using special entries to the race. Many Italian celebrities cycled this year including: Martina Colombari , Nicola Savino , Paolo Bettini , Davide Cassani , Robert Kubica , Alex Zanardi , Carlos Checa , Filippo Pozzato , Dorothea Wierer , Lisa Vittozzi , Sofia Goggia , Kristian Ghedina , Vittorio Brumotti , Federico Pellegrino , Maria Canins and others. For

2016-545: The Dolomites, the Brenta Group has been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site under the World Heritage Convention . Geologically, the Brenta Group is very different from the granite-formed neighboring mountain groups like Ortles and Adamello / Presanella . The main peaks are formed of hard compact dolomite , while the peripheral subgroups often are made up of more calcareous dolomite or limestone . The hard dolomite (dolomia principale)

2100-536: The Dolomites. On 26 June 2009 , the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The Adamello-Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark is also in the Dolomites. The Geological Museum of the Dolomites (in Italian Museo Geologico delle Dolomiti ) is located in Predazzo , Fiemme Valley . The Dolomites, also known as the "Pale Mountains", take their name from the carbonate rock dolomite . This

2184-459: The Dolomites. They are called alte vie (German: Dolomiten Höhenwege – high paths), and are numbered 1 to 10. The trails take about a week to walk, and are served by numerous rifugi (huts). The first and the most renowned is the Alta Via 1 . Radiocarbon dating has been used in the Alta Badia region to demonstrate a connection between landslide activity and climate change. The region

2268-481: The Maratona dles Dolomites would be broadcast live on T.V. The Maratona was dedicated to the differently-abled and was twinned with the New York Marathon . Organisers introduced anti-doping tests. The family was the focus of the edition. All three routes were closed to traffic for the first time. The maximum number of participants was increased to 8,000 and registration ended in one week. The edition of

2352-402: The Maratona individually through the summer and autumn. Each cyclist received a customized finisher cap as a gift. It was supposed to be a rainy, cold, and gloomy day but at 6.30 a.m. a pale sun, which gradually became brighter and brighter, welcomed the 5.615 cyclists ready to start the 34th edition of Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel, this year dedicated to Art. A smaller number than usual, due to

2436-507: The Maratona led the new committee to think of limiting numbers, although the competition retained the same format. It was a splendid day and the help of volunteers made it a perfect race. The introduction of the Datasport precision timing system, with Datachips that took readings in real time from start to finish. The formula of a cyclists’ week gained even more ground, thanks to sports and entertainment events, as well as collateral events to

2520-405: The Maratona was dedicated to ‘angels’. There was also another new feature: given the growing number of participants and requests to take part, the committee introduced a draw system, so participants could only take part if their name was drawn. The edition took place over three routes that would now become the usual ones. The Maratona was dedicated to ‘colours’ and had a special guest: Jetsum Pema,

2604-563: The Maratona, including the Tenerific Maria Canins, a cycle race for children aged 4 to 12. Some new features included that each edition would have a motto, a key word, theme or special dedication. It began with ‘Living is an Art’. The start was moved to La Villa and the Fedaia Pass was no longer part of the route. The committee established a fixed number of 6,000 participants. Over thirty nationalities took part. However,

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2688-496: The Maratona—with 9,000 riders chosen from 30,000 applicants, from over 70 nations—is one of the biggest Italian Granfondo bicycle races. National Geographic described it as "one of the biggest, most passionate, and most chaotic bike races on Earth." The first Maratona dles Dolomites was run on 12 July 1987. This was a celebration of the first ten years of the cycling club Societá Ciclistica Alta Badia-Raiffeisen. The route

2772-582: The Northern Chain towards Rifugio Peller: Sentiero Costanzi . The Autonomous Province of Trento passed a law in 1967 to protect the Brenta Group as part of the Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta. This area covers 650 km (250 sq mi). Its fauna is among the richest of the Alps and includes all animal species which find their habitat on the mountains; bear , chamois and alpine ibex included. The Brenta Group

