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| Looking back down to Corvara from the start of Campologno |
The Maratona dles Dolomites has easily the most spectacular
setting of any Granfondo in Italy. The
shattered pinnacles of massive rock mountains ring the course, and the slight
gaps in between them is where the Granfondo slips through.
The Maratona course is also unusual because it starts in one
location and ends in another, follows a figure of 8 route and climbs one pass
twice. And notice that I say “pass”,
there’s no question of riding over the tops of the peaks instead you are riding
the impossibly high roads that wind in between them.
You set off from La Villa and head immediately towards the
finishline at Corvara. This is all the
warm up you get as once in Corvara you start to climb the Passo Campolongo. The steep bit is at the start with 8%
hairpins up and out of Corvara giving you great views of the town and
surrounding landscape. Once you lose
sight of Corvara the gradient drops to a long 5% drag up the remaining height
to top out at 1,875m. This is the real
warm up for what is to come.
One extra thing to note is that this is all happening at
considerable height – the start is at 1,436m and the highest point will be the
Passo Giau at 2,236m. I didn’t notice
any altitude effects and I had
good weather. I can imagine at this
height that when the weather goes bad it can happen quickly and be severe.
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| dropping off Campolongo |
After Campolongo you drop via a good quality road into Arabba
and again start climbing immediately.
This pass is different and represents the first real challenge of the
day. The Passo Pordoi has an illustrious
Giro history stretching back to Fausto Coppi.
What you need to know is that it is 9km long and will take you up to
2,239m (638m to gain from Arabba) and perhaps what you don’t need to know is
that the peaks in the far distance are your destination.
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| Towards the top on the Pordoi |
Much of this is done at around 8% gradient with perhaps the
final 3km dropping to a more manageable 5%. Temperature will have changed by the top of
this ascent and when you reach the passo you will have entered the world of the
high peaks of the Dolomites. Have you
packed enough layers and a wind jacket?
The descent off Pordoi is fine with smooth roads and hairpins
you can assess well before you arrive at them.
What’s both good and bad is that the drop is short. Bad because you could do with more recovery,
good because it means the next climb will be short.
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| You go to the left of these |
An abrupt right turn plus 11% kick up (will catch some out
in the wrong gear) starts you on the Passo Sella. Yes it’s short and now you are only trying to
gain 436m but the difference in gradient after so long on the Pordoi will come
as a shock to the system. Your
destination remains hidden until the last corner and turns out to be truly
spectacular.
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| Click on this picture to get a better view of it. |
All this climbing is rewarded by fantastic views. What will it be like when you go back to
regular mountain climbing and don’t get the remarkable sights as recompense for
your labour? After the Maratona will you
stop climbing other hills?
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| Looking back down the Gardena |
The descent off Sella is great too. Wide open roads with no hairpins so you can
pick up real speed safely. Again you
aren’t dropping as much as you’ve gained and another sharp right starts you on
the next pass.
This is Gardena and this pass comes in two parts. The first is steep with a few hairpins but
short. And pretty soon you reach a
wonderful flat, high road. This is the
first flat bit of the route and allows you to go quickly through yet more
extraordinary scenery.
You can see that the second part of the climb is ahead but
when you arrive there isn’t too much trouble dealing with a few more hairpins
to top out at 2121m.
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| The bumpy, twisty drop off Gardena |
The descent off Gardena isn’t quite so good. Very bumpy in parts and you are aware that
you are losing a lot of height: nearly 600m.
From Pordoi to Sella to Gardena you have been up in the high mountains,
now you are leaving that environment and re-entering the green valley and
Corvara.
For those doing the short Sellaronda you day is done. For the Medio and Maratona cyclists there’s
the second climb of the Campolongo and then dropping through Arabba (again) but
this time going left and through a valley before splitting at Cernadoi.
Part 2 of the recce will cover these last passes - tomorrow.