Paul Magnier leads the line for our team this Sunday, in Hamburg.
The 28th edition of the ADAC Cyclassics will be a special one, with Buxtehude set to host the start for the first time and the peloton ready to take on a different route than the one in recent years, which at 207 kilometers will be the longest one of the past five editions.
This season, the iconic Waseberg will feature five times on the course, the first of these ascents coming in the first part of the race. In the final 16 kilometers, the riders will tackle its steep gradients for the last time, giving the attackers the perfect terrain to make their move in the hope they will open a decisive gap on the bunch. At the same time, the sprinters’ teams have plenty of kilometers left to organise the chase and bring everything back together before the finish on the famous Mönckebergstraße.
Having scored his maiden World Tour victory last week at the Tour de Pologne, 21-year-old Paul Magnier will be at the start of the German Classic for the first time in his career, together with a very strong Soudal Quick-Step team, comprising also Mattia Cattaneo, Antoine Huby, Casper Pedersen, Pepijn Reinderink, Martin Svrcek and Jordi Warlop.
“We go to Germany with a solid team, a roster that can support Paul as he tries to get a good result. The parcours is hard, which doesn’t come as a surprise because Hamburg has never been an easy race, but we have the confidence and motivation to do our best. Other riders of the team can also try something, depending on how things unfold on Sunday, but if it comes down to a sprint, we’ll all work for Paul”, said sports director Wilfried Peeters.
Photo credit: ©Billy Ceusters / Getty Images
