The thermometer at the summit of Passo Giau doesn't lie: the heatwave sweeping through South Tyrol this July is set to turn the 39th edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites into a veritable asphalt furnace. This isn't armchair speculation; weather station data from Alta Badia predicts temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius at over 2,000 meters of altitude—a scenario that blows any conventional hydration strategy out of the water in a race where the tarmac is usually an ally, not a scorching enemy.
The 138-Kilometer Wall and the Thermal Factor
The Maratona Course, with its 138 kilometers and a brutal 4,230 meters of elevation gain, presents itself this year as a heat trap. Watios-per-kilo purists know that the initial Sellaronda chain—Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, and Gardena—is merely a deceptive prologue. The true judge will be the Passo Giau. With its 9.9 kilometers at an average gradient of 9.3%, this colossus will be tackled under a relentless sun that promises to send heart rates skyrocketing and cause historic bonking for those who fail to manage their drafting in the intermediate valleys.
Effort Management on Shorter Routes
Even for those who have opted for the 106-kilometer Middle Course or the explosive 55-kilometer Sellaronda Course, the nature of the challenge has shifted. It’s no longer just about cresting the Passo Valparola with dignity, but about avoiding metabolic collapse. The organizers have reinforced the aid stations, aware that the cutoff time at the Mür dl Giat (Cat Wall)—with its 19% ramps—will be the point of no return for hundreds of cyclists arriving with overheating engines.
Among the favorites, the usual suspects of the European gran fondo circuit are closely monitoring the relative humidity. The course record is up in the air, not for lack of legs, but because the melting asphalt and the lack of fresh oxygen in the Pordoi switchbacks will force a much more conservative riding style. Victory this Sunday in La Villa won't go to the most powerful rider, but to the one who best manages to cool a body pushed to its limits in the open-air museum of the Dolomites.