Sellaronda Bike Day Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

On a Saturday in June, the Sellaronda Bike Day closes the entire loop around the Sella massif to car traffic — leaving 53 kilometres of Dolomite road to cyclists: the classic Sellaronda ridden anticlockwise, started wherever you like, usually in Corvara.

The loop knows no idle stretches: barely six percent of the course is flat, the rest is pass road up or down. From Corvara it climbs almost immediately into the Campolongo (a good three kilometres, then rising further towards Arabba), followed by the longer ascent to Passo Pordoi — 5.7 kilometres at close to seven percent and around 390 metres of gain. After the descent, the Sella pass waits from kilometre 16.8 (3.8 kilometres, 7.7 percent), and from kilometre 26.5 the loop's longest climb to Passo Gardena: 6.4 kilometres with 420 metres of gain. A final rise from kilometre 42.2 closes the loop back to Corvara.

The Bike Day has no timing — no gun, no ranking, but thousands of riders, free roads and arguably the most famous mountain backdrop in the Alps. Exactly that makes it the perfect goal for a first big Dolomites day.

Pacing Strategy

Without timing, the opponent on the Sellaronda is not the clock but overconfidence across four passes. The loop consists of four climbing blocks of 20 to 45 minutes — and the art is riding the fourth like the first.

Ride the Campolongo as a warm-up clearly below threshold, even as thousands of wheels around you push the pace — a bike day's group dynamics are the format's biggest pacing trap. On the Pordoi, the longest continuous climb, settle into your rhythm: an intensity at which conversation stays possible.

Passo Gardena from kilometre 26.5, with 420 metres of gain, is the touchstone: ride the first two passes too keenly and it turns grim. Eat on every descent — four passes empty the stores like a race, bib or not — and plan your stops deliberately: the summits invite lingering, but four long breaks turn four hours into six.

On the descents, this day demands special care: free roads do not mean empty roads — the spectrum of speed and skill around you is huge. Descend controlled, expect overtakers, hold your line.

12-Week Preparation

Plan three to five hours of pure riding time for the Sellaronda depending on level. The demand: four climbs of three to six and a half kilometres at six to eight percent, in series, at 1,800 to 2,200 metres of altitude.

Preparation fits into eight to ten weeks: build one longer weekly ride towards three to four hours with 1,200 to 1,600 metres of climbing. Train the series structure specifically — two to four climbs of 20 to 35 minutes in one session, with descents as recovery — rather than single long mountain blocks.

Add weekly threshold work (two to three times 15 minutes) so the passes stay below your critical intensity and you can enjoy them. If you live in the flatlands: the combination of repeated climbs and altitude is well compensated by strength-endurance intervals (low cadence) plus a conservative goal.

Equipment: mountain gearing, checked brakes — the descents are long — and clothing for pass summits that can be cold even in June. And one practical Bike Day tip: start early. The loop is twice as beautiful with fewer wheels around.