The 28th edition of the race is scheduled this Sunday.
The only World Tour competition of the season that takes place in Germany, BEMER Cyclassics will be held in the month of September for just the second time in its history after 2008, and Soudal Quick-Step – the most successful team here, with a total of four wins – will be aiming to be again among the protagonists.
The 198.5km course starting and finishing in Hamburg features three ascents of the Waseberg, the short but steep climb on whose slopes the race can explode, especially as the last time it will be tackled with only 16 kilometers to go until the finish – the perfect terrain for those hoping to drop the sprinters and hold off the peloton.
Our team, who has won close to 30 races since the beginning of the season, will line up in Hamburg on Sunday with Ayco Bastiaens, Josef Cerny, Luke Lamperti – who recently finished fourth at the Deutschland Tour – Tim Merlier, Pieter Serry, Bert Van Lerberghe and Warre Vangheluwe.
“Hamburg is a nice race, which will once again revolve around the Waseberg, the famous hill that we know very well, with gradients reaching 15%, where some teams will try to make the sprinters’ life difficult. We have a solid team, with Tim and Luke who can both feature in the finale, supported by a strong cast that can control the race, so we hope to get a good result at the end of the day”, explained Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
