Vattenfall Cyclassics

The Vattenfall Cyclassics is a cycling race held every year in Hamburg, Germany.

Vattenfall Cyclassics

Before the start of the 2004 HEW Cyclassics
Race details
Date	Late July / August
Region	Hamburg, Germany
Discipline	Road race
Competition	UCI ProTour
Type	Single-day race
History
First edition	1996
Editions	12 (as of 2007)
First winner	Italy Rossano Brasi
Most wins	United States Tyler Farrar
Most recent	Norway Alexander Kristoff

It started as an unimportant race in 1996, but because cycling became very popular in Germany it was made a part of the UCI Road World Cup in 1998. Since 2005, it is a part of the UCI ProTour.

The route of the race changes, but is about 250 km long. During a number of laps through Hamburg, the Waseberg hill is climbed a several times. The cyclists also race over Hamburg's highest bridge Köhlbrandbrücke. Unlike many races the Cyclassic race almost never ends in a mass sprint, that is, with a lot of riders close together racing to the finish line.

There is an amateur part of the Cyclassics. Earlier on the day of the race there are three Jedermann-Rennen. Anybody (jedermann) with a ticket can take part in these races (rennen) over 55 km, 100 km and 155 km. Tickets must be reserved months in advance. In 2005 there were 20000 amateurs on the course.

The sponsor of the Cyclassics, was the Hamburg Electrizität Werke, Hamburg electricity plant or "HEW", after it became part of the big "Vattenfall" company the Cyclassic changed its name too, and from 2006 this cycling race has been known as the Vattenfall Cyclassics.