ASO to revive Tour of Germany

After a nine-year hiatus due to the doping scandals that soured German opinions toward cycling, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) will reintroduce the Tour of Germany in 2018, working with BDR, the German cycling federation.

“As a German rider I’m very happy that a renewed Tour of Germany will take place of course, it was an important race in the past,” said André Greipel. “For the moment it’s not clear whether the first edition will be held in 2017 or 2018 and where and when the race will be organized. Germany offers a varied landscape, several types of stages are possible. The hotels are good accommodated as well.”

The Deutschland Tour first ran in 1911 but was cancelled in 2009 after multiple doping scandals involving top German cyclists. However, with the rise of fresh German talent like John Degenkolb and Marcel Kittel, along with the Tour de France’s Dusseldorf Grand Départ scheduled for 2017, it seems the German public is warming to cycling.

“For the BDR, this agreement is a precursor. The new Tour of Germany is an opportunity to develop enthusiasm for cycling in Germany, which will help increase the popularity of the sport,” said Rudolf Scharping, president of the BDR. “More than 27 million Germans regularly cycle, and many German cities have already recognized this interest and included cycling in sustainable transportation plans. This is why the Tour of Germany is not only a sporting event but also a great cycling festival.”

“We share with the BDR the goal to make the Deutschland Tour attractive to wide swathes of the population and use the race to show them just how much fun cycling can be,” said ASO general manager Yann Le Moënne. “As well as the elite competition, featuring the biggest champions from Germany and abroad, we will include rides for the thousands of dedicated amateurs and draw up an exciting program for the fans and the wider public in the host cities.”

Past champions of the Deutschland Tour include Linus Gerdemann, Jens Voigt, Alexander Vinokourov.