2856-484: The RAI 2 channel, that followed the entire race in a six-hour long sequence of images. Participants came from 72 different countries and five continents and were equally subdivided between Italians (50%) and foreigners (50%). The theme highlighted the charity initiatives that have been characteristic of the Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel. Tomorrow is closely linked to today, as evidenced by the initiatives of solidarity in favour of

2940-480: The Sasso Rosso. Some peripheral subgroups, like Ghez, Daino, Vallon and Campa are far away from all the touristic attention - even on an August day. These wild remote areas pose their own specific challenges and a hike in these areas requires cautious preparation. Those areas, however, are somehow less interesting for the vertical rock climbers because of the fragility of the more calcareous rock. For these climbers

3024-526: The Sellaronda course. Riders wishing to tackle it, do not stop after the Sellaronda's finish line, but directly proceed to ascend Campolongo Pass a second time. In Arabba the middle course deviates from the earlier course and follows the road out of the Fodom valley to the village of Cernadoi . Here the course splits: rider choosing to do the entire Maratona proceed to the village of Colle Santa Lucia , while

3108-548: The Ski Area Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta-Val di Sole-Val Rendena can offer around 150 km (93 mi) of piste on 98 ski slopes of all difficulty grades, facilitated by 63 lifts. On the east side of the Brenta Group the ski slopes are located on the Paganella . The Paganella Ski Area can offer around 50 km (31 mi) of piste, facilitated by 16 lifts. The skiing area above Molveno at Pradel

3192-720: The course descends to the village of Arabba in the Fodom valley; from there it climbs to the Pordoi Pass and then descends into the Fassa valley. There the climb to the Sella Pass begins, from which the riders descend into Gardena valley. The last pass the Sellaronda course traverses is the Gardena Pass . From it the course begins its final descent towards the finish at Corvara. The Middle course follows immediately after

3276-533: The courses ) The Sellaronda course starts in the village of La Ila and finishes in the village of Corvara . The course goes clockwise around the Sella mountain group . Four passes must be surmounted to finish the course. After the start the course follows the main road through the Val Badia to the village of Corvara. The ascent to Campolongo Pass begins immediately behind the village. After crossing Campolongo Pass

3360-491: The courses seven refreshment stations are manned by volunteers, with foods and drinks, varying from sports drink to coffee to Strudel or Speck sandwiches. The week prior to the Maratona is an event called "Riders' Week". Group rides, training rides, cycling events, and parties are organized and held daily. Many racers therefore spend the entire week preceding the Maratona in the Val Badia . ( see also: external map of

3444-521: The edition was marked by a terrible accident: a competitor died while coming down the Giau Pass. The theme was ‘Magic Lives in Us‘. The fixed number of participants was raised to 7,000. The edition was dedicated to women and was broadcast live for the first time on RAI3 . It was an unexpected success: millions of people discovered the wonders of the route wedged between the Dolomites. All future editions of

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3528-429: The event that managed to reduce all kinds of pollution. Closing the race routes to cars made an important contribution to this. ‘Giulan’ – ‘thanks’ was the title of the edition, now in its 25th year. 9,131 days had passed since 1987 when the first Maratona was staged with 166 cyclists over 177 kilometres (110 mi). Some of these, like Giorgio Apolloni with bib no. 1 and Roberto Della Noce, no. 2, still race today with

3612-566: The exploration of the Brenta Group were Arthur John Butler (a.o. 1884: Cima degli Armi, 1885: Campanile Alto), Albert de Falkner and Edward Theodore Compton (1881: Crozzon di Brenta). The latter built up a career as an artist in Germany and had fully integrated into the ranks of the Deutsch-Oestereichische Alpen Verein (DÖAV), for which he made a large series of paintings and illustrations, also featuring

