Organised for the first time by A.S.O. and the German Cycling Federation, the Tour of Germany will take place between 23-26 August over four stages, with a total distance of 740 kilometres to be covered between Koblenz and Stuttgart.
The organising team at A.S.O. notes that the stages are designed for sprinters and punchers, who will have to keep their wits about them on circuit finishes, with a number of tough bumps.
Ten years after the last edition of the Tour of Germany, the pro peloton will likely come together on the most photographed site in Koblenz, the ‘German Corner’, at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers.
Emperor William I overlooks the site, in the form of a statue of the monarch on horseback, reinforcing the venue’s sense of majesty. However, the riders will soon forget about the tourist attractions on the route, because they will have to focus on preparing for a probable sprint finish in the historic heart of Bonn.
This stage should give rise to a solid show of force, but the leader who will be present at the start the following day will not be likely to keep his jersey on the way to Trier, which the pack will reach after having tackled 3,000m of positive gradient, including, on the final circuit, a double climb of the Petrisberg hill (2 km, with some sections of the slope at a 10% gradient). A puncher is almost certain to take control of the race here and will have to battle to maintain his position between Trier and Merzig, where another hill will be climbed twice, offering opportunities of revenge to those who did not taste victory the previous day.
The riders will have to keep a cool head until the finish in Stuttgart: the last difficulty, 6.4 km from the finish, will again sort out who are the toughest and most agile sprinters before an ultimate high-speed battle on Theodor-Heuss Strasse.
Women and children in the loop
Associated with drawing up the Tour of Germany via a community platform that has enabled them to have their say in the design of the route, cycling enthusiasts will be invited to be a part of the celebrations during the four stages on the race programme:
- Each day, the ‘Kids Tour’ organises a race for children at the site of the finish.
- An ‘Expo Tour’ will welcome inquisitive passers-by and enthusiasts to a free admission village, involving many activities and exhibitors.
- A ‘Ride Tour’ will be open to the public for people who want to take a bike ride on a 2 to 3 km circuit closed to traffic.
- On 25th August, an official international women’s race, called the ‘Newcomer Tour’ will be organised and is open to young women aged less than 17 years, on a route measuring approximately 70 km.
- On 26th August, a major cyclo-sportive race will be ridden over two distances (65 km and 111 km), with the final part incorporating the route that the professionals will take several hours later. Here, 3,500 participants are expected.
The programme for the 2018 Tour of Germany:
- Thursday 23 August, stage 1: Koblenz > Bonn, 154 km
- Friday 24 August, stage 2: Bonn > Trier, 210 km
- Saturday 25 August, stage 3: Trier > Merzig, 176 km
- Sunday 26 August, stage 4: Lorsch > Stuttgart, 200 km
