Hamburg Classic: Magnier Wins in a Sprint; Disappointment for Milan

The 29th edition of the Hamburg Classic was a French affair. Paul Magnier emerged victorious in the highly anticipated final sprint, delivering a commanding performance to claim his 31st career victory. The Soudal Quick-Step rider thus confirms his excellent form and his status as one of the most brilliant sprinters of 2026, having also claimed the cyclamen jersey at the most recent Giro d’Italia.

Finishing behind him were Dutch rider Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana Team) and Australian Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe). Fourth place went to Frenchman Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ United), and fifth to German Henri Uhlig (Alpecin-Premier Tech). It was a major disappointment, however, for Jonathan Milan. The Italian rider from Lidl-Trek lost contact on the final climb and was thus unable to contend in the closing sprint.

The day’s breakaway took shape with Jonas Rutsch (Lotto Intermarché), Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Dries De Pooter (Jayco AlUla), Niklas Behrens and Loe Van Belle (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), and Filip Maciejuk (Movistar). From the peloton, Benoit Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Brandon Rivera (INEOS Grenadiers), Tim Rex (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), and Brent Van Moer (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) subsequently made their moves. Before the start of the final lap, Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) also made their moves.

The race took a different turn just before the start of the Waseberg climb, when a crash forced Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) to abandon his hopes. Right on the Waseberg, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched an attack, which helped thin out the peloton and put some of the top favorites in trouble. Among the most highly anticipated riders, Jonathan Milan and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) were left behind, while up front, Paul Magnier managed to hold his position in the leading group.

Everything was decided in a sprint finish. When the Frenchman launched his attack, no one was able to follow him: Magnier quickly pulled away and claimed a decisive victory, finishing ahead of Teunissen and Pithie. For Italy, the best finish was by Luca Mozzato (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), who came in twelfth. Filippo Fiorelli (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), meanwhile, finished in fifteenth place. Norway’s Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Belgium’s Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) also finished further back, unable to find the space to compete for the win until the very end.