3696-467: The explorative character of alpinism gave way to the ascent of rock climbing as a sport. The completion of the Italian unification in 1870 triggered expectations in Italian speaking Tyrol . The spirit of Irredentismo was increasingly present among the local alpinists, who had founded in 1872 their own Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini . In 1882 they constructed the first mountain hut located within

3780-405: The first American. It was also the year of the first Maratona jersey that was given to all competitors. There were 1,292 participants of whom 32 were women and the Maratona finish line became electronic. The passages and times of competitors were recorded by a sign on the rear numbers and registered by IT systems. The weather was bad once again: it poured down from Lake Misurina to Cortina. The hail

3864-410: The hotel. It was also very cold the following year, which featured the Maratona pennant for the first time. The number of competitors continued to increase to 541. The starter was an exceptional professional, Flavio Giupponi , who had come second in the Giro d’Italia the year before. The day was so cold that the organisers decided to end the race at the Giau Pass. The route changed, and the Maratona

3948-470: The itinerary was extended towards the Bocca del Tuckett by a trajectory called Via delle Bocchette Alte , a challenging itinerary that reaches a quota of 3,002 m (9,849 ft) and traverses the Cima Brenta east face just under the summit. At a later stage the itinerary of vie ferrate was extended towards Passo del Grostè by means of the Sentiero Benini and still later on extended further over

4032-401: The jury and the race organisers. The "mür dl giat" was the great new feature. All cyclists on the medium and long route, during the second passage through La Villa, were asked to face a final tough challenge: 200 metres (660 ft) after the turn for Corvara, then had to climb the  "mür dl giat" (the cat's wall), as the inhabitants of La Villa are known as ‘cats’. This was a deviation with

4116-423: The last decade a base for paragliders . Former European Champion (2006, 2010) and World Cup Silver Medalist (2011) Paragliding Luca Donini is from Molveno. Maratona dles Dolomites The Maratona dles Dolomites ( Ladin for "Dolomites Marathon"; Italian : Maratona delle Dolomiti ), is an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes in the Dolomites . Open to amateur cyclists,

4200-455: The main reason. The Brenta Group is separated from: The Brenta Group covers a relatively large area. It can be subdivided into a Technically, the shouldering mountains, as there are on the east side Cima Paganella, Monte Gazza, and on the west side the Doss del Sabion should be considered part of the Brenta Group, but they are very peripheral. The Brenta Group counts a number of lakes of which

4284-433: The main theme. 8,969 riders left La Villa in a 36-minute long train, the time it took the cyclists to enter the competition to the rhythm of live music and encouragement. There were large numbers and a huge demand for participation (32,600 people), with the usual formula: a fixed number of participants, car-free Dolomite passes, charity initiatives and eco-sustainability, with the use of electric cars and motorbikes to transport

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4368-410: The maximum number remained fixed. There was a surprise at the finish line: one of the first competitors to arrive was disqualified because he was caught throwing waste away during the race. The ecological focus of the Maratona is increasingly central and evident, and edition was entitled ‘Eco?Logical!’. The event boasted 70% carbon neutral certification. The idea was to gain international recognition for

4452-411: The objectives for the 2022 race was to drastically reduce the use of plastic at the final refreshment area. Thanks to a major investment, 16,000 glass-ceramic plates and reusable crockery were purchased, thus reducing the use of plastic by 70 percent. Stefano Stagni and Marta Maltha were the winners of the long race. Stefano Stagni was accused of cheating in the race and using a motorized bike, however, it

4536-464: The pandemic. Fabio Cini and Marta Maltha won the long course of 138 kilometres and over 4,000m altitude gain in the Ladin Dolomites. Almost seven thousand cyclists participated in the 35th edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel. This edition was dedicated to “Ciüf” – Flora. The Maratona is an event that for years has been committed to combining sport and care for the environment. One of

