Less than a month to go to the fourth running of the Südtirol
Sellaronda HERO and this morning in the press conference at Bolzano many new
features of and surrounding the event were introduced.
Introduced three years ago with an innovative and impactful format the
Südtirol Sellaronda HERO can now be rightly considered as a real mountain bike
long distance race classic. To take part in the race you need to train hard and
to finish it you need to be a hero! However the HERO is not just a race and
there are many elements which go into making it distinctive and this aspect was
more than clear from this morning’s press conference – held at Flavon Castle in
Bolzano – when, with the race date less than a month away, the Organising
Committee spoke of the many new features for this year’s event. For the record
the 22nd June will be the day when the starter’s gun will get the bikers on
their way from Val Gardena (BZ).
UCI WORLD WORLD SERIES. The Südtirol Sellaronda HERO will be the last race before the 2013 Marathon
World Championships in Kirchberg in the Austrian Tyrol, and the HERO has
attracted many champions keen to fine tune their form. Elias Periklis, holder
of the marathon world championship title won at Ornans last year, Steffen Thum and
Sally Bigham, male and female winners of the UCI World Series 2012, will all be
at the start, along with the winners of the HERO’s previous editions - Klaus
Fontana (2010), Mirko Celestino (2011) and Leonardo Paez (2012).
Competing alongside the sport’s stars will be a horde of bikers, there
being a total of 3,013 competitors coming from 30 countries.
NEW VARIATIONS TO COURSE ROUTES. As the HERO will host the UCI Marathon World
Championships in 2015 and so as to respect the regulations of the international
federation concerning the race distance the Organising Committee has modified
the routes in accordance with the UCI request
as applied to the marathon World Series. Consequently the 84 kilometre route (with
4,300 metres of altitude difference) will be the race route for the elite male
category bikers (and all those holding a pass of a cycling federation
affiliated to the UCI), whilst the ladies with the corresponding category
requirements will do battle over the “renewed” 62 kilometre route. It is in fact
this route which has undergone most changes so as to comply with UCI directives:
in the Alta Badia part of the race a variation has been introduced so as to
lengthen the overall distance, and likewise in Arabba, the result here being an
addition of just over two kilometres, a change which has the extra advantage of
freeing the centre of the Belluno town and ensuring greater safety for the
bikers too. It should be mentioned that the two routes of 84 and 62 kilometres are open to male and female bikers of
the “Hobby” category, they not having a pass of a federation affiliated to the
UCI.
PRIZE MONEY. It’s the glory the bikers are after
but the winners are also entitled to be rewarded in a way commensurate to
the race status. The total prize money for the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO 2013 is50.000 Euro and
the winners of the UCI marathon 84
km and 62
km will take home a cheque for 3.000 Euro. For the winners
of the “Hobby” category of the 84 kilometre race (both male and female) there
is a prize of a mountain bike Bianchi Methanol 29.4 SL, and there are numerous
other prizes for the first three classified including a Gopro video camera, MET
helmets, adidas eyewear, HERO saddles made by Selle San Marco.
PROGRAMME DETAILS. The event programme kicks off on the Thursday 20th June and the day
after there will be the chance for competitors to try out the race route and
there will also be the opening of the HERO Bike and Tech Expo at Selva Gardena,
and it is from here that you can pick up your race-pack (on Thursday 20/6 from 14.00
to 20.00 and Friday 21/06 from 10.00 to 20.00). The Südtirol Sellaronda HERO gets
going on Saturday 22nd June from 7.20 to 8.45 (your race number allocated to
one of six starting grids) and the arrival of the winning female biker in the 62
km marathon is expected at about 11.20, while the winner of the male 84
kilometre marathon is expected to cross the finishing line at about 12.20. Following
on from last year’s wonderful experience the Organising Committee have
confirmed the Official Prize Ceremony for 21.00, and it will be proceeded by
the group Westbound in concert: a charity
event in favour of humanitarian projects in Africa. One of the side events not
to miss is the showing of the HEROes documentary at the cultural centre in Selva
Val Gardena at 18.00: a great chance to appreciate the competitive nature of
the race. On Saturday keep an eye out
for HERO KIDS: 300 young bikers
competing on the roads around Selva.
HERO CHARITY. Activity in support of young sporting talent in South Tyrol is a
constant
element in the focus of the Organising Committee of the Südtirol
Sellaronda HERO and for the fourth year running 100 race start numbers called
HERO FOR HEROES have been sold as packages and the proceeds have been devolved
to Assisport, the association which has as its aim practical help for the young
sporting talent in the province of Bolzano so they can turn their promise into
reality and make progress in the world of sport.
WATCH THE HERO LIVE. This year to the race will be shown in live streaming from 11.00 to
12.30 on the site sellarondahero.com, and in a programme service transmitted
direct from Selva on RAI Sport (from 18.00 to 19.00) the race day’s events will
be shown and discussed. Other special transmissions are scheduled for Sky and
Eurosport.
HERO ORGANISATION. Looking ahead to 2015, the staff
of the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO is already taking on a world championship look.
Of particular note is that this year’s race can count on the contribution of 400
volunteers, easily recognisable as they will be wearing their new race day kit
showing the phrase “FEEL THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HERO”.
WEEKEND ON 2 WHEELS. The day after the HERO the mountain
bike season around the Sella Group area really gets into full swing for from Sunday
the 23rd June the Sellaronda MTB TOUR opens giving the chance to circumnavigate
the Sella Group by bike and with a little assistance from the lift systems! New
for 2013 is the E-BIKE possibility, an almost relaxing way to bike and get
around the mountains! Last but not least to mention is that the 23rd June is Sellaronda
Bike Day: 20 thousand cyclists enjoying the Dolomites on this ‘closed to
traffic’ day.
A BIG THANK YOU GOES TO… Organising a race such as the Südtirol
Sellaronda HERO involves coordinating and managing the assistance provided by
many public bodies and private companies, without which the race would never
have become that which it is today in terms of status and popularity.
«It is for this reason that in the name of
the Organising Committee I wish to thank all who support the event – said Gerhard
Vanzi – including the UCI and Italian Cycling Federation, the
Autonomous Province of Bolzano, all the various Town Councils, Tourist
Consortiums, Tourism Promotion Associations of Val Gardena and the four valleys
of Alta Badia, Arabba, Val di Fassa, Alpe di Siusi, as well as the Tourism
Association of Selva Val Gardena».
Furthermore a special vote of thanks goes to the large
pool of sponsor partner companies and a warm welcome indeed to the new sponsors
- Bianchi, Land Rover, Sparkasse, Marlene, Dolomiti Adventures, and Leitner for
having chosen the HERO as an effective means for their promotion towards bikers.
«The
final word goes to all the volunteers who give up of their free time to ensure
the HERO always wins, for they too are heroes»
so concluded Gerhard
Vanzi.
ORGANISATION
Comitato Südtirol Sellaronda Hero
Associazione Turistica Selva Gardena
Str. Meisules, 213
I-39048 Selva Gardena (BZ)
Tel. +39 0471 777900
Fax +39 0471 792245
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