Hamburg Cyclassics

Image:Finale-HEW-Cyclassics-2005.jpg in 2005, won by Italian Filippo Pozzato.]]

The event was created in 1996 as a 1.5 race, the lowest classification of professional races. The first edition was its shortest ever, totaling just 160 km, won by Italian Rossano Brasi.{{cite web|title=Tour of Hamburg, Germany|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/aug96/hamburg.html|work=CyclingNews|access-date=25 November 2015}} HEW, Hamburg's Electricity Works, served as the race's title sponsor. In 1997 Jan Ullrich won the second edition amid hordes of fans, two weeks after winning the Tour de France, and the race gained prestige fast.{{cite web|title=HEW-Cyclassics Cup, Cat 1.5|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/aug97/hew97.html|work=CyclingNews|access-date=25 November 2015}}

With cycling's fast-growing popularity in Germany in the 1990s, the race became part of the UCI Road World Cup in 1998, cycling's ten highest-classified one-day races. It replaced the Wincanton Classic, Britain's only cycling classic, as the seventh leg of the World Cup.{{cite web|title=HEW-Cyclassics Cup, World Cup round 7|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1998/aug98/hew98.html|work=CyclingNews|access-date=25 November 2015}} Dutchman Léon van Bon outsprinted Michele Bartoli to win the third edition; the distance was increased to 253 km.

Erik Zabel was the second German winner of the HEW Cyclassics in 2001.{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=HEW-Cyclassics - CDM Hamburg, Germany, August 19, 2001|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/aug01/HEW/home.shtml|work=CyclingNews|access-date=25 November 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=Perfect finish for Zabel|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/aug01/HEW/results.shtml|work=CyclingNews|access-date=25 November 2015}} In 2002, Belgian classics specialist Johan Museeuw won his eleventh and last World Cup race, leading out the sprint from a group of ten.{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=News for August 5, 2002. HEW Cyclassics wrap up|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news/?id=2002/aug02/aug05news|work=CyclingNews|access-date=26 November 2015}}

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File:Greipel Cyclassics.jpg (in red) during the 2015 Vattenfall Cyclassics.]]

In 2002, race sponsor HEW was overtaken by Swedish electricity conglomerate Vattenfall and was renamed Vattenfall Europe Hamburg. Vattenfall, Swedish for Waterfall, became the race's new title sponsor in 2006. In 2005, the race was included in the inaugural UCI ProTour, successor of the World Cup. After the disappearance of the Deutschland Tour in 2009, it remained the only German race at cycling's highest international level.{{cite web|title=No Deutschland Tour in 2011 McQuaid supports return of German stage race|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/no-deutschland-tour-in-2011/|work=CyclingNews|date=31 May 2010|access-date=25 November 2015}} Since 2011 it is one of 24 races of the UCI World Tour. In 2012, UCI extended the race's World Tour license until at least 2016.{{cite web|title=Cyclassics auch die nächsten Jahre Elite-Rennen|url=http://www.rad-net.de/nachrichten/cyclassics-auch-die-naechsten-jahre-elite-rennen;n_25726.html|website=rad-net.de|publisher=Rad-Net|access-date=25 November 2015}}

Because of its mostly flat course, the race is considered a sprinter's contest and has ended in a mass sprint uninterrupted since 2004. Some of the best sprinters of their generation, including Robbie McEwen, Óscar Freire, Alexander Kristoff and André Greipel, are among the winners of the race. American sprinter Tyler Farrar, winner of the 2009 and 2010 Cyclassics, is the only rider to have won the race two times.{{cite web|title=Vattenfall Cyclassics 2010: Tyler Farrar outsprints Edvald Boasson Hagen in Hamburg|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/7946751/Vattenfall-Cyclassics-2010-Tyler-Farrar-outsprints-Edvald-Boasson-Hagen-in-Hamburg.html|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=15 August 2010 |access-date=25 November 2015}}

The 2013 race was met with fierce protesting unrelated to the race. Hamburg residents were upset with Vattenfall's environmental policies and its attempts to acquire ownership of the local power grid.{{cite web|title=Tschüss Vattenfall – Kletterprotest im Zielbereich der Cyclassics|date=26 August 2013 |url=http://blog.eichhoernchen.fr/post/Tschuess-Vattenfall-Kletterprotest-im-Zielbereich-der-Cyclassics|publisher=Tschüss Vattenfall|language=de|access-date=13 September 2013}}

