The Cyclassics Hamburg have been held since 1996 and, together with Eschborn-Frankfurt, are one of the two German World Tour races. With the takeover of the race by the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Radsports mbH (GFR), the German branch of the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), the three most important German cycling races are held by the same organiser. In addition to the World Tour races, the A.S.O. is also the organiser of the Deutschland Tour, the largest German stage race for men.
Hamburg's sports senator Andy Grote is satisfied with the choice of the new organiser: "The helm of the organisation is now passing from one experienced organiser to another. This will ensure that the high quality of the Cyclassics is maintained in the future."
A.S.O. takes over Cyclassics Hamburg
With RCS Sport and Flanders Classic, A.S.O. is the largest organiser of cycle races. In addition to the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, A.S.O. organises many other prestigious races. By taking over the Cyclassics Hamburg, the organiser is expanding its portfolio to 10 World Tour races, giving it as many as RCS Sport and Flanders Classic combined.
Yann Le Moënner, CEO of A.S.O., is delighted about the supremacy in Germany: "For almost thirty years, the Cyclassics have crowned the best sprinters in the world. Germany is one of A.S.O.'s most important territories where we want to develop cycling for everyone, after the Deutschland Tour, which was relaunched in 2018, and the classic Eschborn-Frankfurt, which attracts thousands of fans every year on 1 May."
Le Moënner also commented on the upcoming changes due to the change of organiser: "Our vision is based on intensifying the sporting aspects of the race and expanding the experience of participants of all ages through cycling activities and events related to the professional event." Exactly what these changes will look like will probably be revealed at the next event on 8 September 2024.
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
