Niederdorf/Villabassa (Italy)13 May 2013 - The mountain bike marathon Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike will take place on Saturday 6 July. The traditional race in Alta Pusteria is part of the UCI Marathon World Series 2013. Three routes are available to participants to choose from; the short 60 km at 1785 m above sea level; the second option over 80 km at 2307 m which is only for women in the elite section and the long haul over 113km at 3357 m. The course runs in a clockwise direction this year and on Sunday 7 July, the Junior Trophy for rookies will commence. 4000 participants from over 30 nations are expected in Niederdorf.
"The challenge of such a mass event is to continuously take care of thousands of cycling enthusiasts," said the OC President Kurt Ploner. "It is our job to create ideal conditions so that athletes can reach their peak on the race day and as for the large gathering of amateurs, we must ensure that they get the best possible provisions, so they can achieve their ambitious goals and to generate a Dolomiti, contest with fun, " alleged Ploner.
The Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike is the eighth race on the UCI Marathon World Series agenda which consists of 18 races on four continents. The long-distance race in Alta Pusteria is the first event after the World Cup, which takes place in Kirchberg, Tyrol one week earlier.
"This can be interesting for us," said Kurt Ploner. "Many athletes are highly motivated to come to Niederdorf, harbouring revenge for missing out on a medal in the world championship and in so doing, asserting an exciting race in July."
The track which at the World Cup competition in 2006 set off in an anti clock route has since alternated direction: clockwise followed by the opposite direction the next year.
Only the world's best mountain bikers have won this prestigious event in the past 18 renditions. Among them are the Olympic champion Brentjens Bart from the Netherlands and Paola Pezzo of Italy. Mauro Bettin from Italy and Urs Huber from Switzerland are two athletes who have managed a hat-trick at the Dolomiti Superbike and Massimo Debertolis has won the event twice. Among the women, Mary Canins and Esther Süss of Switzerland have been the most successful with two wins each.
The UCI Marathon World Championship was held in Niederdorf in 2008. In 2006 and 2007 the Dolomiti Superbike belonged to the World Cup. The event was cancelled in 2004 due to snow.
Around 400 volunteers from major associations around the Alta Pusteria work on the implementation of the race. "Our volunteers can draw from many years of experience," said the head of the organization. "This is essential in order to put ongoing suggestions for improvements into place which benefits the participants year after year at this event”.
Source: Press release