In 2015 it was announced that Vattenfall would not extend its partnership with the Hamburg Cyclassics, forcing organizers to search for a new sponsor to provide the estimated 800.000 Euro, a third of the race's budget.{{cite web|last1=Leoni|first1=Achim|title=Kein Hauptsponsor mehr: Was wird aus den Cyclassics?|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/nachrichten/article205592341/Kein-Hauptsponsor-mehr-Was-wird-aus-den-Cyclassics.html|publisher=Hamburger Abendblatt|access-date=11 September 2015|language=de|date=22 August 2015}} From 2016 EuroEyes, a large German provider of laser eye treatment, Femto-LASIK, lens surgeries, and refrative lens exchanges, was the new title sponsor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.euroeyes.de/|title=Augenlasern & Linsenbehandlung – Top Augenkliniken | EuroEyes|website=euroeyes.de|accessdate=27 June 2023}} Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan won the race after the initial winner, Nacer Bouhanni, was relegated.{{cite web|title=Ewan wins Cyclassics Hamburg after Bouhanni is relegated|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vattenfall-cyclassics-2016/results/|website=cyclingnews.com|date=21 August 2016|access-date=3 September 2016}}

File:Vattenfall Cyclassics 2011.png.]]

The race usually starts on the Steinstraße in Hamburg-Altstadt and finishes on Mönckebergstraße, Hamburg's illustrious shopping street in the city's busy commercial district. The distance varies from 225 to 255 km over mainly flat terrain in the hinterland of Hamburg. The route of the race undergoes some changes every year, but the finish location has remained the same throughout.

File:Cyclassics 2007 (1366090100).jpg and Fabian Wegmann climbing Waseberg hill in 2007.]]

The course's most significant difficulty is Waseberg hill in Blankenese, a suburban quarter of Altona, west of Hamburg's city centre. The race finale consists of three smaller laps west of Hamburg, containing the Waseberg. It is first climbed at {{convert|69|km|1}} from the finish, the second and third ascent are at {{convert|28|km|1}} and {{convert|15.5|km|1}} respectively.

The Waseberg is a steep asphalted hill running up from the north bank of the Elbe river into the suburban centre of Blankenese. Its length is 700 m with a maximum gradient of 16%. It is particularly challenging as the climb immediately follows a sharp curve, causing an abrupt change in gear and cadence. As teams try to position their captains in the front of the peloton, riders often rush furiously over the narrow roads leading to the foot of the climb.{{cite web|last1=Axelgaard|first1=Emil|title=Vattenfall Cyclassics preview 24.08.2014|url=http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/vattenfall_cyclassics_preview_1/#HkWw8FK8LuqQj8QD.97|website=cyclingquotes.com|publisher=CyclingQuotes|access-date=26 November 2015}} The route also includes the Köhlbrandbrücke, Hamburg's highest bridge.

From 2005 until 2014 the first half of the course consisted of a southern loop in the direction of Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, before returning to the centre of Hamburg and branching out to a western loop.{{cite web|title=Vattenfall Cyclassics preview August 23, 2014|url=http://velovoices.com/2014/08/23/vattenfall-cyclassics-preview-2/|website=velovoices.com|date=23 August 2014|publisher=VeloVoices staff|access-date=25 November 2015}}

In 2015 organizers changed the parcours to celebrate the twentieth edition of the race.{{cite web|last1=O'Shea|first1=Sadhbh|title=Cavendish, Kittel and Greipel match-up in German WorldTour race. 20th edition suits Germany's best riders|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vattenfall-cyclassics-2015/preview/|work=CyclingNews|date=19 August 2015|access-date=25 November 2015}} The race started in Kiel, 90 kilometers north of Hamburg, on the western shore of the Baltic Sea, before heading southwest to Hamburg, crossing Schleswig-Holstein. The total distance was shortened to {{convert|222|km|1}}, but the final approach into Hamburg, with three ascents of the Waseberg and the finish on the Mönckebergstraße, remained the same.{{refn|group=N|Note that the source from cyclingquotes.com erroneously names Cologne as the starting location of the race.}} The route from Kiel to Hamburg was also chosen to promote the cities' joint bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|title=André Greipel, Marcel Kittel und Tony Martin: Deutsche Topstars starten in Hamburg|url=http://www.eurosport.de/radsport/eneco-tour/2015/andre-greipel-marcel-kittel-und-tony-martin-deutsche-topstars-starten-in-hamburg_sto4860101/story.shtml|publisher=Eurosport|access-date=11 September 2015|language=de|date=26 November 2015}}

Race director Roland Hofer said of the course: "Although the race profile may appear more suitable for sprinters, it can ultimately be won by all types of great riders, and it is exactly this kind of race that is needed for a well-balanced World Tour event [...] The World Tour came to Germany in the midst of a "renaissance" of German cycling, with the latest successes rejuvenating the country's interest in the sport after a setback during the past, doping stricken years."{{cite web|title=Vattenfall Cyclassics|url=http://www.uci.ch/road/news/article/vattenfall-cyclassics-168500/|publisher=UCI|access-date=11 September 2015}}

File:Cyclassics 2015 Großer Burstah 2.jpg during the race.]]

