Maratona dles Dolomites – enel cycling and flowers a successful combination

The sun smiles on the almost seven thousand participants – 6871 to be precise, of which 6180 men and 691 women – of the 35^th edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel. A Marathon dedicated to the “Ciüf”, the flowers, characterised by the three routes over the Dolomite passes that made cycling history. At the start in La Villa, inaugurated as always by Michil Costa on his vintage bike at 6.30 a.m., the “pedal snake” winds at great speed towards Passo Campolongo. And here are the flowers that colour this magnificent day: flowers on the roads, flowers in the meadows and on the Dolomite peaks. And it is precisely the words of the President of the marathon that inspire the race: “Plants are superior creatures, because they continue to grow: the flowers that regenerate, the petals that reproduce, the trunks that expand. A continuous growth, not because of a consumerist whim, but because of a natural necessity. Only our cosmic ignorance can make us believe that the measure of all things is man and his works.”

In the knowledge that a new balance between nature and man is more necessary than ever, the Marathon is an event that for years has been committed to combining sport and care for the environment. And it does so through concrete initiatives, as demonstrated by the 'Green Event’ certification obtained. One of this year’s objectives is 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 per cent.

But it is the roads that are closed to traffic that allow the cyclists to enjoy, albeit with fatigue, the wonderful roads up and down the Dolomite passes: Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Falzarego, Giau and Valparola. Besides the long course of 138 kilometres and 4230 metres of altitude difference, there is the medium course of 106 kilometres and 3130 metres of altitude difference, and the Sellaronda of 55 kilometres and 1780 metres of altitude difference.

Once again this year, live television coverage by RAI 2 followed the race from the start until the arrival of the first finishers of the long route. From 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., the images filmed and reported not only the exploits of the thousands of runners scattered along the Dolomite roads, but also the spectacular scenery that frames the race. It is multiple Marathon winner Tommaso Elettrico and Portuguese Goncalo Freitas who attack without hesitation and soon find themselves alone leading the race. Despite the heat, the pace is more than sustained and the duel exciting.

It seems to be a two-man race, but on the Giau ramps, Stefano Stagni comes alongside the two first cyclists. The race still seemed to be firmly in the hands of Elettrico and Freitas, when Stagni broke away and on the Falzarego first caught the two and then lost them without hesitation: „I didn’t think I could win today, but I was feeling good this morning. When I heard that the two outriders were just over a minute ahead of me, I started to push. And already on the Giau descent I started to believe in the possibility of an unexpected victory. On the Falzarego I made the difference and now here I am, at the finish line, with cramps all over and completely happy”.

The final men’s podium of the long course sees Stefano Stagni in first place, who ran the Marathon in 4 hours and 27 minutes, followed by Tommaso Elettrico in 4 hours and 29 minutes and Portuguese Goncalo Freitas in 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Another great feat was also achieved on the women’s side, thanks to Dutchwoman Marta Maltha, who repeats last year’s victory after placing second three times, with a time five minutes better than her last victory: „I can’t believe it, I am so happy. To win again on these roads is wonderful for me. I didn’t expect a time like this, I was with Annalisa Prato and Martina Trevisol on the Campolongo, on the Pordoi, then on the Sella I made a gap and pedalled alone to the finish. Magnificent!’.

To be exact, Marta Maltha ran the long course in 5 hours and 12 minutes, followed closely by Martina Trevisol in 5 hours and 20 minutes and Annalisa Prato in 5 hours and 22 minutes.

On the medium course the men’s podium consisted of Rossano Mauti, Marco Pastacaldi and Franz Wieser in first, second and third place respectively, the women’s podium saw Lisa De Cesare in first place, Olga Cappiello in second and Valeria Curnis in third. The Sellaronda winners were Davide Ferrari, Federico Aicardi and Michael Hellweger for the men and Milena Felici, Laila Orenos and Elena Valentini for the women.

Thus ends the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel in an explosion of flowers and splendid light illuminating the Dolomites. It is time, however, to turn our thoughts to the next edition, to be held on Sunday, 2^nd July 2023, with the theme “Umanité” – humanity. “An invitation to have hope and faith in us, human beings from every latitude and continent, who still have much to learn in terms of safeguarding the planet. See you next year.” These are the conclusional words of Maratona’s President, Michil Costa.