BMW Hero Südtirol Dolomites
The world's toughest mountain bike marathon runs on the iconic off-road trails of the Dolomites for an extreme challenge between athletes from all over the world
More than 3,000 professionals and amateurs, from over 40 nations, are ready to challenge themselves and the legendary race tracks drawn in the Dolomites, a Unesco World Heritage site. Saturday 15 June sees the renewal of the appointment with the BMW HERO Südtirol Dolomites. The fourteenth edition of the toughest marathon in the world is also the first appointment of the 2024 HERO Series, the international UCI circuit. It starts, in fact, in Val Gardena before moving on to Germany in July with the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon and triangulating in September in Switzerland with the Iron Bike Marathon.
The BMW HERO Südtirol Dolomites will take place mostly on dirty roads and mountain paths between Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba, Val di Fassa and Alpe di Siusi, tackling the Gardena, Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Duron passes.
The appointment for the heroes is at 07:30 a.m. in the centre of Selva Val Gardena, when bikers from all over the world will crowd the starting grids (07:10 a.m. UCI women, 07:20 a.m. UCI men). There are three routes to choose from:
- Marathon, 86 km and 4,500 metres of altitude difference. Selva di Val Gardena, Passo Gardena/Dantercepies, Corvara, Passo Campolongo, Arabba, Passo Pordoi (expected passage between 10:05 and 15:30), Pian de Frataces (expected passage between 10:10 and 15:15), Canazei (expected passage between 10:20 and 16:40), Campitello, Val Duron, Passo Duron (expected passage between 11:05 and 18:10), Selva di Val Gardena
- Medium, 71 km and 4,100 metres of altitude difference. Selva di Val Gardena, Passo Gardena/Dantercepies, Corvara, Passo Campolongo, Arabba, Passo Pordoi, (expected passage between 09:25 and 15:00), Pian de Frataces (expected passage between 09:35 and 15:15), Canazei (expected passage between 09:45 and 16:40), Campitello, Val Duron, Passo Duron (expected passage between 10:30 and 18:10), Selva di Val Gardena
- Classic, 60 km and 3,200 metres of altitude difference. Selva di Val Gardena, Passo Gardena/Dantercepies, Corvara, Passo Campolongo, Arabba, Passo Pordoi (expected passage between 09:45 and 15:00), Pian de Frataces (expected passage between 09:50 and 15:45), Passo Sella (expected passage between 10:25 and 17:30), Selva di Val Gardena
The event is organised following the sustainability criteria, promoted by the United Nations (SDGs), to achieve carbon neutrality. As per tradition, the event is accompanied by four days of the HERO Bike Festival, from 13 to 15 June, full of shows, music and entertainment, with initiatives also involving the little ones. Also confirmed for the HERO E-Gourmet Tour, scheduled for Sunday 16 June: a day in the saddle of the electric bike to discover together the Dolomites and its gastronomic traditions.
