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RoadJulyAlta Badia, Dolomites, Italy

Maratona dles Dolomites โ€“ Enel

Dolomite queen sportive โ€” Sella, Gardena, Giau, and ten thousand cyclists.

Distance
138 km
Elevation
4,230 m climbing
Discipline
Road

Character. The Italian classic. Cooler than Alpe d'Huez in direct sun, but every kilometre is a climb or a descent. Closed roads, early start, high prestige.

Conditions. Dolomite July mornings start cold (10โ€“14 ยฐC at altitude) and warm to low-20s by midday. Dry usually, occasional afternoon thunderstorms.

Lube plan

If you wax โ€” ZFC-recommended path. 138 km sits comfortably inside any top wax's single-application life โ€” ride it out on one coat. No mid-ride lube, no oil in the jersey. If an afternoon Dolomite thunderstorm rolls over the Sella, the wax treatment rides through it: over a 138 km single day the cost of rinsed wax is small next to the post-ride strip commitment of oil-over-wax. Wear + efficiency are the priorities; faff is mostly irrelevant for a single-day.

If you're on oil โ€” pragmatic equivalent. One night-before application of your usual oil is plenty โ€” 138 km is well inside any decent oil's single-application life. No top-up bottle needed. Even an unexpected shower is a non-event since you'd already plan to clean and re-oil at home.

Recommended lubricants

56 lubricants ranked ยท 6 excludedยทCustomise this scenario โ†’
Tactics1 applicable ยท click any to expand
  • โ–ธSilca Hot Melt + Endurance Chip + Speed Chipโ€” Blend both chips into one Hot Melt pot for a versatile road / racing base.

    when: Road riders who want one wax blend that covers training, racing, hot climates, and cold winter rides.

    • Endurance Chip alone extends treatment lifespan but adds minor friction penalty.
    • Speed Chip alone optimises for raw efficiency but shortens treatment lifespan.
    • Blended (Hot Melt + both chips): each chip partially offsets the other's downside. You get longer between rewaxes AND race-day speed.
    • Use the same mix for training and racing โ€” no need for a separate race-day chain.
    • Especially useful in: hot Southern-European climates where wax life contracts, and cold winters where re-waxing is a chore.
Top recommendation ยท Cyclowax Race Wax
Loading expert commentaryโ€ฆ
  • 1

    Cyclowax Race Wax

    Immersive waxCompare โ†’
    92.0
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    3,033 km
    Approx. chain life
    29,557 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 51
    Why this rank

    #1 because: dry road is clean riding, so ZFC's Block 1 wear is the only axis that matters. Cyclowax Race Wax is eligible after scenario filtering and its wear (0.000) is the lowest in the eligible set, which โ€” given your priority weights โ€” edges out every other eligible lube.

  • 2

    Silca Hot Melt

    88.3
    score
    Block 1
    0.003 wear
    Single application
    640 km
    Approx. chain life
    21,898 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 69
    Why this rank

    #2 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.003 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 3

    Silca + Endurance Chip - *Extended intervals*

    Immersive wax* Extended-interval testCompare โ†’
    84.7
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,746 km
    Approx. chain life
    14,493 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 104
    Why this rank

    #3 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 4

    Rex Black Diamond Wax - 11+1 mix

    Immersive waxCompare โ†’
    84.2
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    โ€”
    Approx. chain life
    13,453 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 112
    Why this rank

    #4 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 5

    Rex Black Diamond Wax - 4+1 Mix

    Immersive waxCompare โ†’
    83.5
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    โ€”
    Approx. chain life
    12,146 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 124
    Why this rank

    #5 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 6

    Silca Hot wax X

    82.5
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,350 km
    Approx. chain life
    9,967 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 151
    Why this rank

    #6 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 7

    Ceramic Speed Ultra Endurance Wax

    Immersive waxCompare โ†’
    80.9
    score
    Block 1
    0.006 wear
    Single application
    โ€”
    Approx. chain life
    6,742 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 222
    Why this rank

    #7 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.006 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 8

    Mspeedwax New Formula

    80.6
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,021 km
    Approx. chain life
    6,122 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 245
    Why this rank

    #8 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 9

    Silca Synergetic

    79.1
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    778 km
    Approx. chain life
    4,082 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 368
    Why this rank

    #9 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 10

    Optimize Bike

    51.1
    score
    Block 1
    0.020 wear
    Single application
    โ€”
    Approx. chain life
    10,399 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    AUD 144
    Why this rank

    #10 inside the ยฑ5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.020 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

Excluded for this event (6)
  • ab-graphene-lube โ€” No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • NO LUBRICANT โ€” Baseline / control entry.
  • rex-black-diamond-plus-rds โ€” No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • rex-wax-race-blend โ€” No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • rex-wax-training-blend โ€” No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • Squirt Hot Wax โ€” No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.