I've done the Cyclassics twice during my 2-year stay in Hamburg: once as the 20th Vattenfall edition and the second time as the first EuroEyes edition. In both cases, I did the 155km distance (which is confusingly advertised as 160km sometimes). I don't usually do cycling races, so I don't have much to compare with there. However, I have done a bunch of triathlons and running races, here in Hamburg as well as back in the US. In terms of those, I'd put the Cyclassics in the upper-half of events. What it gets right: - The route gives you an amazing tour of Hamburg and the surrounding cities. For the southern loop, you're going through a bunch of small German villages, mostly based on agriculture. In each one, you have what seems like half the town out cheering you on, complete with full German breakfast spreads on folding tables and picnic blankets. The energy is just overall really positive. - Announcements at the start are made in German and English. You'll also notice a large number of riders from our Scandinavian neighbors to the north, especially Denmark and the Netherlands. Definitely paceline with these folks once you hit a long flat, windy stretch but they'll drop to a crawl at the faintest hill :-). - Post-race snacks are partially provided by a bakery. In 2015, that meant cake. In 2016, that meant cake, pretzels, and franzbrötchen. If they keep that rate of increase, 2017 should be amazing. - The bag drop-off and pickup is on Ballindamm away from the race start/finish. That means it's not a cluster when you reach it at the end after riding for 4.5 hours. What could use some work: - The Athlete Guide this year was only available in German. I feel like that wasn't the case in 2015, but I'm not sure. In any case, seeing how the site is in English and German, I'm not sure why they chose not to translate the guide. It's got some useful info that's not on the site. - The only beverage of choice at the end is Erdinger Alkoholfrei beer, and you only get one of those. I don't drink beer, alkoholfrei or not. If you're like me, make sure to have extra water either on your bike or in your bag. - There aren't many aid stations. I didn't need them in 2015, but I ended up with a slow leaking flat in 2016, where a full-sized pump was useful. This is mostly a nitpick, though, since I don't think folks could actually stop at more aid stations and still maintain the requisite average speed of 19mph/31kph. The first year, I registered onsite and got a starter block pretty far back. I saw a ton more crashes during the race, including some pretty serious ones. In 2016, I registered early on and got placed in block C. These folks move fast, but I also saw far less crashes. Except for a few psychos, the folks in the first few blocks know how to paceline. I'd definitely recommend registering early to get placed up front. If you're in a starter block post-D, just be careful when pacelining. Would I do this again? Absolutely. Would it be as awesome if Hamburg had one of its infamous Schietwetter days? No, no it would not. read more

Cyclassics - Your typical German post-race beverage - Races & Competitions Near Me