Preview: BEMER Cyclassics. World-class sprinter field to battle for big win in Germany

On the 21st of August, the peloton will have another round of racing in Germany as the sprinters will get treated with another high-level race. This time in Hamburg, the BEMER Cyclassics make their return as one of the hotspots for the fast men.

The route is 205 kilometers long, with the first two third almost completely flat through northern Germany. There isn’t too much to analyze, most riders will be looking to save their legs for the final third were the impact can be made on the race. The main feature of the race will be the Waseberg, the race’s iconic steep hilltop, on the banks of the Elbe river. It is 1 kilometer long at 7%, not the hardest of hilltops but the gradients do ramp up to 16% in it’s middle. It’s a short and explosive climb, with a downhill run-in to the base, there will be on each occasion a heavy fight for positioning and inevitable attacks.

The climb summits with 67.5, 25 and 17 kilometers to go. The final two ascents will be separated by a very short distance, allowing for tactics and aggressive racing to develop. After going through them however, it will be a flat run-in back to the center of Hamburg and into a likely sprint. This is the final circuit the riders will race around Hamburg. However, when coming to the finish they will only ride the final 1.9 kilometers of it, hence skipping most of the technical sections. It won’t be a technical finale, however it is relatively narrow towards the end, positioning will be crucial and the gradients won’t have anything noteworthy.

The preliminary startlist includes names such as: Marc Sarreau, Alberto Dainese, Cees Bol, Rudy Barbier, Giacomo Nizzolo, Matteo Moschetti, Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Michael Matthews, Alexander Kristoff, Filippo Ganna, Elia Viviani, Matthew Walls, Stefan Bissegger, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Caleb Ewan, Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Fabio Jakobsen, Fernando Gaviria, Arnaud Démare, Simone Consonni, Max Walscheid, Max Kanter, Hugo Hofstetter, Peter Sagan and Phil Bauhaus.

**** Wout van Aert

*** Fabio Jakobsen, Jasper Philipsen

** Dylan Groenewegen, Arnaud Démare, Phil Bauhaus

* Alexander Kristoff, Caleb Ewan, Peter Sagan, Alberto Dainese