The cycling festival in the Eifel recorded its highest ever turnout. Time trials, various race formats, touring rides and the 24-hour race attracted participants from several countries to the legendary race circuit. Chief organiser Hanns-Martin Fraas expressed his satisfaction with how the event went, despite five serious crashes during the event. Nürburgring GmbH extended the contract until 2031, with managing director Ingo Böder confirming the long-term partnership.
24-hour ‘Rad am Ring’ cycle race with 6,344 participants
The main event attracted 6,344 participants, who completed laps of the Nordschleife either solo or in teams of 2, 4 or 8. The finish line was open for one hour and 15 minutes. A DJ kept the atmosphere lively at the Hohe Acht throughout the night. Simon Vitzthum from 24together completed 28 laps in 23:55:18 hours and won the men’s individual classification. In 24 hours, he not only covered 728 kilometres but also climbed 15,680 metres in altitude. Paul Fleck from RSG Hannover took 24:31:43 hours to complete the same number of laps. Lion Trommer from Radsport Ganser/R.C. Sturmvogel MH rounded off the podium with 26 laps.
Jael Kahler won the women’s race with 21 laps in 23:46:28 hours. Petra Demmer from pwrd by Canyon also completed 21 laps in 24:20:47 hours. Manu Weber from Switzerland took third place with 20 laps.
24-hour Cycle Race around the Ring: Winners cover 806 km
WattGehtAb? from Switzerland dominated the men’s two-person teams at the 24-hour race, completing 31 laps – equivalent to 806 kilometres and around 17,000 metres of elevation gain. Reboots Bike Team 1 completed 30 laps in 23:49:28 hours, whilst Örebrocyklisterna rule 4 from Sweden also completed 30 laps in 24:05:59 hours. In the women’s category, Übersee-Watt 2 won with 26 laps in 23:51:36 hours. Fahrrad XXL Walcher Racing Dream took 24:07:30 hours to complete the same number of laps, whilst the Paul Lange Cycling Crew Girls took 24:41:47 hours.
Team Strassacker/Benotti completed 34 laps in the men’s four-a-side category. The Asphaltcowboys X RTS Electronic managed 33 laps, whilst bike-components x CycleZirkus completed 32 laps. The Wahoo Women came out on top in the women’s category with 29 laps. The 24together Queens and the Mallorca Chicas each completed 28 laps in 24:08:49 and 24:25:00 hours respectively.
RH77 Ledschends Factory Racing from Austria won the men’s 8-lap category with 34 laps in 24:00:48 hours. AVIA II and AVIA I completed the same number of laps in 24:38:09 and 24:38:10 hours respectively. The AVIA women’s team completed 26 laps of the circuit and won their category. Team Hübel Bonn II managed 24 laps, whilst Sweco Fast & Female completed 22 laps.
Open and gravel races on Saturday
More than 2,100 participants took part in the open races at Rad am Ring over distances of 75 and 150 kilometres. The shorter distance covered 1,700 metres of elevation gain, whilst the longer one covered 3,400 metres. Both routes took participants along the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife.
The gravel races over 50, 100 and 125 kilometres attracted over 600 entrants. The event served as the German Championship. Emil Herzog claimed the men’s title over 125 kilometres in 3:53:15 hours. Ronja Eibl won the women’s 100-kilometre race in 3:36:29 hours. The gravel discipline made its debut at Rad am Ring in 2025. Radio RPR1.Live provided two hours of music on stage, whilst a DJ played sets on the course in the evening.
Bundesliga race to round off the season
Mil Morang of Team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur won the Bundesliga race at Rad am Ring in a time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 5 seconds. The Luxembourger prevailed in the sprint finish of a five-man breakaway group. Jermaine Zemke of Team Rembe/rad-net took second place, with Timo Behrens in third. Another breakaway group followed, before the peloton crossed the line. The winners were expected to finish at around 3.38 pm.
Kids’ races and leisure rides without timekeeping rounded off the programme. The leisure rides were open to all types of bicycle and attracted a good number of bookings. Late registrations were possible on Sunday. Ahead of the Bundesliga race, Hanns-Martin Fraas predicted 11,902 participants – 46 fewer than at the same time last year. The date for 2027 has already been set: the event is secured until 2031, with the next edition taking place from 23 to 25 July 2027.
Kristian Bauer
Editor