Cycling: The German Road Championships will take place in Thuringia from June 24th to 26th. While Tony Martin will start as the clear favorite in the time trial on Friday, the roles in the road race next Sunday in Erfurt are not so clearly divided - even if anything but a victory for Marcel Kittel or André Greipel is quite surprising given the flat course were.
German road championships: road race
Emanuel Buchmann will wear the jersey of the German Champion at the start of the German Road Championships in Erfurt for what may be the last time for the time being. Although the 23-year-old competes with his team Bora-Argon18 and a total of ten teammates, the flat course with less than 1.000m of elevation gain over 200km is not the terrain of mountain flea Buchmann. It is much more likely that the best sprinters in the world at the moment will face off: Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick-Step) and André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) could experience a sense of achievement in the form of the German championship so shortly before the start of the Tour de France undoubtedly good use. While Greipel has already won the black, red and gold shirt twice (2013 and 2014), Marcel Kittel is still waiting for a national sense of achievement.
The route of the German road cycling championship 2016
As already mentioned, the circuit in and around Erfurt is a matter for the sprinters among the starters. One lap is 15,3km long and doesn't even add up to 100m in altitude - after the 14 planned laps, a total of 215,6km and approx. 990m in altitude come together. The finale on the wide Erfurt Juri-Gargarin-Ring is also slightly sloping: mass sprint, I hear traps.
Here you can also download the GPX track of the route (and descendants)
The starting field: favorite roles clearly divided - or not?
A flat course, finish without any major difficulties – everything actually looks like a safe bet for Marcel Kittel or André Greipel. But both share the unfavorable circumstance that they will or can only start with one helper from their teams. André Greipel and Marcel Sieberg form a well-rehearsed duo that has already given the 33-year-old two wins. Marcel Kittel can count on the support of team-mate Tony Martin, who has a lot of class and experience and would like to defend his title as German time trial champion on Friday.
The greatest "danger" for the two German sprint aces is probably from Giant-Alpecin: The German WorldTour team is starting with a double lead consisting of the recovered John Degenkolb and the Giro stage winner Nikias Arndt. Both – Arndt and Degenkolb – have had to be satisfied with runners-up titles and should not be underestimated. They can also rely on the support of a strong trio: With Simon Geschke, Johannes Fröhlinger and Max Walscheid, Giant-Alpecin provides a strong group of helpers for its two favorites.
Phil Bauhaus from the team of reigning champion Emanuel Buchmann should also have outsider chances. The 21-year-old has already sprinted to one or two minor victories this year and is starting with nine teammates who could perhaps make the difference in the final.
Another duel between Kittel and Greipel could be particularly exciting this year. The two top sprinters already met at the Giro (three wins for Greipel, two for Kittel) and this duel is likely to continue at the Tour de France and last but not least at the road world championships in Dubai.
German road championships: time trial
While in all probability an exciting fight for the German championship title awaits us in the street race, the title in the time trial only goes to Tony Martin (Etixx – Quick-Step). It would be the sixth championship overall and the fifth in a row for the 31-year-old. With a view to the starting list for the individual time trial on Friday, anything but a renewed title defense would probably be tantamount to a sensation. The competition, in the person of Patrick Gretsch (AG2R), Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar) and Lennard Kämna (Stölting Service Group), for example, is well-known, but for a multiple time trial world champion like Tony Martin in normal form there is no serious threat.
The course of the individual time trial
The 41km long course with start and finish in the Thuringian municipality of Straufhain on the Bavarian border is not easy and its undulating profile is a challenge even for specialists like Tony Martin: "The track is demanding and you have to be constantly focused," says the favorite on the official website of the German Championships. "I hope that I can win my sixth title here," he is humble.
German road championships: The winners of the last 10 years
Year | street racing | Time trial |
---|---|---|
2006 | Dirk Müller | Sebastian Lang |
2007 | Fabian Wegman | Bert Grabsch |
2008 | Fabian Wegman | Bert Grabsch |
2009 | Martin Reimer | Bert Grabsch |
2010 | Christian knees | Tony Martin |
2011 | Robert Wagner | Bert Grabsch |
2012 | Fabian Wegman | Tony Martin |
2013 | André Greipel | Tony Martin |
2014 | André Greipel | Tony Martin |
2015 | Emmanuel Buchman | Tony Martin |
German road championships live on TV and online
On Sunday, MDR will report live from Thuringia from the German Road Championships. The broadcast begins at 17:10 p.m. and is expected to last until 18:00 p.m. - so we have the opportunity to follow the exciting finale live on screen.
You will also be able to follow the fight for the title live on the internet in the MDR media library. You can find the corresponding stream in good time on Velomotion or on the page of the MDR.
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