4620-451: The passes, closed to traffic, that made history in cycling: Pordoi, Sella, Campolongo, Falzarego, Gardena, Valparola, Giau, all of them strictly closed to traffic. The distances and altitudes were the same as the 2017 race. For the second year in a row, the male winner was Tommaso Elettrico from Matera in 4h38’13" followed by Igor Zanetti and Paolo Castelnovo, both after 50". The female winner was Christina Rausch from Germany. The theme chosen

4704-1075: The peaks and pinnacles of the Central Chain - made up of solid Dolomia principale - remain the main attraction. Challenging historic itineraries like the Via Preuss and Diedro Fehrmann on Campanile Basso , the Via Schulz and the Pilastro die Francesi on the Crozzon di Brenta , the Via Videsott on the Cima Margherita, the Via Dibona on the Croz dell'Altissimo and so many other classic routes and their endless variants attract many climbers every year. The Brenta group has become also popular with mountain bikers and has become in

4788-558: The remaining riders begin the ascend to the Falzarego Pass . At the top of the pass riders climb further 80m to reach the Valparola Pass . From there the road descends to the village of San Ćiascian and passing through La Ila reaches the finishing line in Corvara. Riders who have chosen to do the Maratona course split off from the Middle course in the village of Cernadoi. The Maratona dles Dolomites proceeds from there to

4872-510: The remnants of huge moraines suggests that the Brenta group was once encapsulated by big glaciers , the remnants of those are now very modest and have been steadily shrinking over the course of the last hundred years. Traditionally, the Brenta glaciers were relatively small and called "vedrette" . Over the last hundred years their size has been reduced to often smaller than half of their original size around 1900. Climate change appears to be

4956-486: The right equipment, safety gear and precautions against sudden weather changes. A few small shelter huts (It.: bivacco ) have been erected at high and remote altitudes: Bivacco Castiglioni (3,135 m [10,285 ft]) at the summit of Crozzon di Brenta, Bivacco Bonvecchio (2,790 m [9,150 ft]) 300 m (980 ft) north of the Cima Sassara, and Bivacco Costanzi at 2,365 m (7,759 ft) on

5040-422: The same enthusiasm as in the past. Olympic champions, Italian and international managers and famous people, also ride the race. ENEL became a title sponsor of the event. The year of the ‘Smile’, 8,703 cyclists competed, 746 of whom were women. There were many well-known figures and it was a marvellous day. New features in 2012 included: official jerseys no longer wrapped individually in plastic packages (eliminating

5124-482: The seven Dolomite passes: Pordoi, Sella, Campolongo, Falzarego, Gardena, Valparola, Giau, starting from La Villa and finishing to Corvara. Three levels of competition were available: the long route of 138 kilometres (86 mi) and 4,230 metres (13,880 ft) of altitude; the medium route of 106 kilometres (66 mi) and 3,130 metres (10,270 ft) of altitude; and Sella Ronda of 55 kilometres (34 mi) and 1,780 metres (5,840 ft) of altitude. The theme chosen

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5208-575: The sister of the Dalai Lama , representing the Tibetan Children's Village Association. The maximum number of participants was increased to 8,500 competitors, but requests to take part were almost double that. ‘Gotes’- ‘drops’, was the theme. There were 8,500 participants from 39 countries. As in previous years there were famous names from the sports and business world at the starting line. The children's cycle race changed its name and became

5292-402: The theme of the edition. There were 9,143 cyclists of the 9,339 selected by lottery, from 52 countries. The race started at 6:30 am with an air temperature of 5 °C (41 °F). Michil Costa, the event organiser, described the day after six hours of live TV broadcasting as "…an important page in a book of wonders, the ideal combination of nature, culture and plenty of heart". ‘Time’ was

5376-696: The third year in a row, the male winner was the Italian Tommaso Elettrico in 4h36’20" followed by Fabio Cini and Vincenzo Pisani, both after 4'. The female winner was again Christina Rausch from Germany, followed by Martha Maltha and Simona Parente. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the organizing committee decided to cancel the event and return in 2021. However, the organizers launched the MyMdD initiative, which allowed cyclists to ride

