30 years of the Dolomiti Superbike bike marathon: The end for the traditional event?

The moment of truth arrives unexpectedly early. The waiter at the Mexico City pizzeria in Villabassa in the South Tyrolean Puster Valley asks: "Medium or long?" The guest actually wanted to take another night to think about it, especially to answer this far-reaching question for himself. But the plastic bag with the starting documents reveals why he is here and why he is eating so much. It is the question that has been the most frequently asked of all cyclists around Niederdorf for 30 years. Which endurance test, which route length, do you allow yourself at the Dolomiti Superbike - one of the most traditional international bike marathons? The guest would prefer to leave the question unanswered for the time being and only decide on the way when his legs give him feedback on how they feel on the steep Dolomite ramps on D-Day. But because he doesn't want to be seen as a procrastinator, he answers quickly: "Long!" Without the slightest idea of what really awaits him the next day as a Dolomiti debutant: The sober facts: 123 kilometres, 3,400 metres in altitude - according to the organisers, that's the long distance. The numbers send a shiver down your spine and make your legs feel heavy at the thought of the upcoming Fron.

Dolomiti Superbike: The last chance

What gives you legs: It's probably the last chance to earn the accolade of finisher and establish yourself as a super biker in the marathon scene. The waiter whispers that there is a 99.9 per cent chance that this will be the last event. Then it's over. That's what everyone in Niederdorf says. Of all things, 30 years after the event was first organised. The news hits the anniversary party in Val Pusteria like a party breaker. The event has been on the calendar since 1995 - Olympic champions such as Sabine Spitz, Paola Pezzo and Miguel Martinez have competed here, future Tour de France winners such as Cadel Evans - World Championship titles have been awarded and, with 5,000 participants, the people of Villabassa/Niederdorf proudly call themselves the organisers of the mountain bike marathon with the highest number of participants. But that is now a thing of the past. Times are changing - recently very quickly. When asked by BIKE shortly after the finish, organising committee head Kurt Ploner confirmed that he had just completed the last event under his leadership. The 63-year-old sees no future for the event in 2026 and beyond. The end of off-road sport in Villabassa?

Steep start

There are many reasons for this - but more on that later. The guest orders a plate of spaghetti bolognese and a beef goulash with dumplings with a view to his momentous answer, plenty of carbohydrates and proteins - the participants have to get through the long distance of the Dolomiti Superbike with energy bars, gels, banana slices and rolls with cold roast meat. Provided you have enough air to swallow some hard-to-digest food during the short stops. The good news before the start of the last Dolomites loop: the heatwave is gone - early in the morning, comparatively frosty temperatures of around ten degrees await the participants, while the overcast sky promises mild temperatures during the day too. After just two kilometres, the speed from the four starting blocks (which set off ten minutes apart) is rudely slowed down by the first long climb - largely on asphalt, it's a good 500 metres uphill to the mountain ridge that separates the Pustertal and Gsieser Tal valleys. The participants quickly warm up, not least because speeding e-bikers from the last block call on the frightened muscle workers to make way.

The trend is towards e-bikes

Free ride for motorsport enthusiasts - Ploner is not really happy that reality has forced him to give e-bikers a starting opportunity. But that was also part of the adjustment he had to make. After all, the groups on the mountain soon thin out, the crowds are over - twice the prospect of a shortcut beckons at the edge of the route, first on the 60-kilometre short distance, later on the 85-kilometre middle distance. When the participants pass the turn-off to the middle distance for the second time, with around 40 kilometres of extra work in their legs, it is too late for some of them, who are hanging heavily over their suspension forks and probably regretting not having opted for a shorter distance early on.

Great panorama at the Plätzwiese

After a total of four long, crisp climbs, some of which are strenuous on loose gravel, the long, almost flat ascent on the old, abandoned railway line past Lake Dürrensee awaits you for the last mountain classification and the visual and topographical highlight of the tour: the serpentine ascent to the Prato Piazza at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres begins - where you have the chance to enjoy magnificent views: for example, of the rocky peaks of the Monte Cristallo massif, which is up to 3,221 metres high.The serpentine ascent to Prato Piazza, at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres, offers the chance to enjoy magnificent views, for example of the rocky peaks of the Monte Cristallo massif, which rises up to 3,221 m. For those who take their time to enjoy the panorama and don't just concentrate on the next competitor's riding line or rear wheel. This is followed by the downhill towards the finish, which has a few more technical pitfalls in store for aching wrists and shoulders - and right up to the end there is also a battle for what are actually insignificant positions in the midfield. After all, the result could remain in the final results list of the bike marathon for eternity.

Scene of a legendary World Cup final

One fly in the ointment: the world class did not make an appearance at the last event. That also pains Kurt Ploner and his team. The UCI Hero series has overtaken the Pustertal Valley. Salzkammergut Trophy, Black Forest Bike Marathon, an event in the Swabian Alb - the marathon calendar in German-speaking countries is well filled on the second weekend in July. Gone are the days when Niederdorf itself was a World Cup station twice. Memories of the 2008 Marathon World Championships remain: Swiss rider Christopher Sauser and Belgian Roel Paulissen crashed in the final sprint for the world championship title - the latter was quicker on his feet and was the first to bring his bike across the finish line on foot. After all, in the battle for the day's victory on the long course, there was a deja-vu 2025 at the end: on the village road in Villabassa, two men raced together towards the finish line - in the end, the newly crowned Italian marathon champion Andrea Siffredi crossed the finish line in first place after 123 kilometres and 3,400 metres of climbing in 4:43 hours with a lead of 0.1 seconds. Crash-free.

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Fond memories of the Dolomiti Superbike Marathon

Fond memories that will probably not be followed by any more. Kurt Ploner, head of the organising committee and former mayor of Villabassa, wants to retire after 30 years. "I can't find a successor," he tells BIKE - a younger person who wants to take on all the work and the financial risk. Before the pandemic, the Superbike set attendance records with up to 5,000 starters. At the end, almost half that number came again - slightly more than last time, because some bikers decided to make a farewell visit. However, this figure is not enough to cover the costs of around 350,000 euros per event. After all, the organisers have to hire their own rescue helicopter and crew, among other things.

The trend is no friend...

Too few participants because of the numerous competing events, the ageing of the field of participants, because the younger generation is looking for other challenges than endurance tests, Ploner suspects - plus the boom in e-bikes, which the organising committee boss didn't really want to offer a stage for. In short: the trend is going against the event. In addition, the long-time organiser feels let down by the cycling associations. The new Hero-Series has taken the top stars of the marathon scene away from the Pustertal Valley. But Ploner wouldn't be a marathon organiser if he didn't still have a bit of fighting spirit. He still has ideas, and if the mountain railway company recognises the potential of the event and becomes a partner, perhaps the last of the marathon days will not be celebrated in Villabassa forever, says Ploner. There is probably a very small glimmer of hope that there might also be a big biking event in the shadow of the Three Peaks in the future. Perhaps the waiter will be able to ask guests again on the second weekend in July: medium or long?