We take a look at the route for Bayern-Rundfahrt as Team Sky return as twice defending champions.
Preview of the 34th edition
The five-day German stage race has been the domain of German rouleurs down the years and it will take a strong all-rounder to prevail.
The Bavarian parcours provides something for every rider and will ensure the race is hotly contested amid picturesque surroundings. The race is used by many riders as a key tune-up ahead of the Tour de France but the race has become a prestigious event in its own right.
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas became the first British winner of the event in 2011, and will be going all out to repeat that performance again.
Stages
Wednesday 22 May – Stage one: Pfaffenhofen to Muhldorf, 193.8km
The race begins to the north of Munich on an undulating day in the hills. Immediately the riders are greeted with the second category Schweitenkirchen which should see a breakaway head clear. The race then heads south-east, crossing the Isar river through Landshut and another cat. two climb (110km). Attention then turns to the finale in Muhldorf where three finishing circuits should produce a sprint winner on the uphill drag to the line.
Thursday 23 May – Stage two: Muhldorf to Viechtach, 194.5km
Stage two doesn’t skimp on the climbs and should see an early selection in the general classification on a hard run north to Viechtach. After an early intermediate sprint at Neumarkt-St. Veit (13km) before a brief flat drag in the lead up to the first category St. Englmar (121km). The steep ascent is followed by a further three sharp climbs and should see the race split to pieces on the run into the final finishing circuits. The stage should reveal the contenders with a select group likely to sprint it out to claim yellow.
Friday 24 May – Stage three: Viechtach to Kelheim, 196.8km
The sprinters will have their work cut out on a stage which could end in a sprint or an elite group depending on how it is raced. The stage heads west, tackling the second category Rattenburg in a tough opening salvo before two sprint points at Walderbach and Regenstauf. The climb of the Wischenhofen (121km) is the most significant of a run-in punctuated by climbs. A long day in the saddle at almost 200km, the winner will have to be one of the strongest riders in the race.
Saturday 25 May – Stage four: Schierling (individual time trial), 31.2km
A key stage in the fight for overall victory, the time trial will shake up the GC once again in a rolling loop around Schierling. Kicking off on the Hauptstraße the riders head towards Niederleierndorf before continuing the clock-wise loop back to the local town hall. The course features offers only a few moments of flat terrain with climbs and false-flat drags adding up to a real test for the contenders.
Sunday 26 May – Stage five: Kelheim to Nurnberg, 169.8km
The final day is a stage of two halves with early climbs giving way to a likely sprint decider. With a team now defending yellow to the finish, rivals could make it hard by attacking on an undulating opening third featuring significant second categorised climbs of the Riedenburg and Sulzburg. With the climbs dispatched the race winds its way down into Nurnberg for 10 laps of a 5.1km finishing course featuring a brief ramp. The 11th time over the line should produce a bunch kick and reveal the overall winner of the race.
Team Sky history
The race has been a good one for Team Sky with the last two editions both yielding yellow jerseys for Thomas and Michael Rogers (2012). Stage wins have also followed with Edvald Boasson Hagen and Sir Bradley Wiggins all finding success in the last two years, as did Rogers en route to his GC win last time out.
