More musings about how the new USA Pro Cycling Challenge will affect the future of the Tour of Utah.

After 7 days, 224 miles and 31,650 feet of climbing (that’s 141.15 feet climbed per mile), my Italian cycling adventure has come to an end. It’s time to head home to family, friends, work, and my own bike.

The big day finally arrived and we got our opportunity to ride one of the world’s most famous Grand Fondos, The Maratona of The Dolimites. Ride/read along as I describe the event and my day in the saddle.

The good news is, I made it safely through The Maratona dles Domoites. The bad news is, I didn’t make the time cut for the medium course (I missed it by literally a couple of minutes), so I only did the short course. I was bummed, but I still had a good time. More later . . . .

Today was a rest day as we took in the sights, sounds, and shopping that abound in Corvara and La Villa. Tomorrow is the big day: The Maratona dles Dolomites! Never fear, though, I still have a blog post and photos!

Our final ride before we tackle the Maratona dles Dolomites on Sunday. This time we rode 66 km and climbed 1,800+ meters over three passes. In case you’re not paying attention, that’s 26,000 feet climbed so far.

My mom has been reading my blog from my trip through the Alps and the Dolomites and asked a question. I’d like to hear how all of you would answer it.

Today my Maratona tour with Ciclismo Classico heads out of the Alps and into The Dolomites, including the climb of Passo Sella, one of the passes we’ll climb on Sunday during the Maratona of The Dolomites.

Day three of my Maratona tour with Ciclismo Classico as we ride from Rablá to Bolzano via Passo Palade and Passo Mendola. Once in Bolzano, I meet Ötzi the Iceman, have a wonderful pizza, and Italy’s best gelato.

The second day of my Maratona tour with Ciclismo Classico, and the first real day of riding. And what a day it was! We climbed the famed Passo Stelvio while covering a metric century distance and nearly 2,000 meters of climbing.