Anticipation is growing by the hour in Hamburg where the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg will take place on Sunday, one of the most important classics of the cycling summer. And once again, what will captivate audiences is the battle between sprinters - among the most anticipated are Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij, Paul Magnier and Dylan Groenewegen - and attackers aiming to upset the odds, as Rory Townsend managed to do last year.

The route: from Buxtehude, through the Waseberg, to Hamburg
The race covers 205.3 kilometers, starting from Buxtehude in the Stade district, and passes through the districts of Harburg and Pinneberg before reaching Hamburg's city center. The five passages over the Waseberg climb at Blankenese represent once again the most challenging test of the race, before the final decision is traditionally made on the Mönckebergstraße. The route favors both quick breakaways and bunch finishes, making the ADAC Cyclassics one of the most open one-day races on the WorldTour calendar.

A sprint of the highest caliber
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) are among the main favorites for victory in the sprint. The field is completed by riders such as Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarchè).

Sprinters or breakaway artists: that is the question
Despite the caliber of the sprinters, the key question heading into the race remains whether the sprinters will actually manage to arrive in a compact group on the Mönckebergstraße. Last year, Rory Townsend (Unibet Rose Rockets) won with a breakaway, leaving the sprinters empty-handed: the Irishman returns this year as defending champion. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) has recently demonstrated that such an upset will not be an exception in 2026 either: the best young rider and third-place finisher at the Tour de France has already participated in Hamburg's race last year and is considered one of the riders capable of turning the Waseberg stage into a decisive breakaway.

Fabian Wegmann, race director of the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg, cannot wait to witness the battle between sprinters and breakaway artists: "The field of participants we will have the pleasure of welcoming to Hamburg in 2026 is one of the strongest in recent years. With an exceptional group of sprinters and riders capable of turning the Waseberg into a decisive point, it creates exactly the kind of tension that makes our race so special. We expect an open and fiercely contested finale on the Mönckebergstraße".

A program for the entire metropolitan area
Beyond the professional race, the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2026 offers a rich program of events for the entire metropolitan area, including participatory cycling initiatives, the Bikeleasing Kids Race and an expo. Further information on the participant list, program and spectator information will be regularly published on the website www.cyclassics-hamburg.de.