File:Cyclassics 2015 Großer Burstah 4.jpg.]]

File:Peloton Vattenfall Cyclassics 2015 010.jpg leading the peloton.]]

File:Peloton Vattenfall Cyclassics 2015 002.jpg

{{Cycling past winner start}}

|-

| colspan=4 align=center|↓ "HEW Cyclassics" ↓

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=1996|name={{sortname|Rossano|Brasi}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team=Team Polti}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=1997|name={{sortname|Jan|Ullrich}}|nat=GER|natvar=|team=Team Telekom}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=1998|name={{sortname|Léon|van Bon}}|nat=NED|natvar=|team=Rabobank}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=1999|name={{sortname|Mirko|Celestino}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team=Team Polti}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2000|name={{sortname|Gabriele|Missaglia}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team=Lampre–Daikin}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2001|name={{sortname|Erik|Zabel}}|nat=GER|natvar=|team=Team Telekom}}

|-

| colspan=4 align=center|↓ "Vattenfall Europe Hamburg" ↓

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2002|name={{sortname|Johan|Museeuw}}|nat=BEL|natvar=|team=Domo–Farm Frites}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2003|name={{sortname|Paolo|Bettini}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team=Quick-Step–Davitamon}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2004|name={{sortname|Stuart|O'Grady}}|nat=AUS|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|COF|2004}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2005|name={{sortname|Filippo|Pozzato}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|QST|2005}}}}

|-

| colspan=4 align=center|↓ "Vattenfall Cyclassics" ↓

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2006|name={{sortname|Óscar|Freire}}|nat=ESP|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|RAB|2006}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2007|name={{sortname|Alessandro|Ballan}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|LAM|2007}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2008|name={{sortname|Robbie|McEwen}}|nat=AUS|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|OLO|2008}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2009|name={{sortname|Tyler|Farrar}}|nat=USA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|GRM|2009}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2010|name={{sortname|Tyler|Farrar}}|nat=USA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|GRM|2010}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2011|name={{sortname|Edvald|Boasson Hagen}}|nat=NOR|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|SKY|2011}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2012|name={{sortname|Arnaud|Démare}}|nat=FRA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|FDJ|2012}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2013|name={{sortname|John|Degenkolb}}|nat=GER|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|ARG|2013}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2014|name={{sortname|Alexander|Kristoff}}|nat=NOR|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|KAT|2014}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2015|name={{sortname|André|Greipel}}|nat=GER|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|LTS|2015}}}}

|-

| colspan=5 align=center|↓ "EuroEyes Cyclassics" ↓

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2016|name={{sortname|Caleb|Ewan}}|nat=AUS|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|OBE|2016b}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2017|name={{sortname|Elia|Viviani}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|SKY|2017}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2018|name={{sortname|Elia|Viviani}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|QST|2018}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2019|name={{sortname|Elia|Viviani}}|nat=ITA|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|QST|2019}}}}

{{Cycling pw no race|year=2020|reason=the COVID-19 pandemic{{cite web|title=Cyclassics Hamburg cancelled due to coronavirus|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cyclassics-hamburg-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus/|website=cyclingnews.com|access-date=20 July 2020|date=20 July 2020}}}}

|-

| colspan=4 align=center|↓ "Bemer Cyclassics" ↓

{{Cycling pw no race|year=2021|reason=the COVID-19 pandemic}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2022|name={{sortname|Marco|Haller|Marco Haller (cyclist)}}|nat=AUT|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|BOH|2022}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2023|name={{sortname|Mads|Pedersen|Mads Pedersen (cyclist)}}|nat=DEN|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|TFS|2023b}}}}

{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2024|name={{sortname|Olav|Kooij}}|nat=NED|natvar=|team={{UCI team code|TVL|2024}}}}

{{Cycling past winner end}}

{{reflist|group=N}}

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website}}
• {{Cycling archives race|283}}

{{EuroEyes Cyclassics}}

{{Vattenfall}}

{{UCI World Tour}}

{{UCI ProTour}}

{{Classic cycle races}}

Category:Cycle races in Germany

Category:UCI ProTour races

Category:UCI Road World Cup races

Category:UCI World Tour races

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1996

Category:1996 establishments in Germany

Category:Sports competitions in Hamburg