You could hardly have chosen a better place than the Sternbrücke for the start of the ADAC Cycling Tour in Magdeburg: the huge field of participants, framed by the imposing arches of the steel bridge, make for a beautiful picture. But the Sternbrücke is also the perfect place for Magdeburg racing cyclists for another reason: many racing cycle groups meet here for rides, everyone knows the bridge. Mockers would add: It's nice that there's another bridge in Magdeburg that you can ride on, but more on that later. When the first starting block is sent out onto the course of the Jedermann race shortly before nine o'clock, there is not enough space on the bridge to accommodate all the participants. Five starting blocks are sent forward one by one and set off onto the course with a two-minute time gap. As part of the Lidl-Deutschland Tour, the hobby race of the ADAC Cycling Tour offers rides over 118 or 48 kilometres.
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The course only splits after 22 kilometres. In the first starting block, there are a few jerseys from large teams, but also from local groups. Dennis Rössl (58) and Ricardo Schlemonat (44) from Magdeburg both start for the local team Wobau. Dennis is a well-known face on the Magdeburg cycling scene and has helped to organise the Rund um den Dom race again after a break of many years. Ricardo used to ride for the Deutsche Telekom U23 team. Further back in the starting field is Lutz Dittmer (47) in the football shirt of 1. FC Magdeburg. For him, it's his first time in the Jedermann race. As a cycling fan, he is delighted that the Deutschland Tour has come to his home town and that he can ride on parts of the professional route. Serious ambitions become apparent when starting block A is sent out onto the course: The riders line up explosively and shoot round the left-hand bend. Over the short distance of 48 kilometres, a high-speed race is inevitable on the flat course. "You set your sights high, but when you hit the tangent right after the start at 60 km/h, you have to turn the handlebars up and down," says Dennis later, looking back.
The route branches off onto the B71 after just a few hundred metres. Two lanes leave enough space and are perfect for speeding out of the city. "It's cool to drive where normally only cars drive," says Lutz. The Magdeburger Ring is ideal for getting the 1,800 or so starters out of the city, where they continue on small country roads. Cycling on closed roads is a blessing for the participants and hard work for the traffic planners. The city has a major traffic problem at the moment: two bridges on the Magdeburger Ring were inspected just a few weeks before the race and had to be closed due to the risk of collapse. One had already been demolished. The leading group didn't waste a thought on this, but enjoyed the ride over the closed road. While Dennis hides in the wind, Ricardo pushes his way to the front. Dennis looks around and knows many of the riders - he has been at the centre of the local racing bike scene for more than 20 years.
Magdeburg can look back on a long cycling tradition. Multiple peace ride winner Täve Schur comes from a suburb and started cycling in 1951 with BSG Grün-Rot Magdeburg. "Täve's bike shop" still exists today - now in the hands of his son Gus-Erik, brother of former professional Jan Schur. Magdeburg has been a stage venue for the Peace Tour eleven times, and the "Rund um den Dom" cycling race has been held since 1935. It was held sporadically after reunification before being cancelled in 2012. Cycling in Magdeburg experienced a dry spell, but in recent years it has been growing stronger than ever before. The only difference is that it is now amateur cycling that dominates. The Cycle Tour from Magdeburg to Braunschweig kicked things off in 2016. And since 2024, the Rund um den Dom cycle race has been back, for cyclists with and without a licence.
The founding of numerous cycling clubs and groups also brought new momentum. When Magdeburger SV 90 only had three members, Ricardo and others founded the Mawa 2020 club; together with RSV Mitte, they organise the Rund um den Dom race. The fact that cycling falls on fertile ground is evident when travelling through the villages. Hours before the professional race, people line the roadside to cheer on the cyclists. "Some villages were real hotbeds of cheering," says Lutz happily. He even passes through his hometown, where his father and wife are on the route. This creates a motivational boost that dispels any exhaustion. The atmosphere is particularly good in Wanzleben, where the spectators cheer on all the participants at the top of their voices. "It's fun to ride through there as an amateur rider," says Ricardo happily.
