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The wet marathon, still beautiful and lucky. It seemed a twist of fate, but in a year that chose the theme Mutatio and climate change, the 8,050 participants were not deterred by the rain and the cold, which at least spared the participants. There are seven versions of this part. However, even if it was not intentional, the theme just announced for 2025 seems completely auspicious: Lüm, Latin for “light”, an auspicious return to the “tradition” of cycling all day long kissed by the sun in La Villa in Badia.
This year’s marathon also offers side activities for guests, whatever the weather, and during the rides, even newcomers confirm for most the well-known “beauty of slow travel”. Indeed, the competitive soul has coexisted for years without conflict, making it a coveted event between those who used to compete in professional races, exceeded the age limit or were excluded, and those who are more “quiet”. Want to try their training and try at least once a year a timed challenge with themselves or a friend in total safety. But despite the effort and pleasure of “climbing” the Alpine passes by bike, there are many who decide to take their time to share the experience, enjoy the view and, like many, strengthen new friendships. Many events and expectations in the same event, the attention to the stopwatch is largely focused on the “gates”, preventing you from continuing along the longer routes only in case of long delays, to ensure the mutual protection of the organizers and participants, for whom we want to avoid finding ourselves in the middle of traffic that has reopened outside the maximum time allowed for the various sections.Nevertheless, the event always offers surprises, highlighting the passion and energy of the people in unexpected ways: just imagine that this year’s oldest participant, Domenico Richici from Reggio Calabria, at 85 years old, completed the 55km “classic” route in 4 hours 45 minutes 32 seconds, ranking 180th in the highest age category (over 65 years old) among 206 finishers, and 40 minutes ahead of participants who were decades younger. Although not everyone has a brand new bike: this is the case of Paolo Rinaldi, a Tuscan who moved to Concorrezzo, who rode a very classic bike, almost twice his age (its construction dated back to 1920), but who nevertheless competed on a very classic bike. He finished Sellaronda in 4 hours 20 minutes, behind about a hundred people. It is no coincidence that they belong to the most mature categories, as the gap between the first and second categories is greater: most people decide to reduce risks in the presence of experience. But it is also true that experience also teaches people how to manage themselves, and many “mature” people are able to do this better than young people because they know how to manage themselves and have fun like children.
Among the women over 60, the biggest gap was in the middle of the pack, with Olga Cappiello 1h 36min ahead of the second place. An equally significant gap was achieved by veteran Rocco Cattaneo, who had a great run in the men over 65, finishing 55min 37sec ahead of his closest follower. And what about the youngsters? Many arrived very calmly, as many took the time to take photos with friends in front of the many hotspots surrounded by nature and famous peaks: a sign of changing times, since it is increasingly popular to talk about such adventures (almost) meter by meter.
Evolving but still connected to tradition
The most important change that the marathon has undergone is that, over the past thirty years, it has increasingly become a global event and a permanent one. Initially, this meeting place was only for a few “heroic” people who were able to accomplish the feat of pedaling around 200 kilometers, and later for a growing number of amateurs, who were trained and distributed internationally. The comparisons are endless: on the one hand, it is a fashion show for perhaps the most beautiful and expensive bicycles in the world. On the other hand, it is a celebration of the many amateurs, regardless of their technical equipment, who come from all corners of the world to ride in front of the UNESCO Dolomites in the tranquility of the car-free day to achieve the longest traffic-closed mountain ever seen. Over the years, equal space has been given to the participation of Italians (102 out of 107 provinces participate) and foreigners (79 countries, 39 of which are non-European): in short, more generous to foreign countries, even more generous than the New York Marathon, where more than 60% of the members participate in the campaign in favor of their compatriots. However, in this evolution, the race format remains unchanged: three routes and complete timing are a must. Given this, with the help of 1,500 Latin volunteers (also an absolute record in terms of population ratio), the streets can be completely safe from vehicle traffic and without the hostility of residents and local authorities.
Good Collaboration Practices in Road Closures
A few weeks and a few kilometers from a similar event in Veneto, where a motorist who broke through a roadblock during an amateur cycling race almost lost his life, it is necessary to reiterate the good example and envy of creating marathons in other regions. The 37th Dolomites – Enel Marathon closed its 37th edition with the full cooperation of three provinces (Bolzano, Trento and Belluno), the joint efforts of 1,500 volunteers and 7 Alpine passes closed throughout the day. More than 8,000 members responded to 31,000 requests. It is an untouchable success that was able to respond to the serious crisis facing the road cycling event sector, mainly due to the difficulty of obtaining permission to close roads during races or “car-free” events, usually due to individual municipalities or counties, even on routes that are hundreds of kilometers long and involve different territories. But if, unfortunately, the political will is influenced by the officials in charge, events like this one that promote mountain territories (one of the most important and popular, the “closure” of some roads in the Stelvio National Park in Monte Grappa, also in the Gran Sasso region) do not always receive the same support from local authorities, people and the economy. But such events must serve as an example and inspiration, because it is clear that if well organized and well recognized, the “sacrifice” of giving up motor vehicles for a day not only gives a wonderful experience to the participants, but also helps to convey the image of a place that cares for the environment and sustainable development through concrete actions (at least a few days a year).
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