5460-503: The vertical walls of these mountains over the years. The access to the peaks and pinnacles of the central part of the Brenta Group was facilitated by the construction -by order of the SAT- of a via ferrata that would respectfully avoid the summits but would connect the passes and indentures called bocchette between the peaks. The work on the Via dell Bocchette Centrali started in 1935. Much of

5544-417: The west side of the Brenta Group in Val Rendena surrounding the ski resorts of Madonna di Campiglio and Pinzolo . Most of the lifts and ski slopes are located on the shouldering mountains Doss del Sabion and Monte Spinale. There is however a long modern high capacity lift that goes from Madonna del Campiglio right up the main chain of the Brenta Group to Passo Grostè at 2,444 m (8,018 ft). In all,

5628-417: The whole of the Fassa, Gardena and Badia valleys. The Maratona dles Dolomites , an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes of the Dolomites, occurs in the first week of July. Other characteristic places are: Brenta group The Brenta Group or Brenta Dolomites ( Italian : Dolomiti di Brenta ) is a mountain range , and a subrange of the Rhaetian Alps in

5712-487: The winner. There were two routes: the first was 184 kilometres (114 mi) long and mainly followed the roads of the first edition. The second was shorter. The cold, rainy day created quite a few problems for the 440 competitors. 417 people started the race. At the Duran Pass they stopped to decide what to do. The competition times were cancelled, but the race continued. The last competitor arrived at 21:00 hours, virtually frozen to death. A tub of boiling water awaited him in

5796-405: The work at that stage was done by the Brenta guides of that era: Bruno Detassis and Enrico Giordano. The itinerary completed two years later enabled climbers to reach the apex of the Campanile Basso Via Normale. The works were interrupted by the Second World War but were resumed in 1948 mostly by effort of Celestino Donini, until reaching its completion point at the Bocca dei Armi. Later, in 1968-'69

5880-468: The work of Garbari and Pooli, who had stopped just 35 m (115 ft) off the summit. During the First World War the Brenta Group remained undisturbed by warfare and it is fair to conclude that after Trentino became allocated to Italy at the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye , the exploration of the Brenta Group had been largely completed. The era of sports climbing had begun and innumerable climbing routes in all possible difficulty rates were traced on

5964-440: Was 184 kilometres (114 mi) long and included the Valparola Pass, descended to Cortina, the Tre Croci Pass , Misurina Lake , the Cimabanche watershed, Cortina, the Giau Pass, Colle Santa Lucia, Caprile, the Fedaia Pass, Canazei, the Pordoi Pass, Arabba and the Campolongo Pass. There were 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) of difference in altitude. There was also a shorter, more manageable route. There were 951 participants, including

6048-493: Was DUMAN, TOMORROW. 9,038 cyclists, including 926 women, from 69 countries participated. For more than half an hour, racers paraded on the road from La Villa to Corvara and then they tackled the first difficulty of the race, i.e. the Campolongo. It was a colourful procession that painted the hairpin turns and that then grew thinner and thinner as the road climbed to the mountain pass. These emotions were described live on TV, on

6132-476: Was EQUILIBRIUM. 9,239 cyclists (including 978 women) participated in the event. The traditional starting pistol was fired by Eddy Merckx . There are always many flags flying at the queen of the international granfondo sportives: 68 different countries (from the five continents) were represented. In 2018 4,900 cyclists participated for the first time. And their total number was equally subdivided between Italians (50%) and foreigners (50%). There were three courses over

6216-406: Was a start time difference of over 16 minutes between the front of the group and the rear. It was a lovely day and the competitors felt the heat. 111 riders were caught without a helmet and were disqualified. The Maratona continued to grow as 6,674 people signed up - 1,500 more than the year before. There weren't enough numbers (6,500 had been ordered) or jerseys: the former were printed hurriedly on

