The marathon bikers will crown their world champions in Val Gardena. © Harald Wisthaler

A Mountain Bike World Championship in Val Gardena

Champagne corks are popping in the Val Gardena: The Ladins have been awarded the 2030 Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships. This was announced today in Rwanda.

September 25, 2025

From: fop

After 15 years, Val Gardena will once again host the UCI Marathon World Championships. The award for the 2030 edition was made at the 194th UCI Congress, which, as usual, was held during the Road World Championships, which are currently taking place in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Val Gardena World Championships will take place from June 13 to 16, 2030. The focus will be not only on the participants, but also on the two legendary courses of the annual HERO marathon event: the 86-kilometer course (with 4.500 meters of elevation gain) for the men and the 60-kilometer course (3.200 meters of elevation gain) for the women.

“We are thrilled and honored” Gerhard Vanzi, Chief OC HERO

At the last World Championships in Val Gardena in 2015, the rainbow jersey was won by Austrian Alban Lakata and Norwegian Olympic champion Gunn-Rita Dhale.

They were delighted about the awarding of the World Championships in Kigali: Enrico Della Casa (European Cycling Federation), Cordiano Dagnoni (Italy's cycling chief), Gerhard Vanzi (head of the Val Gardena Organising Committee) and David Lappartient (UCI President).

"We are thrilled and honored to be able to host such a prestigious event," says Gerhard Vanzi, HERO's organizing committee chairman. In a press release from the organizers, Governor Arno Kompatscher also offered his congratulations: "This is a great satisfaction not only for the people of Val Gardena, who passionately promoted this candidacy, but also for all of South Tyrolean sport."

Trento gets the “big” cycling world championships

Several world championships were awarded in Kigali this Thursday – and Italian cycling had several reasons to celebrate: The 2029 Cyclocross World Championships moved to Spresiano-Le Bandie (Treviso), while Trentino was awarded the 2031 UCI Road World Championships. It will be a truly massive event, with medals awarded in almost all cycling categories. The road races will be held in and around Trento, and the mountain bike events in Val di Sole.