be a rainy, cold, and gloomy day but at 6.30 a.m. a pale sun, which gradually became brighter and brighter, welcomed the 5.615 cyclists ready to start the 34th edition of Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel, this year dedicated to Art. A smaller number than usual, due to the pandemic reasons, but in complete safety. This was a fundamental requirement that the organizers had strongly insisted upon when, in spring, they decided that the race could take place in full. Fabio Cini and Marta Maltha won the long course of 138 kilometres and over 4,000m altitude gain in the Ladin Dolomites. It has been a very special edition, unthinkable until shortly before and therefore even more impressive. 2022 The sun smiled on the almost seven thousand participants of the 35th edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel. This edition was dedicated to “Ciüf” – Flora. In the knowledge that a new balance between nature and man is more necessary than ever, the Maratona is an event that for years has been committed to combining sport and care for the environment. One of this year's objectives was to drastically reduce the use of plastic at the final refreshment area. Thanks to a major investment, 16,000 glass-ceramic plates and reusable crockery were purchased, thus reducing the use of plastic by 70 per cent. Stefano Stagni and Marta Maltha were the winners of the long race, the 138-kilometre route with more than four thousand metres of altitude difference along the Ladin roads closed to traffic for one day. The race The race is divided into three courses of varying difficulty: the Sellaronda course, the Middle course and the Maratona course. All riders start at 6:30 am in the village of La Ila and complete the four pass Sellaronda course first. After completing the Sellaronda course riders can either choose to finish the race or proceed directly onwards with the Middle course. As the Maratona course is an extension of the preceding shorter Middle course, riders doing the full Maratona dles Dolomites have to proceed with the Middle course. All three courses go through the Dolomite mountains around the Sella Group and over roads, the Giro d'Italia have taken place. The roads are lined with thousands of spectators and the event is broadcast live on Italian national broadcaster RAI. Along the courses seven refreshment stations are manned by volunteers, with foods and drinks, varying from