The Course 2022

For the first time, Germany's most important cycling race starts with a prologue. The time trial starts at Goetheplatz and is only 2.7 kilometers short. The fast lap through the city center guarantees exciting sport for the spectators. On the slightly undulating, but technically less demanding course, the powerful riders have the advantage. A small lead of seconds will decide who will start the 1st stage in the red jersey.

The 1st stage leads from Weimar over 171 kilometers through southern Thuringia to Meiningen. From Weimar, the route runs via Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg into the Thuringian Forest. In Oberweißbach, the first mountain points of this year's tour will be awarded. After a short descent, the route climbs another 700 meters, crosses the Rennsteig and sets its sights on the finish line in Meiningen. After the first crossing of the finish line in front of the State Theater in Meiningen, a ramp in Dreißigacker with gradients of more than 10% and valuable bonus seconds invites attacks. The sprinter teams have 20 flat kilometers to get into position.

The longest section starts in Meiningen on August 26. 199 kilometers have to be covered on the way to Marburg in Hesse. The second stage runs from east to west through the middle of Germany. Shortly after the Thuringian-Hessian border, the first mountain classification of the day awaits in the Rhön Mountains. The short steep climb to Amöneburg heralds the final hour of the race. At Hasenkopf, Marburg is reached - the start of the difficult finale. After the finish passage at the Elisabethkirche in the city center, there are still 20 kilometers to go. Two waves in Marbach and Ockershausen provide suspense, because the day's decision could be decided by just a few riders.

The weekend of the Deutschland Tour begins in Freiburg's old town. With 150 kilometers, the 3rd stage is short; however, it will shape the classification. The route leads north out of the university town in the direction of the Kaiserstuhl. Over the Schelinger Höhe and the Texaspass, it goes to the German-French border in Breisach am Rhein and Bad Krozingen. In the region of Münstertal-Staufen, the southernmost route point of the new Deutschland Tour is reached so far. Three hours of racing on predominantly flat terrain have been completed - the last hour of racing involves climbing. Shortly before Horben, the climb through the Hexental valley challenges the peloton: the road becomes narrow and steep. The descent to the valley station of the Schauinsland cable car brings only a brief respite. Then it's uphill for 12 kilometers to the Schauinsland. At the mountain station at an altitude of 1,200 meters, the preliminary decision in the overall standings is made.

The final stage of the Deutschland Tour demands everything from the pros. After the mountain finish on the previous day, 3,100 meters of altitude once again challenge the climbing legs. Just 15 kilometers after the start in Schiltach, a mountain classification awaits in the northern Black Forest, and the rest of the route via Freudenstadt to the Stuttgart region remains a constant up and down. The state capital is reached from the north. From the Neckar valley, the route leads to the Pragsattel and on to the Killesberg. Now, at the latest, the finale of the Deutschland Tour 2022 has begun. After the first finish in the middle of Stuttgart's city center on Theodor-Heuss-Strasse, a tough final lap awaits, which is 10 kilometers long and will be ridden three times. Included is the up to 16% steep climb on the Herdweg. With three crossings, attacks on the red jersey are guaranteed, because it is about the overall victory of the Deutschland Tour 2022.