Eight out of the world’s Top 10 head to the brand new destination of Berlin for the 11th leg of the 2017 Longines Global Champions Tour. 

All eyes will be on Germany’s capital city, as the riders at the very top of their game will compete at the influential destination, headed up by world number 1 Kent Farrington (USA). Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) will be back in action, alongside Daniel Deusser (GER), Christian Ahlmann (GER), Eric Lamaze (CAN), Scott Brash (GBR), Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Simon Delestre (FRA).

The overall LGCT ranking battle could not be more fierce as popular Dutch rider Harrie Smolders (NED) leads the pack into the second third of the season. Sitting on a tally of 247 points overall, Smolders will look to extend his lead, however with drop scores now coming into play - where only the top eight results count - he will need to keep one eye on the competition as the final rounds play out. Keen to rock the order is Alberto Zorzi (ITA) who will be pulling out all the stops in Berlin to improve on his 190 points score and leap up the leaderboard. 

Home heroes will be out in force, with Ludger Beerbaum (GER), Marco Kutscher (GER), Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER), David Will (GER), Andreas Kreuzer (GER), Christian Kukuk (GER), Nicola Pohl (GER) and rising star Laura Klaphake (GER) all hoping for a home city advantage.

The event will be hosted at The Sommergarten at the Funkturm in Berlin, which is a centrally located, park-like green area on the grounds of the Messe Berlin. Approximately 10,000 square meters in size, the garden was originally created in the heart of the capital as a place of relaxation and peace, providing a unique ambience. Since 1981 the Sommergarten houses a sculpture garden with works by contemporary Berlin artists.

Source: Press release from LGCT // Picture © LGCT/Stefano Grasso