← All eventsHERO Südtirol Dolomites
Billed as one of the hardest MTB marathons in the world: 86km / ~4,500m (~52m per km) from Selva di Val Gardena over the Dolomite passes to the Sourasass at ~2,351m, with steep hike-a-bike and technical descents. 71km and 60km options too.
Around 4,500m of climbing crammed into 86km. That is roughly 52 vertical metres per kilometre, one of the steepest ratios in mountain biking, and why the HERO is billed as one of the hardest marathons in the sport.
From Selva di Val Gardena the loop crosses a chain of famous Dolomite passes: Gardena, Campolongo, Pordoi, Duron. The crux is the roughly 1,000m climb past Arabba to the Sourasass high point at 2,351m.
The day is almost all up or down. Some ramps are too steep to ride, so hike-a-bike is part of it, the descents are technical and exposed, and thin air saps power up high. The 60km and 71km options are legitimate ways in.
Is HERO Südtirol Dolomites for you?
- Strong climbers with real power to weight. On roughly 52m per km, the rider who climbs efficiently for hours, not the one with a big sprint, is the one who gets to the finish.
- Confident technical descenders. The high Dolomite singletrack is exposed and consequential, so skill and nerve on the way down save time and keep you safe.
- Patient riders who meter the effort. The route stacks pass after pass toward the Sourasass crux, so it punishes anyone who races the first climb with the fresh crowd.
- Experienced marathon riders picking the honest route. The full 86km is a serious target, and the 60km and 71km options are the smart way in, not a soft one.
Training plan for HERO Südtirol Dolomites
A training plan for HERO Südtirol Dolomites isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Around 4,500m of climbing over 86km, much of it long and brutally steep
- Hike-a-bike on ramps too steep to ride, taxing muscles the saddle never touches
- Technical, exposed descents on high Dolomite singletrack with real consequence
- Altitude to 2,351m at the Sourasass, thinning the air and cutting sustainable power
- Long Climb Reps: 45 to 60min at 88 to 92% FTP on a real sustained climb, sized for the Sourasass
- Steep-gradient reps: 4 to 6 x 5 to 10min on very steep terrain for the pass ramps
- Big climbing days: 4 to 6hr off-road building toward 2,500 to 4,000m of climbing
- Deliberate technical descent and hike-a-bike practice, plus altitude time above 1,800m
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
