The 20th edition of the Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike will take place on Saturday the 12th of July. Held for the first time in 1995, the marathon MTB race in the Dolomites soon developed to become a “must” for every mountain biker. It started with 650 “Pioneers”, and the number of participants tripled in four years to reach 2000. Finally, the starting field was limited to 4,500 mountain bikers. The Sellaronda Hero is experiencing similar growth, and is the XCM World Championships in 2015.
The secret surrounding the success of the Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike as seen by the Organisational Committee boss Kurt Ploner is in the exemplary top level organisation that has been achieved over the years. “We are a well-rehearsed team and always work in the interests of the bikers”, stated Ploner.
For that reason, nothing is left to chance, “getting the necessary feedback after many discussions with the participants. We want to meet their needs and therefore grant them their requests from year to year, and resulting from this rationale the last participant passing through the finishing post receives the same attention as the winner”.
The town of Villabassa/Niederdorf is tiny, and when the Superbike comes to town it dwarfs the village – but organisers say the town leaves them asking for nothing. The race provides great stimulus to the local economy – accommodation is booked out well in advance.
The focus of the course is matched against personal muscle to master the marathon with its distance and a lot of climbing. “It’s a special feeling to overcome the inner monster after many months of preparing for the big event and relinquishing to a good effort” said Pier Luigi Cappelletti from Milan, “the unique atmosphere in the village square of Niederdorf; the discussions with the other participants; the beauty of the landscapes and many villages along the route makes the Dolomiti Superbike a very special experience”.
First time riders from areas like the UK, USA or Australia may bemoan the lack of singletrack – but the Dolomiti Superbike is a ‘classic’ race where the hardship is dictated by the speed. Perhaps, a road race on dirt roads. But to come in as such would leave you surprised at the variety of terrain. And that’s not to say there isn’t brilliant singletrack around. It’s just not suited to 4000 mountain bikers! For some, like Imogen Smith, the introduction to ‘euro’ racing shows what there is to learn.
Imo smiles her way over the Dolomiti Superbike’s last climb
Among the many participants are numerous legends who have participated in previous competitions of the Dolomiti Superbike such as Thomas Widmann, Werner Malfertheiner, Peter Paul Laner, Martin Schwingshackl, Manfred Arnold and Emil Oberegger. These six bikers have participated 19 times and always challenged the long distance. Alfred Baur, Sebastian Kahn and Massimo Brugiolo have taken part in equivalent renditions, but tackled the short distance. Another group comprising of 15 athletes participated 18 times and further 84 competitors completed 16 attempts.