History of the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg

The Birth of the Race and the Jan Ullrich Boom (1996–1997)

The history of the Cyclassics began in the summer of 1996 under the sporting direction of 1966 Road World Champion Rudi Altig. The inaugural edition featured a compact format: at just 160 kilometers, it remains the shortest race in the event’s history, with Rossano Brasi becoming the first winner.

However, the decisive milestone for the race’s long-term success came one year later, on August 10, 1997. Just two weeks after his historic victory in Paris, Jan Ullrich lined up at the start in Hamburg and claimed victory in front of an ecstatic home crowd. This emotional triumph helped ignite an unprecedented cycling boom across Germany and instantly propelled the then-named HEW Cyclassics onto the international stage.

The Golden Rise to the UCI World Cup (1998–2004)

Driven by this wave of enthusiasm, the Hamburg race rapidly established itself within the international cycling hierarchy. As early as its third edition in 1998, the event joined the prestigious UCI Road World Cup, replacing the British Wincanton Classic. The promotion brought increased sporting demands: the course was significantly extended to approximately 253 kilometers, and renowned riders such as Léon van Bon (1998) and sprint legend Erik Zabel (2001) added their names to the winners’ list.

Transition to the WorldTour and the Vattenfall Era (2005–2015)

Following a major restructuring of professional cycling by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the Cyclassics became a founding member of the newly created UCI ProTour, the predecessor of today’s UCI WorldTour. Together with the German classic Eschborn–Frankfurt, the race continues to form the exclusive foundation of Germany’s highest-ranked UCI one-day events.

After the Swedish energy company Vattenfall acquired the previous sponsor HEW, the race was officially renamed Vattenfall Cyclassics in 2006. This era also witnessed the historic dominance of American rider Tyler Farrar, who became the first cyclist to win the race in consecutive years, claiming victory in both 2009 and 2010.

Viviani’s Record and the Pandemic Years (2016–2024)

In more recent years, the race continued to evolve under changing title sponsors, including EuroEyes (from 2016) and BEMER (from 2021). On the sporting side, this period was defined by one of cycling’s great sprint specialists: Italy’s Elia Viviani achieved the historic feat of winning the race three consecutive times from 2017 to 2019—an unmatched record in the history of the Cyclassics.

Following a two-year interruption in 2020 and 2021, when the race was completely cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Cyclassics returned to the calendar in 2022.

A New Chapter from 2025: Buxtehude, the ADAC, and a Major Rebranding

The 2025 season marked the beginning of a new era for the ADAC Cyclassics. Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), the world’s largest cycling event organizer, took over responsibility for the Hamburg classic through its German subsidiary A.S.O. Germany. At the same time, the ADAC became the event’s new title sponsor.

In 2025, the official race start was moved for the first time to the Lower Saxon Hanseatic town of Buxtehude. In addition, the spectacular crossing of the Köhlbrand Bridge returned to the route after several years of absence. The race once again demonstrated its unpredictable character when Irish rider Rory Townsend produced a sensational breakaway victory, holding off the charging sprint stars by the narrowest of margins.

This classic spirit is also reflected in the event’s mass-participation rides from the 2026 season onward. For more than 10,000 amateur participants, the sportive events have been rebranded as “The Experience” (celebrating the shared cycling adventure) and “The Challenge” (capturing the atmosphere of professional racing). In doing so, the ADAC Cyclassics continue to carry forward nearly three decades of tradition as a vibrant cycling festival into the future.

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Winners of the Cyclassics Hamburg (1996–Present)