16. März 2016

EVERY CENTIMETRE COUNTS



The two HERO Südtirol Dolomites’ routes have finally been certified, leaving no doubt about their characteristics. A good 4,016 bikers will kick off the event on Saturday, 18 June 2016, racing on the longer (86 km and 4,500 m elevation gain) and shorter (60 km and 3,200 m elevation gain) route.

The cogs of the HERO Südtirol Dolomites organising machine have been in motion for some months now. In fact, it never stopped even after the end of the 2015 UCI World Marathon in June, pulling out all the stops for the 2016 edition taking place on Saturday, 18 June. One of the main concerns for this edition was the ‘actual’ length of the two routes.
The distance isn’t always precise due to the fallible nature of GPS gauging, subject to environmental variables and the instrument’s setting. In light of this, some participants wrote to the Organising Committee at the end of the previous edition to question the actual distance of the two routes.
Wanting to give a credible answer to what is a legitimate question, the Organising Committee enlisted Garmin, a world leader in satellite navigation. Its GPS Academy proceeded to measure the HERO’s two routes, certifying their distance and elevation gain. 
The Organising Committee can now resolutely confirm that the long route measures 86 km and 4,500 m elevation gain, while the ‘shorter’ route measures 60 km and 3,200 m elevation gain.
Now that the routes’ length has been proved beyond doubt, you can look forward to the HERO Südtirol Dolomites. The seventh edition of the hardest mountain bike marathon in the world will kick off as is customary from Selva Val Gardena on the morning of 18 June.
Luckily, there were never any doubts about its claims to being the toughest mountain bike challenge in the world!

For further information on the HERO Südtirol Dolomites routes