Fitness
Fitness
Red Bull Dolomitenmann 2026: Rookies stand out on debut
Four mountain sports, practiced at a world-class level, packed into one day of racing. Red Bull Dolomitenmann puts teams through the ultimate test.
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Red Bull Dolomitenmann has been bringing athletes from different extreme sports together for almost 40 years. A relay contest unlike any other, it sees four individuals come together to tackle four disciplines: a steep mountain run, a paragliding flight from 2,441m, a mountain bike leg with 1,600m of climbing, and finally an eight kilometre whitewater kayak to the finish. Each athlete hands off to the next, and the team's time is the sum of all four legs.
No other event in the world is quite like the Dolomitenmann, held every year in the Austrian town Lienz next to the Dolomite mountain range.
The idea for the race came from Austrian World Cup downhill skier Werner Grissmann, choosing his hometown as the setting. The event is still a family operation – his son, Nikolaus, now runs it as overall organiser. First held in 1988, it has grown in popularity over the years and now regularly attracts more than 100 teams.
Red Bull Dolomitenmann quick facts
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The highlights of the 2026 Red Bull Dolomitenmann
Cyclist Mario Bair helped Kolland Topsport claim victory in Lienz
© Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool
After days of rain, blue skies welcomed the competitors for the 48th edition of Red Bull Dolomitenmann. The conditions were perfect and it was Kolland Topsport’s elite squad that took full advantage. The organisation often has numerous squads competing and thanks to its victory in 2026, they have now topped the podium nine years running.
The quartet of Richard Atuya, Tobias Grossrubatscher, Mario Bair and Tillmann Roeller claimed victory with an overall time of four hours, 18 minutes and 20 seconds, finishing 53 seconds ahead of the Kolland Topsport Elektro Bauer team.
One of the standout performances from the champions came from Red Bull Dolomitenmann rookie Bair. Despite trailing the leaders by two minutes when entering the mountain bike leg, he rode away from the entire field, with his split the fastest of the day by more than three minutes – the single biggest gap in any discipline in the 2026 event.
"This is my first time here, and I didn't know if the course would suit me, but I was able to deliver," Bair said. "At the handoff in the Dolomitenstadion I was two minutes behind. When I caught the leader, I went all in and now I'm overjoyed that we brought the win home."
Austrian MTB cross-country star Laura Stigger impresses on her debut
Another MTB rider making her Red Bull Dolomitenmann debut was Laura Stigger. The Austrian had already enjoyed plenty of success in 2026, claiming the elite Women's Short Track (XCC) world title at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, but was keen to take on a new challenge.
Riding for Red Bull Damen, the 25-year-old delivered the fastest women's mountain bike split of the day by some margin. She beat the next fastest female by 17 minutes as he helped her team triumph in the women's category.
"The atmosphere in the team was great from the first minute, and it was cool because the four of us are very strong athletes," said Stigger, who raced alongside Judith Wyder, Viktoria Brunner and Sophia Schmidt "My race took a lot of hard work, which makes me even happier that we're today's best women's team, by such a big margin."
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Paragliding legend Aaron Durogati proves to be unstoppable
Aaron Durogati posted the fastest paragliding time
© Lukas Pilz / Red Bull Content Pool
While the bike leg rewrote the storylines on the ground, one thing stayed exactly the same in the sky. Aaron Durogati posted the fastest paragliding time for the second year in a row. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to lead his team to victory as Kolland Topsport Elektro Bauer finished in second place.
"For me, it's now the sixth win in the paragliding section," said Durogati. "I'm amazingly happy. I have the big goal once, to be the athlete which wins the most Dolomitenmann, so I will have to keep in a good shape for at least two other years."
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Red Bull Dolomitenmann 2026 results
Men's Pro
- Kolland Topsport Elite — 4:18:20.4
- Kolland Topsport Elektro Bauer — 4:19:13.8
- Rothoblaas — 4:23:49.8
Women's Amateur
- Red Bull Damen — 5:11:12.9
- Die Rothoblaas Gitschn — 5:54:35
- e-Finance Sport team women — 6:06:34
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