“You probably saw my face as I crossed the line – pure disbelief” – Rory Townsend stuns Philipsen, Van Aert and co to take biggest career win at ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025

In a result few could have foreseen, Rory Townsend produced the ride of his life to claim the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg, holding off some of the world’s fastest finishers after surviving all day in the breakaway.

Against a backdrop of marquee names — Jasper Philipsen, Wout van Aert, Arnaud De Lie, Biniam Girmay, Paul Magnier — it was the Irish national champion, riding for Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, who defied the odds and delivered a masterclass in resilience, race sense, and well-timed aggression.

“You probably saw my face as I crossed the line – it was pure disbelief,” Townsend said afterwards, clearly as surprised as anyone. “It’s just an incredible feeling. I never thought winning a World Tour race was something that could happen to me — and to do it in the national jersey? That’s unbelievably special.”

Townsend’s day began without illusions. He and his Q36.5 Pro Cycling teammate Jannik Steimle both had their eye on the early moves, not least because the parcours and quality of field suggested a hard chase and a likely regrouping for a sprint. The break that eventually stuck was modest — just four riders — and hardly a roll call of favourites.

“There was a lot of interest in getting up the road, and I figured if we were going to be out there, we might as well make it count,” Townsend reflected. “But honestly, the goal was just to survive to the penultimate climb and see what was possible.”

But as the kilometres ticked by, the gap held firm — helped in no small part by a hesitant peloton, where sprint teams seemed uncertain about who should shoulder the chase. The quartet out front began to sense that the improbable might not be impossible after all.

With 10km to go, the time gaps began to tumble, and the catch looked inevitable. But Townsend had paced his effort perfectly and had one more card to play. “I was getting the splits constantly in my ear — I knew the peloton was closing fast,” he said. “But once I saw them, I weirdly started to believe again. I’ve got a decent sprint on me, especially after a long, hard day, so I figured I’d back myself.”

At 400 metres to go, Townsend jumped — early, bold, and full-gas. He stayed out of the saddle longer than most would dare, then ducked into an aerodynamic tuck and simply refused to be caught. Behind him, Arnaud De Lie and Paul Magnier were charging hard, but the Irishman had just enough left to hold them off — crossing the line with mere metres to spare and disbelief etched all over his face.

For followers of Townsend’s career, this wasn’t a fluke. The 29-year-old has long been one of the sport’s grittiest attackers, animating races from the front and rarely waiting around for sprint trains. But this win — against a peloton stacked with firepower — marks a new high.

“This is the kind of racing I’ve always loved watching. When I was younger, I saw Steve Cummings pull off these solo victories — he made me want to become a cyclist. To do something like that myself, especially on this stage, is just unreal.”

Townsend’s victory also marks a milestone for Q36.5, a team on the rise and one that has now delivered a World Tour win against the very best. It’s a statement — not just about Townsend’s talent, but about the value of belief, perseverance, and brave racing.