Cycling: Surprisingly, the German Road Cycling Championships 2020 will be held after all. The elite men's and women's races will take place on August 23 at the Sachsenring.
German championship again at the Sachsenring
We had actually expected that the 2020 German Road Cycling Championships wouldn't take place. After the competitions in Stuttgart had to be cancelled at the end of June due to the coronavirus pandemic , it was initially announced that there would be no title fights for the coveted German jersey this year. But now there's been a change of heart: On August 23rd, the elite women and men will be racing on the Sachsenring and crowning their new champions there.
BDR Sports Director Patrick Moster:
"We hope for a signal effect and want to encourage other organizers to hold a race. In addition, we do not want to hide from other national cycling federations that also want to organize championships.”
There should be no chaos in 2020
The German Championships were already held at the Sachsenring last year . Maximilian Schachmann (Bora – hansgrohe) and Lisa Brennauer (WNT – Rotor) triumphed. However, the course planning caused chaos back then. The participants had to leave the 3,5-kilometer race track to ride a larger loop. At one point, the professionals essentially passed each other, which led to a maximum gap for breakaway groups being set in advance. Everything is supposed to be better in 2020 – without the extra loop. The women will now cover 110 kilometers on the race track, and the men 150 kilometers, with approximately 2.000 meters of elevation gain.
Spectators will probably not be admitted
The national championships will not only be held in Germany on the weekend of August 22nd and 23rd. The world cycling association UCI has planned exactly that in the new racing calendar for these days - as usual one week before the start of the Tour de France. However, the Federation of German Cyclists has not yet found a date and, above all, no venue for the time trial. Unfortunately, the fans can't be there either way. Because according to the currently applicable regulations, spectators are not allowed to attend the German Championship at the Sachsenring either.
BDR Vice Gunter Schabel:
“We sat for hours and worked out the concept. We expect discipline and strict compliance with the guidelines from all participants. Then it can work. The whole thing is a big challenge for us. We could have made it easier for ourselves and simply canceled all races this year. But we want to offer our athletes events where they can measure themselves against the competition. And that includes this championship.”