Vattenfall Cyclassics is Europe largest Cyclosportive with 30,000+ riders in various categories. The courses for the longer 102.7 km and 157.1 km distances was an out and back from the centre of Hamburg heading south, passing through many scenic small towns, as well as crossing the famous Köhlbrandbrücke with 31 km from the finish on Mönckebergstrasse, right in the heart of the city. There was an estimated 13,000+ riders on the line for the start of the 102.7 km and 157.1 km Vattenfall Cyclassics, and perfect weather conditions for a fast race, I was looking forward to my first Cyclosportive.

Professional teams crossing the Köhlbrandbrücke With riders starting in 20 blocks based on seeding from previous year’s results, the streets of Hamburg was teeming with cyclist at dawn, anxious to get close to the start of their allocated block to get a jump start on the competition. I signed up for the relatively conservative 102.7 km distance and was fortunate enough to get VIP status at the event, which meant I was on the actual start line, instead of somewhere within the 2 km queue of riders in the various blocks behind. This also meant that there was a chasing group of 13,000+ plus riders right from the start. Starting alongside Erik Zabel (GER) and Mike Kluge (GER) the first 4 km was covered in 37.2 km/h before the experienced and fast charging Block A caught us which instantly lifted the pace to 45+ km/hr. From there on, the pace was relentless causing a number of crashes throughout the first 70 km, which I was fortunate enough to avoid. By the time I entered the finish straight, Mönckebergstrasse was already lined 2 deep with spectators trying to get a vantage point for watching the pro riders who were due to finish at around 5:00pm. In the VIP block Mike Kluge was 1^st (02:26:54) with Erik Zabel in 2^nd (02:27:13). With an elapse time of 02:27:28 I crossed the finish line in 4^th place in the VIP category, which places me at 137^th in the Senior Men’s field of 9,597 finishers. The winning time was 02:25:52 at an average speed of 42.24 km/hr with my finishing time 0:01:36 adrift at 41.78 km/h. Being able to ride such a scenic course with so many other cycling enthusiasts was quite a thrilling experience and I will definitely plan to be back for Vattenfall Cyclassics in 2011. You will be able to find pictures here http://www.vattenfall-cyclassics.de/impressions-2010.335.en.html
Michael Pryde

Professional race sprint finish (Winner: Tyler Farrar)