On the 16th of August, the World Tour peloton will tackle another one of its one-day races: The ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg. The German classic is well suited to the sprinters whilst providing classics specialists with an opportunity during a busy period of the season. We take a look at its profile.
The race was first held in 1996 where it was won by Rossano Brasi. The race quickly gained a big reputation, having been won by home star Jan Ullrich in 1997 only weeks after his Tour de France win. Erik Zabel, Johan Museeuw, Paolo Bettini, Óscar Freire and Robbie McEwen were then amongst all the stars taking wins.
It became a sprinter's race since the late 2000's, being conquered by many of the best. Arnaud Démare, John Degenkolb, Alexander Kristoff, André Greipel, Caleb Ewan, Elia Viviani, Mads Pedersen and Olav Kooij are all in the race's palmarès; whilst in 2025 it was Irish champion Rory Townsend who took the win with an incredibly dramatic finale in which he succeeded from the day's breakaway with only inches over the sprinters in the peloton.
Profile ADAC Cyclassics: Buxtehuge - Hamburg
Buxtehude - Hamburg, 207 kilometers
The route is 207 kilometers long, with the first third almost completely flat through northern Germany. Most riders will be looking to save their legs for the final third were the impact can be made on the race. The organizers did add an extra 30 kilometers and a few more ascents of the day's main climb however so this will be more difficult for the sprinters this time around.
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 120, 78, 67, 27 and 12 kilometers to go. But this isn't all an homogenous circuit, but instead a tricky set of loops designed around the city of Hamburg. The climb will be tackled back-to-back on two occasions but the attacks are certain to come only in the last set. The final two ascents will be separated by only 14 kilometers, 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 potential sprint.
Waseberg and final kilometers
Waseberg climb profile
On this map is the final circuit the riders will race around the finish However, when preparing for the sprint they will only ride the final 1.9 kilometers marked on the graphic - 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.
ADAC Cyclassics final circuit
List of winners ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2026
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Rory Townsend | Arnaud De Lie | Paul Magnier |
| 2024 | Olav Kooij | Jonathan Milan | Biniam Girmay |
| 2023 | Mads Pedersen | Danny van Poppel | Elia Viviani |
| 2022 | Marco Haller | Wout van Aert | Quinten Hermans |
| 2021 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Elia Viviani | Caleb Ewan | Giacomo Nizzolo |
| 2018 | Elia Viviani | Alexander Kristoff | André Greipel |
| 2017 | Elia Viviani | Arnaud Démare | Dylan Groenewegen |
| 2016 | Caleb Ewan | John Degenkolb | Giacomo Nizzolo |
| 2015 | André Greipel | Alexander Kristoff | Giacomo Nizzolo |
| 2014 | Alexander Kristoff | John Degenkolb | Reinardt Janse van Rensburg |
| 2013 | John Degenkolb | André Greipel | Alexander Kristoff |
| 2012 | Arnaud Démare | André Greipel | Alexander Kristoff |
| 2011 | Philippe Gilbert | Filippo Pozzato | Borut Božič |
| 2010 | Tyler Farrar | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Gerald Ciolek |
| 2009 | Tyler Farrar | Matti Breschel | Gerald Ciolek |
| 2008 | Mark Cavendish | Gerald Ciolek | Heinrich Haussler |
| 2007 | Alessandro Petacchi | Robert Förster | Erik Zabel |
| 2006 | Óscar Freire | Erik Zabel | Allan Davis |
| 2005 | Alexander Vinokourov | Paolo Bettini | Erik Zabel |
| 2004 | Erik Zabel | Paolo Bettini | Luca Paolini |
| 2003 | Erik Zabel | Paolo Bettini | Danilo Di Luca |
| 2002 | Erik Zabel | Danilo Di Luca | Mirko Celestino |
| 2001 | Erik Zabel | Mirko Celestino | Paolo Bettini |
| 2000 | Erik Zabel | Davide Rebellin | Mirko Celestino |
| 1999 | Frank Vandenbroucke | Erik Zabel | Davide Rebellin |
| 1998 | Michele Bartoli | Erik Zabel | Peter Van Petegem |
| 1997 | Erik Zabel | Michele Bartoli | Maurizio Fondriest |
| 1996 | Rossano Brasi | Maximilian Sciandri | Alberto Elli |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- A race--or a career--can end in an instant for Pogacar the same as any of these other guys. On the same corner that took out Lipowicz, Pogačar had his back wheel in the air and his front just centimeters from the curb. He is inevitable and unstoppable until he isn't. I hope this generation of superstars races as long as they want and move on when the risk outweighs the joy.
MarkFour08-08-2026 - It is very easy to say whether you can match the power in training or not, If you cannot you can only win by the opponents mistake or tactic or misfortune. Visma already know the level of both, the numbers etc. Since 2024 Pogi has gone up a level while Jonas is stuck. Jonas is not retiring because it is hard to win but he wants to spend more time with family and crashes are scary to anybodyabstractengineer08-08-2026
- I believe Jonas really thought he could win this Tour. He came in with great form but Pog just blew him away. I don't think he'll make the sacrifices required to race the Tour again knowing he'll be riding for 2nd place at best. He's had a great career and i don't think he's interested in riding other races he's always won. The Tour was his motivation to sacrifice so much. Now that's not a realistic goal, he'll retire this year. All the best to him.Santiago08-08-2026
- will he retire or just avoid Tadej? race whatever he doesn't.mij08-08-2026
- did it really take several weeks for someone to voice these thoughts publicly?Ketterechts08-08-2026
- Certainly one of the best. Hope denialists found something better to watchMistermaumau08-08-2026
- My prediction.. Pog will win 7 Tours, maybe 8 with the help of IDT. Then he'll work for IDT to win.Santiago08-08-2026
- Bravo RidesHills for your comment That is precisely why Jonas shoud retire. He has nothing to prove but has something to lose. He can't prove he can beat Pogi, but may start losing to Seixas, Del Toro or even Remco. Does he really need this sh**... I don't think so. PS: Jonas can be proud of his cycling career, it was exceptional, winning 4 GT (2X TdF) and most of the prestigious one week stage races.PogiSloFans08-08-2026
- Yeah, his name is Mou, I think. He's a fraud and has been banned over multiple sites. He's on X now, but the disgusting things he writes about Tadej and Urška doesn't make him a Pogi fan... He's disgusting.PogiSloFans08-08-2026
- Awsome! The best women race I've ever watched!averagecyclist08-08-2026
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