The first rule of cycling is never to lose your balance. And balance is the theme of the 32nd edition of the Marathon dles Dolomites - Enel, which we are supporting again this year. The race takes place in the Dolomite Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on 1 July.
Every year famous sportspeople, cyclists from 60 countries and Italian business managers compete by bike along the Val Badia. This year the contestants were chosen from a pool of over 32,000 applicants. The rules state that the number taking part is limited to 9,000 riders - and one of these is our CEO Francesco Starace. The race is divided into three courses of varying difficulty: Sellaronda (55 km, 1,780 metre height difference), Medio (106 km, 3,130 metre height difference) and Maratona (138 km, 4,230 metre height difference).
The event is a model for eco-sustainable competition in Italy and throughout the world. The latest edition has succeeded in obtaining certification for greenhouse gas emission offset of 88.25%. The free shuttle service linking all the towns and villages in the Val Badia uses electric vehicles and in 2017 it transported more than 3,200 people, an increase of 15% on the previous year.
In collaboration with Audi and the Alta Badia district, Enel is developing a local network of Eva+ charging stations to enable free movement of e-vehicles outside the race.
The event also helps promote the use of e-bikes through the launch of the Green Angel service - Pirelli’s sustainable mechanics, who this year will be accompanying the riders racing on 1 July on Pinarello Nitro bikes.
Many other initiatives help make the Marathon dles Dolomites an exemplary green event, in particular the initiative concerning the collection of plastic bottles. Cyclists who return the bottles can win ten vouchers to take part for free in the next edition of the race, but if they dispose of them outside the collection areas they will lose the right to enter.
The Marathon dles Dolomites is the last event in the 2018 Cycling week, which also includes Dolomites Bike Day (17 June), the non-competitive Sellaronda Bike Day cycling event (23 June) and the Marathon for Kids (30 June) for children aged between six and twelve years-old. Cycling events open to every generation.