Travelling around Magdeburg is also fun. The landscape of the Magdeburger Börde is characterised by golden fields and green avenues. The many wind turbines are here for a reason: the wind blows unchecked through the flat landscape and also characterises the race. You are quickly left behind at the edge of the wind - the field of amateur riders splits into individual groups. A characteristic that will also be observed hours later in the professional race: At the front of the peloton, the big pro teams really push the pace, causing many small groups to fly off the back. The crosswind is treacherous: those who have to break away will lose a lot of energy and time until the finish. In the professional race, the breakaway is caught up again - in the amateur race, the wind also splits up the leading group.
Sprint for victory
The decisive phase begins at the front over the short distance. Ricardo finds himself in a group of four that has broken away. The group chases across the Magdeburger Ring at high speed and extends its lead. The spectators along the finishing straight beat their hands on the plastic cover of the barriers and the group of four sprinted to victory to applause. Ricardo crosses the finish line in fourth place and is a little crestfallen: "Fourth out of four is really stupid." They flew over the course at an average speed of 43.4 km/h - the clock stops after 1:07:13. A few minutes later, Dennis rolls through the finish arch and on to the Expo area. Spectators stroll through the exhibition area, where sponsors are giving away treats and promotional products. Martin Hummelt stands in the middle of it all and looks around with satisfaction. He is an avowed local patriot and a driving force behind cycling in Magdeburg.
With his event agency freshpepper GmbH, he invented the three-day cycling event Cycle Tour in 2016, which has been held annually ever since. He was also the one who brought the Deutschland Tour to Magdeburg: "I wrote an email to the ASO (the French organiser of the Tour de France and Deutschland Tour, editor's note) in 2023 and asked them what they needed to do to become a stage venue." Thanks to his experience with the three-day Cycle Tour, he is well connected with politicians, clubs and sponsors and was therefore the ideal partner for the ASO. The fact that it worked out makes him proud. "The combination of a professional race and a hobby race was ideal. Both support each other: the TV images are very important and so are the amateur cyclists."
There is indeed a hint of the Tour de France about the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt. The yellow directional arrows hanging everywhere hardly differ from those of the Tour of France. The arch with the devil's rag before the last kilometre, barrier fences adorned with sponsor logos, the large stage for the award ceremony and a large exhibition area create an impressive setting. From the banks of the River Schlein on the Elbe, the voice of the course announcer echoes through the city and attracts curious spectators who otherwise have little contact with cycling. The connection to the professional race creates the special appeal of the ADAC Cycle Tour. "I used to watch the Deutschland Tour when Jan Ulrich was still racing," says Lutz. Dennis also watched the pros at the side of the track and thought it was "really cool!".
Confusion at the award ceremony
At the finish, Lutz is a little pensive at first after passing several crash victims who have just received medical assistance. Soon, however, a feeling of happiness about the successful ride takes over. He had travelled much faster than expected - riding in a group worked well. Racing along the wide roads on the Magdeburger Ring, where cycling is otherwise strictly forbidden, was particularly fun: "It went like clockwork!" While he is already enjoying the atmosphere and having refreshments, the award ceremony for the short course begins a hundred metres away at the small, hidden "ADAC stage". However, many of the winners don't turn up and are presumably standing irritated in front of the large but empty stage that has been set up for the professional race. The fact that the amateur riders are overshadowed by the professionals is only a problem in this respect. Even though Ricardo came fourth, he and Team Wobau are at the top of the podium as winners of the team classification.
His anger at missing out on the podium has faded somewhat and he is beaming. 1172 women and men crossed the finish line on the long course and 587 on the short course. The supporting programme included a race for the U17 female category, a bike race and a bike parade for children. And there was no shortage of spectators either: the Expo area at the finish line was well attended throughout the day. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Magdeburg will also host a major cycling race in 2026 - because the Deutschland Tour takes a different route every year, the Everyman Race also changes venues as part of the tour. Lutz would be delighted if there was a second edition: "I would love to take part again - then maybe the long route." The 24-year-old Leon Hoerstel from Wernigerorde has also just completed it and is still full of happiness: "It went great! It's very nice to ride a race close to home, and it's not often that you can ride the same course as the pros." He is used to the fact that hardly anyone stands along the route at small races, and he was delighted with the atmosphere in the villages. "I would really like to take part if it takes place again next year."
Kristian Bauer
Editor