6300-481: Was bad weather; it rained and was cold on the Sella. The first decision of the Maratona dles Dolomites Committee was to combine the race, on 28 September the same year, with the first edition of The Terrific Alta Badia Race, named after local champion Maria Canins. A brochure was printed for the first time and the week before the competition was filled with many events – not only linked to cycling. The growing success of

6384-470: Was done by Alfred von Radio-Radiis and Hanns Barth. German speaking alpinists like Gottfried Merzbacher, Steck, Mayr, Adang, Heinemann and others left their mark on the Brenta Dolomites. Around the turn of the century a competitive spirit developed between Italian and German speaking alpinists, which took its main inspiration from the emerging nationalistic feelings in the region. Besides that,

6468-591: Was named after the 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu (1750–1801), who was the first to describe the mineral. For millennia, hunters and gatherers had advanced into the highest rocky regions and had probably also climbed some peaks. There is evidence that the Jesuit priest Franz von Wulfen from Klagenfurt climbed the Lungkofel and the Dürrenstein in the 1790s. In 1857 Irishman John Ball

6552-416: Was not proven. The race is divided into three courses of varying difficulty: the Sellaronda course, the Middle course and the Maratona course. All riders start at 6:30 am in the village of La Ila and complete the four pass Sellaronda course first. After completing the Sellaronda course riders can either choose to finish the race or proceed directly onwards with the Middle course. As the Maratona course

6636-553: Was one of the last places in Italy where endemic bears ( Ursus arctos ) could find a habitat. Their numbers have recently grown, also as a result of the strengthening of the population by mixing in bears from Slovenia . Approximately 30 bears populate the park. The golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) and the wood grouse ( Tetrao urogallus ) find a protected home in these mountains. At several locations there are colonies of alpine marmots ( Marmota marmot ). The ski slopes are located on

6720-518: Was originally formed during the Mesozoic era , under the surface of the shallow Tethys Ocean , some 200 million years ago. The hard compact dolomite with a high magnesium content was formed during the Upper Triassic period . The softer, more calcareous material was deposited later, in the late Triassic and early Jurassic period. The difference is clearly noticeable for the climber who gets

6804-506: Was painful. Then the sun returned to shine on the winner, Rainer Emerich of Dobbiaco on the short route and Pasquale Fiscato, from Veneto, on the long route. In the saddest year in the history of the Maratona, 2583 signed up but only 1897 took part. The cold was biting and it rained heavily. A serious road accident cost Luigi Nagler his life and injured Giovanni Fedrizzi. The Maratona's success continued to grow exponentially. With 3,095 participants including 138 women, for logistical reasons it

6888-731: Was the first known person to climb Monte Pelmo. Paul Grohmann later climbed numerous peaks such as the Antelao, Marmolada, Tofana, Monte Cristallo and the Boè. Around 1860 the Agordin mountaineer Simone de Silvestro was the first person to stand on the Civetta. Michael Innerkofler was one of the climbers of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo . Later very important local mountaineers, known for many first ascents, were Angelo Dibona and Giovanni Piaz . During

6972-408: Was the last Maratona that left from Pedraces. It was the end of the pioneering era and a new modern era began for the most fascinating race in the world. This edition's route was 160 km long, without the Giau Pass. There was such an increase in participants that the organisers decided to move the start of the race to Corvara. 5,031 people took part – almost 2,000 more than the previous year. There

7056-556: Was unique and snaked through seven Dolomite passes: Gardena, Sella, Fedaia, Duran, Forcella Staulanza, Falzarego and Valparola over 175 kilometres (109 mi). It started and ended in Pedraces . There were 166 participants. The first to pass the finish line was the Austrian Wolfgang Steinmayr who rode for over ten hours. There was also a single woman: Trui Beemsterboern from Holland, who arrived one hour after

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