The Giro delle Dolomiti always provides breathtaking images. © Sportograf

The 47th Giro delle Dolomiti is about to begin

The long wait will soon be over: on Monday, July 22nd, one of the South Tyrolean cycling highlights of the summer starts. It is the Giro delle Dolomiti, which is being held for the 47th time.

July 19, 2024

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In the legendary cycling tour through the Dolomites, not only will an overall winner be determined over five stages - all participants will first and foremost get to enjoy the panoramic Alpine landscape of South Tyrol in the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Before the first pedals start on Monday morning, the opening ceremony will take place on Sunday at 17 p.m. at the Bolzano Exhibition Center, the logistics center of the Giro delle Dolomiti. Participants will be welcomed there and given a briefing on the rules and details of this year's edition. The shortest of the five stages will begin the following day.

From Bolzano, the cyclists set off on the Ritten in the saddle of their bikes. As usual, a section of each stage is timed. On these sections, which are between 5,1 and 7,9 kilometers long and have several hundred meters of elevation, those participants who are aiming for fame and glory give it their all. The sum of the times on all five chrono sections decides the overall victory.

Julia Jedelhauser won the last two editions of the Giro. © Sportissimus

But back to the stages of this year's Giro delle Dolomiti. The Sellaronda continues on Tuesday, July 23. The circuit around the world-famous Sellsatock takes place clockwise, this time starting in Waidbruck. On Wednesday, the Giro convoy "moves" to the east of South Tyrol, more precisely to Toblach. From there, it goes south across the borders of South Tyrol towards Lake Misurina and Cortina d'Ampezzo, with the finish again in Toblach.

Thursday is all about the queen stage, when the Würzjoch is approached. The start and finish are again at the Bozen trade fair. The 47th Giro delle Dolomiti will conclude with a stage in the Eggental. From Bozen, the cyclists will cycle to Steinegg, to Lake Carezza and back to Bozen via Tiers, where the grand finale with an award ceremony and a joint celebration is scheduled.

Preparations completed and many registrations

"We are ready!", Bettina Ravanelli, the president of the organizing ASD Giro delle Dolomiti, announced happily three days before the start. "The preparations are almost complete. More than 350 participants have already registered, they come from a wide variety of countries. For example, this year many athletes from Dubai and the USA have registered. We are pleased to see that the Giro delle Dolomiti is becoming more and more international," Ravanelli says happily.

Registration is still possible, either online on the Giro delle Dolomiti website (www.girodolomiti.com) or directly at the race office in the Bolzano exhibition center. This is open for each stage from one hour before the start until one hour after arrival. Those interested can register for the entire cycling tour or for individual stages. The tours with accompanying persons and participants in the Giro Guest program also begin on Monday.

"We are particularly pleased that Julia Jedelhauser, the overall winner of the last two editions, is taking part," says Ravanelli about the likeable and highly ambitious German. "The Giro delle Dolomiti is always well received by her, as well as by many others. Nevertheless, we also have many new faces at the start this year. It is particularly important for them to attend the briefing on Sunday so that they can get all the information," concludes the president.

47. Giro delle Dolomiti, the stages

Stage 1 – Ritten (Monday, 22 July)
Distance: 75 km
Difference in altitude: 1748 m
Timed section: 7,3 km/631 hm

Stage 2 - Sellaronda (Tuesday, July 23)
Distance: 107 km
Difference in altitude: 3100 m
Timed section: 7,9 km/550 hm

Stage 3 – Three Peaks (Wednesday, July 24)
Distance: 80 km
Difference in altitude: 1716 m
Timed section: 5,5 km/431 hm

Stage 4 – Würzjoch (Thursday, 25 July)
Distance: 137 km
Difference in altitude: 2000 m
Timed section: 7,8 km/553 hm

Stage 5 – Steinegg (Friday, 26 July)
Distance: 85 km
Difference in altitude: 1924 m
Timed section: 5,1 km/500 hm

Total distance: 484 km/10.488 m
Total distance of the timed sections: 33,6 km/2665 hm