ADAC Cyclassics 2026

HAMBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 17: Rory Townsend of Ireland and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team celebrates at finish line as race winner during the 28th Hamburg Cyclassics 2025 a 207.4km one day race from Buxtehude to Hamburg / #UCIWT / on August 17, 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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ADAC Cyclassics information

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ADAC Cyclassics overview
Date	August 16, 2026
Start location	Hamburg
Finish location	Hamburg
Distance	tbd
Start time	tba
Finish time	tba
Category	Men’s WorldTour
Previous edition	2025 ADAC Cyclassics
Previous winner	Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling)

HAMBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 17: (L-R) Arnaud De Lie of Belgium and Team Lotto on second place, race winner Rory Townsend of Ireland and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and Paul Magnier of France and Team Soudal Quick-Step on third place celebrates on the podium ceremony with a beer after the 28th Hamburg Cyclassics 2025 a 207.4km one day race from Buxtehude to Hamburg / #UCIWT / on August 17, 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images) — (Image credit: Getty Images)

ADAC Cyclassics information

The ADAC Cyclassics is a one-day WorldTour race which is part of a weekend of summer cycling in and around the German city. Thousands of riders cover the country roads of Hamburg before watching the men's race on Sunday afternoon.

In 2026 the ADAC Cyclassics will be held on Sunday August 16, just a few days before the Deutschland Tour stage race. It will be the 29th edition of the race.

The ADAC Cyclassics traditionally ends on a circuit that passes the Elbe river, climbs up through the trees and then ends in the city centre. The sprinters often dominate the ADAC Cyclassics but in 2025 Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) survived from the early breakaway of the race to win.

The Irish champion finished just a few bike lengths ahead of Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), snatching the glory and the biggest win of his career.

Townsend broke away with Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty), Johan Jacobs (Groupama-FDJ) and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) early in the 207km race and they opened a four-minute lead on the peloton.

The sprinters' teams chased the break but underestimated Townsend. The break had just a ten-second gap with one kilometre to go but Townsend dug deep, suffered and stayed away to win.

"I knew the peloton was coming; I got the time checks in my ear every other second, so I could feel they were close," said Townsend.

"I kicked with 400 metres to go and went as long as I could out of the saddle, and then I just tried to get as aero as possible to hold on until the line, and it was just this – you probably saw when I came across the line – it was disbelief really, an amazing feeling."

The Cyclassics dates back to 1996 when it was founded as the HEW (Hamburg Electricity Works) Cyclassics. In 2002, the sponsorship was taken over by Vattenfall, a Swedish power company. The mostly flat course made it popular with sprinters, with winners like three-time winner Elia Viviani, Oscar Freire, André Greipel, Alexander Kristoff and two-time winner Tyler Farrar.

EuroEyes became the race's title sponsor in 2015, and then Bemer from 2021 to 2024 and now ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club).

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).

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