VIDEO: 2018 Maratona Dles Dolomites Jersey Unveil
– FIND THE INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO’S BELOW –
The 2018 edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel will kick off on July 1 in the Badia valley of Italy’s far north. More than 9,000 riders will climb out of the darkness, just before dawn breaks over the surrounding limestone peaks of the Dolomites. The race is a must for every serious cyclist.
The landscape of the Dolomites is so important and so inspiring that it’s protected by UNESCO, and every year the Maratona has an environment-related theme. The race’s patron, Michil Costa, is what the Italians call a “personaggio,” a character. His goal is to get people to connect with nature, to contemplate their place in it, and to appreciate not only its fragile beauty but also what that beauty can do for our own fragilities. Riding here might be tough on the legs, but it does wonders for a stressed-out mind.
Because Castelli’s head office is near the Badia valley, Castelli staff live, ride, run or ski in these mountains all year. Finding the right elements and inspiration for the Maratona jersey was the motivational state that brought the 2018 kit design from idea to reality.
“Getting the call that the Maratona dles Dolomites was bringing a new challenge to Castelli’s creative team started the most fun.” – Enrico Ubezio, Senior Designer.
For the 32nd edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites, Castelli and the Maratona dles Dolomites organization have been drawn to, and inspired by, the landscape and nature of the Badia valley. To gather inspiration for the creative process, we asked six local athletes and mountain-loving friends to bring their favorite colors or objects found in nature in the Badia valley to the design table. Find the videos further below.
Castelli’s senior design officer, Enrico Ubezio, says that getting the call that the Maratona dles Dolomites was bringing a new challenge to his creative team started the most fun he’s had working on a project in his seven-year career with the Castelli brand.
BALANCE LEADS TO BEAUTIFUL, FUNCTIONAL DESIGN SOLUTION.
The theme of this year’s event is “Ecuiliber = Balance” and it couldn’t be a better fit with the natural design inspiration.
“We can only be free if we set ourselves rules. We can only have rights if we take responsibility for our obligations. It’s all about striking a balance above all the madness. The balance of nature and people,” said Michil Costa, Maratona dles Dolomites President.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein.
Over the next few days, we’ll unveil a series of videos that follow the athletes during their training from January through May, and we’ll find out what object or color they brought to the Castelli design table. A link to the video’s will be found here below as we publish them. Let us know in the comments what you think about the videos and personal experience in Val Badia.
Make sure you learn the Italian and Ladin pronunciation of “balance” in your preparation for the Maratona race in two weeks.
Ladino: Ecuiliber [ e·qui·lì·ber/ ]
Italian: Equilibrio [ e·qui·lì·brio/ ]
Episode 1/3
In episode 1, we follow the Italian biathlete Dorothea Wierer on a regular training day at the Armentarola Nordic ski slopes, just a few kilometers away from the iconic and last of the Maratona passes, Passo del Falzarego.
Episode 2/3
Episode 2, we’ve teamed up with former World Cross-Country MTB Marathon Champion, Massimo Debertolis, skyrunner Melanie Ploner, and ski mountaineer Allessandro Follador.
Episode 3/3
Episode 3. We team up with two locals, the former international cyclocross rider, Igor Tavella, who’ll show us some of his favorites gravel roads, also host to the famous and exclusive #yolomites5000 ride. Second athlete, Franz Wieser, also known as Val Badia’s KOM-hunter, chasing hillclimb records across the Val Badia valley.
Video by: Federico Vitali
Thanks to: Allessandro Follador, Ashley Gruber, Franz Wieser, Igor Tavella, Melanie Ploner, and Massimo Debertolis.