Vattenfall Cyclassics

The Vattenfall Cyclassics is a cycling race held every year in Hamburg, Germany.

It started as an unimportant race in 1996, but because cycling became very popular in Germany it was made a part of the UCI Road World Cup in 1998. Since 2005, it is a part of the UCI ProTour.

The route of the race changes, but is about 250 km long. During a number of laps through Hamburg, the Waseberg hill is climbed a several times.  The cyclists also race over Hamburg's highest bridge Köhlbrandbrücke.  Unlike many races the Cyclassic race almost never ends in a mass sprint, that is, with a lot of riders close together racing to the finish line.

There is an amateur part of the Cyclassics.  Earlier on the day of the race there are three Jedermann-Rennen.   Anybody (jedermann) with a ticket can take part in these races (rennen) over 55 km, 100 km and 155 km.  Tickets must be reserved months in advance. In 2005 there were 20000 amateurs on the course.

The sponsor of the Cyclassics, was the Hamburg Electrizität Werke, Hamburg electricity plant or "HEW", after it became part of the big "Vattenfall" company the Cyclassic changed its name too, and from 2006 this cycling race has been known as the Vattenfall Cyclassics.

Winners
+HEW Cyclassics yearCyclistCountry 1996Rossano Brasi 1997Jan Ullrich 1998Léon van Bon 1999Mirko Celestino 2000Gabriele Missaglia 2001Erik Zabel 2002Johan Museeuw  2003Paolo Bettini  2004Stuart O'Grady  2005Filippo Pozzato Vattenfall Cyclassics 2006Óscar Freire  2007Alessandro Ballan  2008Robbie McEwen 2009Tyler Farrar 2010 2011Edvald Boasson Hagen  2012Arnaud Démare  2013John Degenkolb  2014Alexander Kristoff 

Other websites
 Official Cyclassics site 

Category:Cycle racing in Germany
Category:Sport in Hamburg