Preview Deutschland Tour 2025: This is the route - all stages at a glance
All stages of the Deutschland Tour 2025 at a glance
Prologue | Wednesday, 20 August | Essen - Essen | 3.1 kilometres
Stage 1 | Thursday, 21 August | Essen - Herford | 202.6 kilometres
Stage 2 | Friday, 22 August | Herford - Arnsberg | 190.3 kilometres
Stage 3 | Saturday, 23 August | Arnsberg - Kassel | 175.7 kilometres
Stage 4 | Sunday, 24 August | Halle (Saale) - Magdeburg | 163.7 kilometres
Deutschland Tour 2025: Stage plan in compact form
| Stage/date | Start and finish location/length |
| Prologue, Wednesday, 20 August | Essen - Essen | 3.1 km |
| Stage 1, Thursday, 21 August | Essen - Herford | 202.6 km |
| Stage 2, Friday, 22 August | Herford - Arnsberg | 190.3 km |
| Stage 3, Saturday, 23 August | Arnsberg - Kassel | 175.7 km |
| Stage 4, Sunday, 24 August | Halle (Saale) - Magdeburg | 163.7 km |
The young local hero was allowed to let off steam until shortly before the end, right up to the outskirts of his home town of Heilbronn. Nick Bangert, born in the northern Württemberg town and racer for the German Continental team Lotto-Kern Haus-PSD Bank, was the last of a breakaway group to reach the 15-kilometre mark - and then the peloton practically rolled over him. After that, it was clear to the observers who wanted to be the boss: The US team Lidl - Trek relentlessly sucked up all the breakaways, then Jonathan Milan sprinted to a superior sprint victory on stage 1 of the Deutschland Tour 2024. "It was a very, very special victory," the Italian commented. The Heilbronn area is the founding home of the team's main sponsor and the most important stage race in Germany. And during the five days of racing between Schweinfurt and Saarbrücken, it was as if the team had planned behind the scenes to completely take over the big stage in the interests of the sponsor. The team won all five stages, Milan was successful three times and his Danish team-mate Mads Pedersen twice, who also secured overall victory in the end. For the rest of the field of participants, all that remained were crumbs at the side of the track. The sponsoring company, Germany's second-largest food discounter and now active worldwide, has chosen cycling as its advertising platform - and with some expertise, as ex-pro Thomas Rohregger is responsible for sponsorship. "It was exciting every day, hard-fought every day, but they won every day. Of course, it would also be nice if someone else won," emphasises the sporting director of the Deutschland Tour, Fabian Wegmann, looking back.
Deutschland Tour 2025: The highest difficulty in the Sauerland
The racing team was particularly committed and particularly strong on the German roads, sending perhaps the fastest sprinter in Milan at the time, 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen, as well as a towing squad led by Dutch time trial specialist Daan Hoole to the start; any rebellion from opponents was quickly stifled by the team. And what will happen in 2025? A similar scenario is conceivable; long mountains, a final climb like the last one in 2022 at Schauinsland in the Black Forest, are not to be found on the journey from Essen to the finale in Magdeburg. The journey through the hilly Sauerland is the most difficult passage. After the short prologue around the Zollverein colliery in Essen, the route is flat through Münsterland to Herford - the first opportunity for a bunch sprint. Stages two and three will be much more selective, leading through the extremely hilly Sauerland region to Arnsberg and from there to Kassel the following day, climbing over 3,000 metres in altitude. As in the past, Wegmann, who once specialised in the classics as a professional cyclist, wants to keep the race open for as long as possible and keep the time gaps between the best riders close. After a flat section through Saxony-Anhalt, the final day offers the best chance of a bunch sprint in the state capital of Magdeburg. The time credits at the bonus sprints, usually just a few kilometres before the finish (with three, two and one second bonuses for the first three), and at the day's finish (ten, six and four seconds) in the final metres will decide the overall classification.
No national team at the start
Last year's dominators in blue, yellow and red have less competition to fear at this D-Tour. Only 18 teams (with six starters each) will be taking part this year, two fewer than last year. It is said that the organiser's budget is not sufficient for more. Eleven World Tour teams with UAE Team Emirates, Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl - Trek and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe at the front will start in Essen, plus five second-tier Pro teams. Unlike last year, this time there is no German national team among the 18 invited teams. Last year, Simon Geschke led a colourful ensemble across the country. This time, the national federation German Cycling has not entered a team. Nevertheless, Wegmann emphasises: "We want to have as many young German talents as possible so that they can show themselves." The two wildcards went to the German teams: Bike Aid and Rembe-rad-net around former track world champion Roger Kluge. The Saarland team Bike Aid, which repeatedly sponsors riders from Africa, provided the surprise third-placed rider in the professional race at the German Cycling Championships in June in Anton Schiffer (25 years old).
Incidentally, Bangert's appearance at his home race was only a short-term success. The 20-year-old ended his career at the end of last season because he no longer saw any promising prospects of a professional contract. "A special moment was definitely my participation in the Deutschland Tour, where I received so much positive feedback and even made it onto the ARD sports programme. That remains unforgettable," he told the online magazine Sport-Heilbronn in retrospect.
The teams on the Deutschland Tour 2025
World Tour
- Alpecin - Deceuninck (Belgium)
- Bahrain - Victorious (Bahrain)
- INEOS Grenadiers (Great Britain)
- Intermarché - Wanty (Belgium)
- Lidl - Trek (USA)
- Movistar Team (Spain)
- Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (Germany)
- Soudal Quick-Step (Belgium)
- Team Picnic PostNL (Netherlands)
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike (Netherlands)
- UAE Team Emirates - XRG (UAE)
Pro-Teams
Continental Teams
Everyman Race Germany Tour 2025
On 24 August 2025, amateur cyclists can try their hand at the ADAC Cycling Tour for everyone on parts of the final stage. There are two distances to choose from with a start and finish in Magdeburg, around half of which follow the same route as the professionals: 48.6 kilometres with an elevation gain of around 250 metres and 118.7 kilometres with an elevation gain of around 700 metres. "Above all, we offer a completely closed course. So the participants will have a real racing atmosphere," promises Fabian Wegmann.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
