Cyclassics: Heavy crashes at hobby race – professionals started later | NDR.de – Sport

The 100-kilometer race for “Everyman” had to be stopped in the Pinneberg district, police said. There was a crash and the field was stopped at the northern end of the loop in Barmstedt. Rescue helicopters were also deployed in addition to ambulances.

According to a Cyclassics spokeswoman, at least six cyclists were injured in two crashes – the first in Bevern. All those affected are conscious. The amateur race is to be finished in a neutralized manner – without timekeeping. The start of the professional race, originally scheduled for 11:15 a.m., was postponed by around an hour and the route was shortened by 21 kilometers.

Strong field of participants among the professionals

The Cyclassics are only one of two races in Germany with UCI World Tour status. The professional cyclists should actually complete a good 200 kilometers. Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij are taking part, the quartet has a total of 37 victories this year. All four have not yet won the Cyclassics.

The competition is tough, and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), who recently won the green jersey for the best sprinter at the Tour de France, is also taking part. The Eritrean also has five victories this season. Three of them – just like Philipsen – were in France. In addition, six former Cyclassics winners are taking part – including three-time champion Elia Viviani from Italy.

Another sprint finish on Mönckebergstrasse?

The Cyclassics are one of the few races in the international calendar that is made for the best sprinters in the saddle. Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, called Hamburg a “sprinter’s paradise” before the race. Alongside Eschborn-Frankfurt, the Cyclassics are the only German one-day race on the UCI World Tour – and also the dress rehearsal for the European Cycling Championships next week.

Will the race be decided in a sprint like last year? Mads Pedersen, winner of this year’s Germany Tour (Lidl-Startrek), won on Mönckebergstrasse.

In addition to Degenkolb from Gera, Nils Politt (Cologne) and Phil Bauhaus (Bocholt) are among those holding the German flag high this year. There have been four German triumphs at the Cyclassics, which have been held since 1996. Jan Ullrich won in 1997, Erik Zabel in 2001, Degenkolb in 2013 and André Greipel in 2015. The record winner is the Italian Elia Viviani, who crossed the finish line first three times in a row between 2017 and 2019.

VIDEO: Cycling classic in Hamburg – The route (1 min)

Waseberg a challenge

The Waseberg in Blankenese is a challenge for the pros and a highlight for the spectators. The passage is only 700 meters long, but has a gradient of up to 10 percent. After the first crossing around 63 kilometers from the finish, the peloton heads over the Elbchaussee and Reeperbahn for the first time around 47 kilometers from the end of the race onto Mönckebergstraße – for the third sprint classification of the day.

The riders then head back towards Blankenese, where two more men have to master the climb on the Waseberg before the route leads again via Elbchaussee and Reeperbahn to the finish at Mönckebergstraße.

Cyclassic open races over 60 and 100 kilometers

A few hours before the professionals, the “Everyman” started the race – more than 10,000 of them. Last year, there were 12,500 amateur cyclists.

Matthias Pietsch, managing director of the new organizer “Society for the Promotion of Cycling”, and his team took over the organization of the “Cyclassics” around eight months ago, and now he said that they want to “bring the Cyclassics back to where they once were”. In his view, that would mean having more than 20,000 amateur cyclists again, but also including the Köhlbrand Bridge in the route again.

More information

Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to attend the big cycling race. There will be road closures along the route in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. more