Riders from all over Europe look forward to June 20, 2021
Piol: “We wanted to send a message of optimism, and cyclists are following our lead”
In just a few hours, more than 400 cyclists registered for the 26th Granfondo Sportful Dolomiti Race, scheduled for June 20 in Feltre, Italy. After the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizing committee postponed the opening of registration from October to New Year’s Day 2021, in the spirit of “new year, new life” and with the desire to turn the page on a difficult year for everyone and look forward to the future with confidence.
Luca Stocco lives in Pocenia, in the province of Udine. He was the first to register for the Sportful Dolomiti Race in this new year that everyone, including the organizing committee, is placing so much faith and hope in. At the stroke of 12 noon, when registration opened for the 2021 edition, he was already in front of his computer, ready to sign up, even though there were no particular benefits for early registration, such as start positions toward the front or other incentives.
Christina Rausch, who signed up from Germany, was the first woman to register for the Feltre granfondo on New Year’s Day. After just five hours, more than 300 cyclists had already registered; more than half were new participants, and 30% were riders who had signed up for 2020 edition. The organizers asked those who had planned to come to Feltre in 2020 to confirm their intention to line up for the start on June 20, 2021. The 300 registrants include about 20 foreigners from different countries including Germany, Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland and even Norway. A sign that there is faith in a better future abroad as well.
“We wanted to open registration for the Feltre granfondo on January 1 to send a message of optimism and hope,” explained Ivan Piol, president of the organizing committee. “We realize that the situation is still complicated, but now that vaccinations have started, we need to look to the future with optimism. We are delighted with the riders’ response, which has exceeded our expectations, and the fact that there are many new participants is an important sign: we’re not the only ones who want to return to normal life, and cyclists have embraced our message of hope. The fact that they’re signing up and paying the full registration fee despite the uncertainty is also a validation of the reputation of our event and our team, and this gratifies us and further encourages us to work to make the granfondo happen any cost, while respecting the anti-COVID regulations that will be in force at that time.”
The traditional Gran Fondo route of 204 kilometers and almost 5,000 meters of total elevation gain awaits the riders on June 20, with the climbs to Cima Campo, Passo Manghen, Passo Rolle and Passo Croce d’Aune. Those who choose the Medio Fondo option will tackle 120 kilometers with a total elevation gain of 3,200 meters, on a route that will take them, after Cima Campo, to a new climb to Passo Brocconthrough Val Malene and then to the ramps of the Ronche-Rugna wall in Lamon.