Cycling: This weekend it's better to leave your car in Germany's capital because the cyclists are doing their rounds again. This year, the German U23 Championship will take place for the first time as part of the Velothon Berlin. The elite race was suspended due to scheduling difficulties. Nevertheless, many visitors and an exciting race can be expected.
The German U23 Championship replaces the elite race
Since 2008 a race for everyone has been held in Berlin. The number of participants has increased over the years, as has the number of viewers. In the meantime, the annual everyone's race in Berlin, which takes place in early summer, is considered the second largest in Europe. In 2011 an elite race was added. The previous winners Andre Greipel, Raymond Kreder, Ramon Sinkeldam and twice Marcel Kittel have made a name for themselves in the cycling circus. Since this elite race will be suspended this year due to scheduling difficulties, Berlin has instead grabbed the German U23 Championship directly. The city of Unna in the Ruhr area was actually intended for this, but the German Cyclists Association wanted to offer a course that was topographically a better match for the route of the road world championships in Qatar. That's why Germany's cycling future will be making its rounds in Berlin tomorrow.
The list of winners of the German U23 Championship makes you sit up and take notice
The drivers in the U23 races are rarely known to the general public as they are still at the very beginning of their careers. Few riders manage to achieve good results in professional cycling at such a young age. The greatest counter-example of this is certainly Peter Sagan, who was already able to celebrate stage victories at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie at the age of just 20. However, the list of winners in recent years shows us that promising talents are actually produced in the U23 championship. In 2001 Fabian Wegmann, who in the course of his career was able to win the mountain classification of the Giro d'Italia, a stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné and was German champion three times, triumphed. In 2004, Linus Gerdemann was the first rider to finish, winning a stage in the Tour de Suisse just a year later and the Tour de France two more years later. In Cottbus 2009, Cominic Nerz was successful, who then twice reached the top 20 of the overall ranking at the Vuelta a España. After his U23 championship title in 2010, John Degenkolb won the one-day classics Paris-Roubaix, Milan-SanRemo and Gent-Wevelgem, among others. There were also ten stage wins and the points classification at the Vuelta a España and another stage win at the Giro d'Italia.
Defending champion Nils Politt not at the start
Last year's winner Nils Politt, who won the time trial of the German U2014 Championship in 23, will not be at the start in Berlin tomorrow. He was allowed to take part in a number of well-known races this year. For example, he started for the Russian team Katusha at Paris-Roubaix, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Joshua Huppertz (Team Kuota-Lotto), Willi Willwohl (Team Brandenburg) and Konrad Gessner (P&S Team Thüringen) from the top 5 of the current Bundesliga ranking list will try to snatch the title tomorrow. A total of 153 drivers have registered for the race, which starts at Ernst-Reuter-Platz and ends at Ernst-Reuter-Haus. There are 175 km in between, because the course takes the drivers to Mark Brandenburg, to Ludwigsfelde and back to the heart of Berlin. A sprint finish seems very likely with this profile, but a solo escape can never be ruled out. The U23 national coach Ralf Grabsch knows that too:
Two top players like Schachmann and Kämna are always good for a surprise and can always go out in front. You have to get them back first.