Preview ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025 | Kooij and Milan face UAE climbers on tougher course
CyclingThursday, 14 August 2025 at 14:07
It’s been since Eschborn–Frankfurt that we last saw a major German race, but with the Hamburg Cyclassics and Deutschland Tour coming back-to-back in mid-August, the focus shifts once again to Central Europe. IDLProcycling.com tells you everything you need to know about the WorldTour classic in northern Germany.
At just under 200 kilometers, this classic has traditionally been tailor-made for the sprinters, although the Waseberg climb can sometimes cut a few fast men out of contention. In 2022, for example, Marco Haller managed to beat Wout van Aert in a small group that had broke away.
Last season’s victory went to Dutchman Olav Kooij, who’s back on the start list this year, along with 2024’s second- and third-place finishers Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay.
Practical information ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025
- Buxtehude - Hamburg (206.8 km)
- Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025
- Participants
- Classification: WorldTour
In this article
- Most recent winners
- Course, weather and timings
- Favorites
- TV coverage information
Most recent winners ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg
2024 Olav Kooij
2023 Mads Pedersen
2022 Marco Haller
2021 Cancelled
2020 Cancelled
2019 Elia Viviani
2018 Elia Viviani
2017 Elia Viviani
2016 Caleb Ewan
2015 André Greipel
2014 Alexander Kristoff
2023 Mads Pedersen
2022 Marco Haller
2020 Cancelled
2019 Elia Viviani
2018 Elia Viviani
2017 Elia Viviani
2016 Caleb Ewan
2015 André Greipel
2014 Alexander Kristoff
Course, weather and timings ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025
The Hamburg course has followed a familiar pattern for years: there are some short climbs to tackle, but the most likely outcome remains a bunch sprint. Traditionally, a few riders try to make a late move, but in practice, escaping the peloton here is harder than it looks on paper.
This year’s start is in Buxtehude, marking the first time in a decade the race begins outside Hamburg. From there, the route of course heads toward the city that gives the race its name. With 115 kilometers to go, the riders enter the city circuit in the port metropolis, which includes the Waseberg climb (around 1 kilometer at roughly 7% average gradient).
Traditionally, we see a few attack attempts here, but more often than not it all comes back together for a royal sprint finish in the city center on the Mönckebergstraße. This year, the Waseberg will be tackled five times in total instead of three, with the final ascent coming around 17 kilometers from the finish line.
Climbs
89.3 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
128.8 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
139.8 km: Waseberg (0.7 km at 10%)
179,4 km: Waseberg (0,7 km at 10%)
190.4 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
89.3 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
128.8 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
139.8 km: Waseberg (0.7 km at 10%)
179,4 km: Waseberg (0,7 km at 10%)
190.4 km: Waseberg (0.7, km at 10%)
Weather
It looks like the riders will escape the rain in northern Germany, with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. The wind is blowing from the west, so it will be at the back in the finale. That is a welcome windfall for those looking to attack late.
It looks like the riders will escape the rain in northern Germany, with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. The wind is blowing from the west, so it will be at the back in the finale. That is a welcome windfall for those looking to attack late.
Times
Start: 12:00 PM (local time) | 06:00 AM (ET)
Finish: approximately 4:30 PM (local time) | 10.30 AM (ET)
Favorites ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025
Note: The start list is not yet complete or confirmed, so changes are still possible.
The one-day race’s course is slightly tougher this year, but will it be enough to drop the sprinters? One team certainly seems to think so. UAE Team Emirates-XRG is bringing not only sprinter Juan Sebastian Molano to the start, but also the likes of Jan Christen, Jhonatan Narváez, Brandon McNulty, and Isaac del Toro. Hello!
Still, the vast majority of teams are heading to northern Germany with their fast men. Last year’s entire podium, Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jonathan Milan (Lidl–Trek), and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty), will be hunting for a rematch, and their teams will no doubt be geared toward that goal.
Continue reading below the photo!
Sprinters who can handle a climb have a slight edge here. In that category, we rate riders like Kaden Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) as big contenders, with Jordi Meeus, Danny van Poppel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), and Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL) also in the mix.
At XDS–Astana, the likes of Alberto Bettiol, Davide Ballerini, Max Kanter, and Mike Teunissen give the team options for multiple race scenarios, a strategy also seen at Bahrain Victorious (Matej Mohoric and Phil Bauhaus), Decathlon AG2R (Bastien Tronchon and Sam Bennett), INEOS Grenadiers (Axel Laurance), Uno-X (Jonas Abrahamsen and Alexander Kristoff), and Tudor with Matteo Trentin, Alberto Dainese, and Marc Hirschi.
Favorites ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceunick), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceunick), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Longshots: Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Jan Christen, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Emirates-XRG), Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Jordi Meeus, Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers) and Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL)
TV coverage ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg 2025
Eurosport is expected to join the German WorldTour one-day race on Sunday at around 15:30. HBO Max will have live coverage from 14:00.
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Latest Comments
- In 5yrs, Pogi will be a top Twitch streamer living on baked goods while Urska is still racing.Veganpotter11-08-2025
- All they learned is that at the end of a 3 week race, Wout can beat him on a slightly bumpy stage. Obviously, this is very much thanks to Wout not racing for GC every day. This doesn't teach them a thing for Jonas beating Pogi. Not saying Jonas will never beat him again. But this absolutely won't have anything to do with it if he does beat him.Veganpotter28-07-2025
- Well, he eventually Pogacar pays the price for his insane spring campaign which was really crazyRosenkohl196125-07-2025
- Maybe I was a bit disrespectful to Heiden. What he did was unique and exceptional but he wasn't the only one who combined those distances, nowadays it is just not possible and nobody competes in both distances. The same is true for cycling with for example the combination of Roubaix and de Tour de France. In Merckx era there were more riders who managed a top10 in both races than currently.Joostmehrtens19-06-2025
- Two old men shouting at pigeons in the park…JonS16-06-2025
- Out of touch old men hankering after their youth through rose tinted spectacles, their arrogance almost outshines their irrelevance. Turn the volume down, this modern stuff just isn't music like we used to sing...johnny20whales16-06-2025
- In talking speed skating, the days when Heiden did that, nobody else did that. And Eddy couldn't do the equivalent of the bike. His 200 on the velodrome was good, but not world competitive for gold. Heiden was in his own world on the ice, moreso than Eddy if we pretend Eric didn't have a very short career on the ice.Veganpotter16-06-2025
- They wouldn't have dropped HIM so easily.... the GOAT. They would have dropped the rest from that era easily thoughVeganpotter16-06-2025
- Merckx was able to win in a break away on a flat (sprinters) stage, what do you mean they did not drop that easily in his time. Vlaeminck won in the mountains and the classics, but now you need to specialise. The days that a Eric Heiden could win the sprint and the 10k and everything in between are long gone and cycljng is no differentJoostmehrtens16-06-2025
- Carsapaz and Del torro were not capable of chasing Yates. They paused and looked at each other because they didn't have it in them. Yates had kept his powder dry waiting for this stage and demolished both of them. They lost Yates won. Your second guessing is utter nonsense., if either felt they could close Yates down they would have , just like they did countless times for other riders. They blew up , Yates excelled.Uphillbilly05-06-2025