First-ever Sauerland Tour: A 33 per cent gradient, even for amateur cyclists

The four-day UCI 2.2 race runs through the Sauerland region from Thursday to Sunday. Parts of the route were already used in the 2022 German Road Championships. All German Continental teams, as well as several development teams from the WorldTour squads Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek, Picnic-PostNL and Tudor, will be taking part. The field is further bolstered by the Benediction Banafrica Team from Rwanda and WorldTour professional Ben Zwiehoff, who will be the local favourite.

The local REMBE | rad-net team sees the race as the highlight of the season. Miguel Heidemann leads the team after winning the mountains classification at the Tour of Germany. The young riders Paul Fietzke, the German U23 champion, Max Bock, who finished ninth overall in the U23 Giro d’Italia, as well as Bruno Keßler and Louis Leidert, are bolstering the development teams.

Time trial at the Sauerland Tour

The 13.5-kilometre opening time trial of the Sauerland Tour in Brilon features more than 300 metres of climbing. The second stage, covering 123.6 kilometres, follows the route of the 2022 German Road Championships. After starting in Brilon, the route leads to Siedlinghausen, where riders must complete a 13-kilometre circuit four times.

The third stage takes place on the circuit around Wenholthausen, which is already familiar from the German Mountain Championships and the Cycling Bundesliga. The 12.2-kilometre route, with 320 metres of elevation gain, must be completed ten times.

The finale of the Tour of the Sauerland on the Kahlen Asten

The final stage of the Sauerland Tour starts in Arnsberg and covers 133 kilometres and 4,350 metres of elevation gain, leading up to the second-highest mountain in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Hirschberger Wand, with gradients of up to 34 per cent, presents an additional challenge on the final section.

Amateur cyclists can ride the fourth stage along the original route. The public race offers a medium-distance route from Arnsberg to Eslohe, covering 90 kilometres, or the full distance of 133 kilometres, finishing on the Kahlen Asten.

Competition jerseys and traffic regulations

The pink jersey is awarded to the leader of the general classification in the Sauerland Tour. The leader in the points classification wears the green jersey. The red polka-dot jersey for the best climber is dedicated to Paul Senske, who commentated on the cycle races in the Sauerland in recent years and passed away in April.

On race days, there will be temporary road closures along the route. The police will be using a rolling roadblock, so that traffic will only be held up briefly just before and whilst the race is passing through.