On 27 June 2015, the winners of the men’s and women’s categories of the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO will proudly wear the rainbow jersey awarded by the UCI for the marathon category. 4,015 mountaint bikers will compete, half of them from outside Italy, representing 50 countries and 5 continents.
The Sellaronda Hero follows a truly epic route in the Dolomites, a ruggedly beautiful playground in Northern Italy. But it is more than just a one daye race. The Hero Bike Festival will kick off on 20 June with the Hero XCO Val Gardena to Monte Pana race, followed the next day by the Sellaronda Bike Day with other 20,000 bikers on the roads of the four, traffic-free passes that make up the road Sella ronda. There will be a brief respite from the biking excitement, with a symposium on sustainable tourism and some classical music concerts, guided MTB excursions and events focusing on traditional cuisine of the Dolomite valleys. Dumplings, strudel, coffee… sounds good!
The sports events start again on Thursday afternoon with the amazing Hero XCE in Ortisei, followed by the Hero Kids “World Championship” on Friday 26 June as a warm up right before the opening ceremony. Then comes Saturday 27 June with Hero 2015, whose winner will be crowned with the rainbow medal. In the men’s category, the winner of the 85 km race route, with 4,500 m elevation gain and the winner in the female category in the 65 km race route, with 3,400 m elevation gain. This international week ends with Hero Gravity Race on Sunday 28 June, which amounts to an FCI Italian Championship. A week dedicated not only to sport events, because the Hero Bike Festival will also host music and cultural events which will allow guests to discover the history and longstanding tradition of the province.
For more information on these events, go to www.sellarondahero.com