Rad am Ring

Rad am Ring is a cycling festival held on the Nürburgring in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The organiser lists the 2027 edition for Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July 2027, with a 22 km time trial on the Friday evening, the main racing on Saturday 24 July 2027 and the 24-hour race finishing on Sunday 25 July 2027. Everything is based at the circuit: riders race on the Grand-Prix track and the Nordschleife, the famous “Grüne Hölle” (Green Hell). The programme also includes amateur races, a gravel race and touring rides.

Routes and distances

The racing disciplines all use laps of the Nürburgring; these are the organiser’s figures for 2027.

The Jedermann race (German for “everyman”) is the organiser’s amateur race, open to hobby riders without a licence as well as certain licence holders. It is offered over 75 km (three laps, about 1,680 m of climbing in total) and 150 km (six laps, about 3,360 m), on the same circuit and the same climbs. Each lap has about 560 m of climbing and 84 corners, including the steepest section, up to 17%, near the Hohe Acht.

Both distances start in the Formula 1 arena in a near-mass start, with riders placed in different start blocks. The other feature the organiser singles out is the Fuchsröhre descent, where speeds of up to about 100 km/h have been measured, although riding it at that speed is not mandatory.

The gravel race covers 50 km or 100 km, over two or four laps of about 25 km with about 550 m of climbing per lap. The organiser’s 2027 timetable also lists a 125 km men’s gravel race, so check which distances run. It mixes Nordschleife asphalt with gravel tracks, trails and forest roads, and the climb to the Hohe Acht is 300 m over 5.5 km.

The 24-hour race uses laps of about 26 km with 560 m of climbing each, ridden day and night as a solo rider or in a team of two, four or eight. The 22 km time trial has over 500 m of climbing, from the Expo grounds via the pit lane to the finish on the Grand-Prix start/finish straight.

A helmet is compulsory for all participants, rims up to 90 mm deep are allowed, and disc wheels and three-, four- or five-spoke wheels are not. The gravel race is for gravel bikes with drop handlebars only, and the organiser recommends 40–45 mm tyres. No licence is needed for gravel. The 100 km gravel race has a listed cut-off of 4:30:00 (the organiser’s FAQ ties it to the three-lap mark, so confirm how it applies). The organiser’s pages do not offer an official GPX file for the race courses at the time of writing.

Registration

Registration for 2027 opened on 8 October 2026 at 18:00 through the Datasport registration service. For the 24-hour race, entry fees are tiered by date: in the first tier, up to 30 November 2026, a solo rider on a campsite plot pays 240 euros and a solo rider with a pit box 270 euros. The Jedermann race costs 80 euros for either distance until 31 January 2027, rising at later cut-off dates. The gravel race costs 65 euros (50 km) or 80 euros (100 km) in the first tier. Listed fees include a 30% service charge.

The organiser reported that the 24-hour race starting places sold out quickly after registration opened in October 2026, so check the registration page for what remains in the other disciplines. The Teilnehmer-Center (participant centre), where entry documents are handled, is in the pit building (Box 18–21).

Full details are on the official website.

Why ride it

Rad am Ring takes cyclists onto a circuit more usually associated with motor racing, and the organiser describes the Nordschleife as the Grüne Hölle. The festival format is broad: the organiser lists the 24-hour race, the Jedermann race, a 22 km time trial, a gravel race, touring rides and a kids’ race that finishes on the famous circuit. The 24-hour lap has 92 corners, and the event brand carries the line “Seit 2003”.

Where to stay

We do not yet have certified cycling-friendly hotels listed close to the Nürburgring. The race centre is at the circuit in Nürburg, in the Eifel, and the organiser has an accommodation page on its website. Book early and browse more cycling-friendly accommodation.