Maratona dles Dolomites - Plus

After breakfast and pick-up in Treviso, a short van transfer touches you down in the small town of Pieve di Cadore. From here there are two ways to get to our base in Cortina d’Ampezzo: Chill or Challenging.

-The Chill option follows the dedicated bike path created from the old train route. There is climbing to be done, but it's fairly harmless. This is the perfect option for those wanting to have an easy day and spend the afternoon exploring Cortina.

-The Challenging option heads up the Cadore Valley through Auronzo and climbs steadily up to the highest point at the Passo Tre Croci, before concluding with a spectacular downhill into Cortina.

Whichever route is chosen, the quaint chic of Cortina’s town center will offer a variety of options for an evening Aperitivo and dinner.

This day offers a wonderful loop that allows a good amount of flexibility depending upon your level of ambition. Each option starts northward on undulating terrain toward Austria.

Once you arrive in Carbonin, choose one of two routes: climb directly up to the beautiful Lake Misurina or extend the ride downhill to the valley town of Toblach (Dobiacco), where the distinctly Austrian feel suggests a pastry stop might be in order. 

After the uphill to Lake Misurina, a harder choice presents itself. Return directly to Cortina, or muster all your remaining strength for an attempt at the mythical Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb, which starts tamely enough before heading skyward with gradients well into the double digits. Whichever option you choose, only the relatively tame climb over Tre Croci pass remains before a lovely descent back to Cortina. 

Leaving Cortina, it's time to head into the heart of the Dolomites and to our wonderful Maratona base in Corvara. Shortly after leaving town, the ride begins to climb toward the Passo Falzarego.

The “mountain goats” will soon have the option of taking a detour up the ‘easier’ side of the Passo Giau before continuing to Arabba and climbing the Campolongo into Corvara.

The shorter and less demanding ride continues on to the Passo Valparola before descending into La Villa for the last gentle uphill stretch into Corvara.

This is a day to introduce yourself to the area and explore the beautiful options that are available a bit further afield. Leaving Corvara, it's mostly downhill until the turnoff at San Martino in Badia. From here the road climbs through Antermoia and up to the Passo delle Erbe. A picturesque loop in the Luson Valley brings you down towards the Eisack River before returning via the Passo delle Erbe back to Corvara. A shorter variation skips the Passo delle Erbe and continues along quiet roads to Rina-Welschellen before heading back to Corvara. For a medium mileage route and no serious passes, you can instead continue downhill after San Martino to Longega. Located at the end of a valley with restricted car traffic, the Pederú Lodge is the perfect place to get a bite and admire the 360-degree mountain views that surround you before heading back the way you came to Corvara.

Lots of options are available on this day depending on your ambition level and preferences.

One fantastic loop possible from Corvara passes through La Villa before heading up to the Passo Valparola and Falzarego. From here, the route descends down to Andraz then continues gently uphill to Arabba, before taking on the Passo Campolongo to return to Corvara. It's also possible to do the Sellaronda route the opposite of the way it is done in the Maratona. This offers totally different views and climbs to those done in the race. Check out the Sellaronda Bike Day for more info on this spectacular route. If you are interested in doing some recon of the route or want to take on climbs you will miss in the Maratona because of your route choice, there are also loops that head up the Passo Falzarego or the Passo Giau. 

Enjoy an easy spin down to the Maratona Village and back to pick up your race pack and take in the festive atmosphere, then rest up for your big day tomorrow.

If you want to warm up your legs with a bit of climbing, tack on the relatively tame Passo Campolongo on the way back and have a refreshment at the Ütia La Tambra lodge near the top. 

After a last breakfast, it’s time for the transfer back to Venice for your trip home or further explorations in the area.