Cycling-DM 2025: Routes, elevation profiles, TV coverage & live stream

It had to happen very quickly when the RSC Linden organisation team led by Andreas Märkl received the news a few weeks before the start of the German Cycling Championships that the route could not run through the city of Kaiserslautern as had been planned for months. "It didn't work out for technical and financial reasons," says Märkl. New plans had to be made very quickly. The chief organiser of the event benefited from the fact that the West Palatinate region has a tradition of having good race courses in its portfolio and was still able to guarantee the staging of the DM. Good news for the event and cycling, bad news for sprinters.

Cycling-DM 2025: A route for mountain specialists

This is because the new route for the road race is significantly more hilly than the planned course in the big city: on the 20-kilometre lap with start and finish in Linden, the riders collect 337 metres of altitude on three longer climbs on the way via Queidersbach and Krickenbach. For the men, the ten laps of the almost 200-kilometre distance add up to almost 3400 metres in altitude. For the women, there are around 2000 metres of elevation gain over almost 120 kilometres (6 laps). "It's a course for mountain bikers," emphasises Märkl, "that's 400 metres more elevation gain for the men than last year in Bad Dürrheim." The mountain specialist won there Marco Brenner as a soloist, the field was torn apart early on. "The sprinters said: another one of those things," the organiser can report, after the strong cyclists often had no chance on mountainous championship courses in previous years. According to Märkl, there was a "fair course" in Kaiserslautern, on which sprinters could also get over the mountains. The last time the Sachsenring course gave fast men a chance of winning the title was in 2020, when the speedy cross specialist Marcel Meisen was crowned champion.

Cycling-DM 2025: One lap with three mountains

"My son is angry with me now," emphasises Märkl with a grin. Sprout Niklas Märkl, professional cyclist with Team Picnic PostNL, could have expected a good result on the course in Kaiserslautern. Together with the other Palatinate local hero Pascal Ackermann (Team Israel - Premier Tech), Märkl junior has little chance of competing for the championship jersey on the steep terrain around his home town. Immediately after the start in Linden, the route climbs around 1200 metres up the up to 18 percent steep mountain path. The end of the lap is particularly selective: from Krickenbach, the route climbs up to 16 per cent on the valley road for just under a kilometre, followed by a very technical descent after which it is only 500 metres to the finish.

Also in the individual time trial: A selective course in Ramstein

The town of Ramstein agreed to provide the terrain for the individual time trial championship. "That means full road closures on Friday lunchtime," says chief organiser Märkl, praising the municipality's commitment. The characteristics of the course in the battle against the clock: "It is selective and not for the typical time trialist," is how Märkl describes it. And adds: "It goes up and down. The course is technical. And you have to be tough on the climbs."

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Cycling-DM 2025 - the elevation profiles

Individual time trial (women's & men's elite): Ramstein-Ramstein, 22.5 kilometres

Women's elite road race: Linden-Linden, 118.6 kilometres

Men's elite road race: Linden-Linden, 197.7 kilometres

Cycling-DM 2025: TV broadcast & live stream

The 2025 German Cycling Championships can be seen on free-to-air TV. SWR television will broadcast the women's elite and men's elite finals live on Saturday and Sunday respectively. A live stream will be available beforehand.

Transmission times at a glance

Women's elite: Saturday, 28 June

Men's elite: Sunday, 29 June