Profile European Championships men's Elite Road Race

The route will be 208 kilometers long and designed for the sprinters. However, it does leave the possibilities open for a hotly contested race. The start in Murnau am Staffelsee will quickly see the ascent of the Kesselberg (5.1Km at 4.9%) which may see a strong breakaway go up the road. Without the normal team organization and with a very important title to be given, it may lead to aggressive tactics from some teams.

From there on the route will largely be a slow false-flat descent into Munich, with the exception of a short – but steep – bump at the Eurasburg. It’s only 1 kilometers long, however it averages over 10%. It comes with 115 kilometers to go so to attack would not be very logical, however in the pure sprinter field there are some who struggle deeply, and if there is the intention there may be some fast men dropped, and with less than two and a half hours of racing left there could be an alliance to thin down the list of contenders.

The race should be decided in the final circuit however with little doubt. It will be in the center of the German city that the finish will be positioned, at the end of five laps of a 13-kilometer long circuit. It will not feature any climb and it won’t be overly technical, so a normal bunch sprint is expected – only with leadout trains that aren’t used to each other.

The final straight will be just over 1.5 kilometers long, and it will be a pan-flat finish in a relatively wide straight with good pavement. You could not ask for a more simple finish, the fastest man should be able to win.