The gravel and road event 3RidesAachen will enter a new round on 31 May and 1 June 2025. The organisers are expecting a top-class line-up and exciting races in the Eifel. The top favourite is three-time world champion and last year's winner Lucinda Brand from the Netherlands. The 35-year-old won the women's Tour de Suisse in 2022 and is one of the most dominant cyclocross athletes of her generation. In 2021, she won the world and European titles in cyclo-cross. Brand has also celebrated numerous successes in gravel racing. Her strongest rival is likely to be her compatriot Marianne Vos. The 14-time world champion and 2012 Olympic champion will contest her first and probably only race in the rainbow jersey of the reigning gravel world champion in Aachen. With over 250 victories on the road alone, Vos is considered one of the most successful female cyclists of all time. She has already won stages at the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
Strong international field of participants
In addition to the two Dutch top favourites, other strong female riders have confirmed their participation. The 2023 winner, Tessa Neefjes, will also be competing again. The 28-year-old Dutchwoman has already won several races in the UCI Gravel World Series. Romy Kasper is regarded as the strongest German participant. The 37-year-old's greatest successes include a stage win at the Tour of Thuringia. The men's favourites include Sebastian Breuer, Jonas Koch and Jan Bakelants. The 35-year-old Breuer specialises in ultra-long gravel races and has already won the Badlands in Spain and the Unbound XL. Jonas Koch from Team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is also a WorldTour pro at the start. The 31-year-old has already gained experience in all Grand Tours and finished second in the 2021 German Road Championships.
New route in the Eifel
3Rides Aachen presents itself with a new route in 2025. All races will start in the south of Aachen, which, according to organiser Björn Müller, opens up completely new possibilities. "In sporting terms, the Eifel is a dream location. Organisationally, however, the region is not easy due to the natural environment and traffic infrastructure, but we can deal with that," explained the CEO of 3Rides Aachen. The new laps through the Eifel are very promising, which is also confirmed by participants who have already visited parts or the entire route.
In sporting terms, the Eifel is a dream region. Organisationally, however, the region is not easy due to its natural environment and transport infrastructure, but we can deal with that - CEO Björn Müller
With the move to the south of Aachen, 3Rides is saying goodbye to the previous start and finish area at the Chio. "Of course, with the Chio, we had a start and finish area that was the envy of all organisers in Germany," says Müller. "But we definitely wanted to focus more on the sport, so a little less festival, a little more sport - and a start in the south of Aachen simply made sense."
Promoting young talent and popular sport
In addition to the professional races, 3Rides Aachen also offers a varied programme for amateur athletes and up-and-coming talent. Volker Maas, Vice President of the NRW Cycling Association, emphasised the importance of the event: "3Rides is one of the largest and most significant cycling events in NRW. This is where competitive sport at the highest level and the wide range of popular sport come together." With the VeloTiade and the Kids Cycling Diploma, children and young people are introduced to cycling in a sporty and age-appropriate way on a course.
This is where competitive sport at the highest level and the wide range of popular sports meet - Volker Maas, Vice President of the NRW Cycling Federation
Meanwhile, the number of participants has fallen slightly, which is not what the organisers had in mind. However, they want to take the opportunity to put on a well-organised event in order to advertise for the coming years.
Leon Weidner
Working student
