Digitalisation at German Cycling: Find and register for cycling events via app

The German Cyclists' Federation has committed to 2024 in German Cycling renamed. Various digitalisation projects were also initiated as part of the modernisation process. The GC Tours app is one of them. We asked Detlef Wittenbreder, Vice President of Popular and Leisure Sports, to explain what the app can do.

TOUR: Not everyone knows the GC Tours app. Who can use it?

Wittenbreder: Anyone can use it free of charge. It is a wonderful diary where you can see which events are being organised by the clubs in Germany. You can filter and say: show me the RTF near me at the weekend. I can also download the track directly with one click. It's all free of charge. If I want to take part in the classification, i.e. collect kilometres, then I have to have a recreational sports licence. This costs 15.90 euros for members of a cycling club. If you're not in a club, you can get a direct licence for 99 euros. We currently have four and a half thousand users with a recreational licence, and 65,000 people have downloaded the app.

TOUR: What other advantages does the amateur sports licence offer?

WittenbrederIf I have a recreational sports licence, I get a reduced entry fee. Registration works without a registration form and is therefore very quick and easy. It makes communication easier for organisers. In the worst-case scenario, if the weather is bad and the event is cancelled, you can contact the people who have booked the event by push message.

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TOUR: How does the annual ranking of the GC Tour app work?

WittenbrederThere is a ranking: how many kilometres have I ridden, how many kilometres have my friends in the club ridden, how do I rank in the national association and there are a lot of people battling it out. So that has certainly changed our sport significantly and made it more sporty. There are some at the top who have ridden 24,000 kilometres a year at events.

TOUR: How is it possible to collect so many kilometres at events?

WittenbrederSascha Furche from Wunstorf is one such athlete who takes everything he can get his hands on. He rides permanent events during the week, which I can ride all year round. Then he looks at the calendar and says, on Saturday is the competition with the longest kilometres in Hesse, so I'll ride the marathon on Saturday in Hesse and on Sunday there's another marathon in Hamburg.

TOUR: Are there any plans for new functions for the GC Tour app?

Wittenbreder: It has not yet become established that you have to register and pay money in advance, which is common practice in athletics, for example. This presents our organisers with major challenges because they have no planning security. That's why we want to add a tool to the app where you can register and pay. We want to tackle this this year. Another idea is the topic of social rides. Of course, we at German Cycling are often perceived as the cumbersome organisation where you have to register everything three quarters of a year in advance. We also want to integrate club rides. They should be called Club Ride, not Social Ride, because our limit remains. Only what a club does will be included in the app. We know that our clubs often organise weekly training sessions and we want to increase their visibility.

Results GC Tours App annual ranking 2025

• Number of clubs that took part: 459
• Number of athletes who took part: 3,245
• Of which male: 2,699
• Of which female: 546

Total kilometres travelled: 3,878,528 KM (previous year: 3,460,491 KM)

• Of which road: 3,249,562 KM
• Of which off-road: 628,966 km
• Of which KM with permanents: 729,572 KM
• Of which KM with virtual: 240,720 KM

About the app: Available in the Play Store (Android) and in the App Store (Apple)