From 2000 to 2014, the Rund um Köln cycling race traditionally took place on Easter Monday. However, the early race date in the year often brought weather problems with it - such as a sudden onset of winter with snowfall in 2008. The later date also suits the participants in the amateur race, who can prepare longer and better after the winter. Until the 1990s, the German classic was, with a few exceptions, an amateur race. Since then, it has been a professional race throughout and is one of the most important German one-day races alongside the Cyclassics Hamburg, Eschborn-Frankfurt and the Münsterland Giro. The new sporting director is former professional cyclist André Greipel. "Rund um Köln was always a highlight for me as an active rider. I'm delighted that the organisers have put me forward as sporting director. This year I will experience less suffering and ride comfortably through the Bergisch region ahead of the field," says Greipel in a short video message.
Velodom - Race for everyone
The start and finish at Cologne's Rheinauhafen harbour alone should be a highlight for cycling enthusiasts. From there, both distances largely follow the same course as the pros. The start will head north via Schildgen and Odenthal to Altenberg Cathedral. From there, the route has a 5.7 per cent gradient to Odenthal-Neschen up to the highest point in Kürten-Schanze (243 metres above sea level). The routes take the participants via Spitze, Sand and Lückerath right across the Bergisches Land region via the famous cobblestone passage to Bensberg Castle and on to Kleineichen, where the routes of the Jedermann races separate. The 70-kilometre lap heads towards the finish, while the 125-kilometre distance turns off on a loop to the east to the outermost point of Hohkeppel and back to the top. From there, Bergisch Gladbach and the Kopfstein Passage will be crossed a second time before the longer distance of the Rund um Köln everyman race in Kleineichen can also aim for the finish in the Rhine metropolis. Both the short and the long distance have an uphill classification at Altenberg Cathedral.
Registration is online here possible.
Elite race
At 10:35 a.m., the 21 participating professional teams set off on the almost 200-kilometre route. The start is neutralised at Rheinauhafen, the sharp start takes place around 20 minutes later in Cologne's Honschaftsstraße. From there, the pros will ride the same route as the amateur athletes in the Velodom 125 with an added loop towards Wipperfürth. There, a lap over the 367 metre high Agathaberg, the highest point of the route, and through Bühlstahl will be ridden three times before returning to Cologne. There are six mountain classifications along the route, two of which are at Agathaberg, two at Bensberg Castle and two in Bergisch Gladbach-Sand. The finish line is at Cologne's Rheinauhafen harbour, as with the Jedermann routes.
Six UCI WorldTeams (BikeExchange-Jayco, Bora-Hansgrohe, Cofidis, DSM, Israel-PremierTech and Lotto Soudal), four UCI Pro Teams and eleven UCI Continental Teams will be at the start. With Nils Politt and Sam Bennett, Team Bora-Hansgrohe intends to send two of its top riders into the race. Local hero Politt sees Rund um Köln as a real cycling classic and is looking forward to the start. "I'm looking forward to my sixth participation in Rund um Köln and reckon I have a good chance of winning. We have a very strong team that can react well to different situations," says the pro. The sporting director also gives his buddy Politt a good chance: "If it's a tough race and a breakaway group works well together until the end, Nils can make it. In a race like that, the sprinters who are good on the climbs like Kaden Groves from Team BikeExchange-Jayco, Nikias Arndt from Team DSM and Hugo Hofstetter from Arkéa-Samsic will have a say," says André Greipel. In a sprint final, he sees Sam Bennett, Dylan Groenewegen from Team BikeExchange-Jayco and Japser Philipsen from Alpecin-Fenix in front. The Irishman Bennett has already won Rund um Köln twice and took victory at Eschborn-Frankfurt on 1 May. Groenewegen has also won the race in Cologne and most recently won a stage at the Tour of Hungary.
The professional race can be followed from 12:00 noon in the Livestream on the organiser's website and sportschau.de or on television on Eurosport and WDR. There is currently no women's race at Rund um Köln.
Information about Rund um Köln at a glance
Date: 22 May 2022
Place: Cologne
Distance: 199.3 kilometres
Edition: 104.
First race: 1908
Result 2019:
- 1st Baptiste Planckaert (BEL / Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB), 4:54:59 hrs.
- 2nd Christoph Pfingsten (GER / Bora-Hansgrohe), same time
- 3rd Lionel Taminiaux (BEL / Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB), + 1:26 min.
- 4th Nils Politt (GER / Katusha-Alpecin), + 1:26 min.
- 5th Andreas Schillinger (GER / Bora-Hansgrohe), + 1:26 min.
TV/Internet live streams: Around Cologne Website (12 o'clock), Eurosport (10:35 a.m.), Sports programme (11:55 a.m.), WDR, GCN+, L'Equipe
Website: https://www.rundumkoeln.de/
