Celebration of 30th edition begins at Veneto regional headquarters

 The Sportful Dolomiti Race in Feltre is preparing to celebrate its 30th edition on June 15 with a change to the long route that will make the granfondo even more epic.

On Oct. 1 at noon, the organizing committee will open registration from Palazzo Ferro Fini, seat of the Veneto Regional Council. Following a press conference, council president Robert Ciambetti will press a virtual red button to open registration.

At the start of the first edition of the granfondo, on June 25, 1995, there were 1,206 cyclists from all over Italy and just 7 from abroad (from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the United States). The event was launched with the inauguration of the monument to the inventor who revolutionized modern cycling, Tullio Campagnolo, at the top of Passo Croce d’Aune; the race started from the center of Feltre (like today) but finished at the top of the pass. Today, there are nearly 5,000 participants, foreigners come from all over the world (representing more than 20% of total sign-ups) and the finish line has been moved to the heart of Feltre, in Piazza Maggiore.

For the 30th anniversary edition, the committee has decided to surprise the riders by changing the direction of the section of the long route (Gran Fondo) that starts from Agordo, what they call the “Agordino loop”: this means that the riders who reach Rivamonte Agordino and decide to continue on the long route (204 km and almost 5,000 m of total elevation gain) will first tackle Forcella Staulanza — so climbing via Taibon, Alleghe and Caprile — and then, second, Passo Duran from Dont, before returning to Agordo and Voltago and rejoining last year’s route, which will take them to climb Forcella Aurine, Passo Cereda and Passo Croce d’Aune and finish in Feltre. In 2024, in contrast, the participants immediately climbed Passo Duran from Agordo, and then Staulanza.

“From an organizational point of view, it means improving the traffic circulation aspect by always turning right (at the Caprile junction for Staulanza and the Dont junction for Duran),” explained Ivan Piol, president of the organizing committee and Pedale Feltrino. “From a sporting point of view, the Staulanza climb will begin just outside Agordo. The road will go up for about 35 km, although the real GPM [gran premio della montagna] will begin in Caprile with a climb of almost 15 km. This change will make the Gran Fondo route 4 km longer but more challenging, in our opinion, even though the total elevation gain will not change much. But we’ll hear what the granfondo riders have to say at the finish line. This is the first surprise we’ve developed to start our 30th anniversary celebration off with a bang. We’ll unveil the others over time.”

The change affects only the Gran Fondo route and not the Medio Fondo, which remains 125 km with 2,500 m of total elevation gain. When the riders reach Rivamonte, they will continue to Forcella Aurine, Passo Cereda and Passo Croce d’Aune.

We look forward to having you register on Tuesday, Oct. 1, beginning 12 noon — and remember to let us know if you participated in the first edition, because there will be a little surprise for you.

For more information, please visit www.sportfuldolomitirace.it.