BEMER Cyclassics 2023

Updated: August 18, 2023

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 overview

The BEMER Cyclassics is a WorldTour one-day race that takes place in Hamburg in the north of Germany on Sunday, August 20, and is set to host some of the biggest names in sprinting as they go head-to-head for victory ahead of the Vuelta a España

Created in the midst of ‘Jan Ullrich-mania’ during the late 1990s, the BEMER Cyclassics - previously knowns as the Hamburg Cyclassics and the Vattenfall Cyclassics - is one of the highlights of the German cycling calendar and has always attracted some of pro cycling’s fastest finishers, usually culminating in a sprint to the line.

In the 200km that precede the finale, a foray into Hamburg’s hinterland is followed by a number of city laps with the only real obstacle being the Waseberg Hill – a short but steep climb that reaches double-digit gradients in places. The race then traditionally finishes on Hamburg’s Mönckebergstraße, one of the city’s main shopping streets.

Some of the fastest riders in the peloton will be lining up in Hamburg, including home favourites Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) plus the likes of Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Jumbo Visma), all of whom have looked like some of the best sprinters in recent months.

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 key information

All the important details you need to know about this year's BEMER Cyclassics.

Date: August 20, 2023

Country: Germany

Category: 1.UWT

Editions: 25 (as of 2022)

First winner: Rossano Brasi

Most recent winner: Marco Haller

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 route

Hamburg → Hamburg (205km)

© VeloViewer

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 route map

This year’s edition, as always, rolls out from the Steinstraße in Hamburg-Altstadt and heads beyond the city limits as the riders get up to speed and any outsiders try to escape up the road.

The flat parcours surrounding Hamburg will soon give way to the punchier terrain of the city’s streets, most notably the Waseberg Hill, which is tackled three times on the local laps and is earmarked by many as the best place to launch a late attack. The race then heads downhill towards the Mönckebergstraße, one of Hamburg’s best-known shopping streets and the finishing straight which has witnessed many top sprinters battle it out for victory.

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 contenders

Thanks to its almost entirely flat profile and fast finish, the start list for the 2023 BEMER Cyclassics is dominated by sprinters. The likes of Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) should all be favourites based on recent form, with the latter two taking stages at the Tour de Pologne earlier this month. German team Bora-hansgrohe have the defending champion Marco Haller in their midst, and will be hoping he or Sam Bennett can keep the win in the team, though other home favourites Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) are ready to make that hard.

A number of former winners in Hamburg are also lining up, including Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) who won this race three years in a row from 2017 to 2019, and John Degenkolb (dsm-firmenich), who became the first German winner in 10 years with his 2013 victory. These riders may be past their sprinting hey-day but could they turn back the clock this August?

BEMER Cyclassics 2023 teams

Sixteen WorldTour teams and three ProTeams will line up for the BEMER Cyclassics in Hamburg.

• Bora-hansgrohe
• AG2R Citroën
• Astana Qazaqstan
• Bahrain-Victorious
• Cofidis
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
• Jumbo-Visma
• Lidl-Trek
• Movistar
• Soudal Quick-Step
• Arkéa Samsic
• dsm-firmenich
• Jayco AlUla
• UAE Team Emirates
• Lotto Dstny
• TotalEnergies
• Israel-Premier Tech

What happened in the 2022 BEMER Cyclassics?

Watch below to see what happened in the last edition of the BEMER Cyclassics.

BEMER Cyclassics race history

The BEMER Cyclassics has been a consistent part of both the UCI World Cup and now the UCI WorldTour for the last quarter of a century. Prior to 2017, when Eschborn-Frankfurt was upgraded to WorldTour status, the BEMER Cyclassics was Germany’s only top-level race on the calendar. First held in 1996, the race’s popularity skyrocketed both at home and across the globe thanks to the success of Jan Ullrich - the East German talisman won the race on debut in 1997 only a fortnight after securing a first, and only, Tour de France title.

Over the past two decades the winners’ list of the race, locally known as the Hamburg Cyclassics, has become a who’s who of top-level sprinters. Italian quickman Elia Viviani stands alone with three wins, one more than Tyler Farrar. Meanwhile, the likes of Erik Zabel, Johan Museeuw, Óscar Freire, Robbie McEwen, Arnaud Démare, André Greipel and Caleb Ewan have all lifted their arms in triumph on the Mönckebergstraße once in their careers. After a two-year break due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the race returned in 2022 with Austrian Marco Haller surprising favourite Wout van Aert and handing home team BORA-hansgrohe their first win at the BEMER Cyclassics.

Explore the tabs above to read our preview and find out more about the route and start list of this year's race.

Major Races

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Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

Provided by FirstCycling