Thousands of amateur riders descended on Dresden’s historic centre on Sunday 09 August for the 13th edition of Velorace Dresden, Germany’s largest cycling event south-east of Berlin, with tight racing producing new champions and a repeat winner at the front of the field.
Jonathan Engisch took the VRD1 51km men’s race in 01:07:41, but only just. Runner-up Moritz Morgenstern, riding for Robusta Cycling Team/DKT Dresden, crossed the line a mere six hundredths of a second later — a finish tight enough to have been decided by the width of a tyre. Paul Schreier completed the podium 18 hundredths back, with Kevin Schwager fourth. Junior racer Benito Thiele impressed in fifth, just 8 seconds off the win.
In the women’s VRD1 race, Anne Sophie Scholtz successfully defended the “Velorace Queen” crown she won on the same route in 2025. The 28-year-old, born in Riesa and currently a medical student specialising in trauma surgery, won in 01:09:20, building a clear gap over Emily Buhlig of RV Lichterfelde-Steglitz (+3 minutes 40 seconds) and her teammate Saskia Mommertz (+5 minutes 9 seconds). Marina Knoll and Vanessa Thäsler rounded out the top five.
The longer 102km VRD2 race told a very different story. Lars Meseberg, racing for Mobil Krankenkasse Cycling Team, crossed the line alone in 02:16:13, a full 3 minutes 34 seconds clear of second-placed Markus Reh (ATS Kulmbach Radrennen/Paceline by Haberstumpf). Tim Moritz took third at 3 minutes 36 seconds, with Kilian Grüner and Meseberg’s teammate Marcel Schmidt completing the top five.
Meseberg’s win marked a dramatic turnaround from 2025, when he finished third in one of the most exciting finishes in Velorace history. A pack of 60 riders stayed together all the way to the finish before Benjamin Ahrendt launched a powerful sprint to beat Marcel Schmidt and Meseberg on the line. Twelve months on, Meseberg flipped the script entirely, riding away from a similarly large peloton to win solo by minutes rather than tenths.
In the women’s VRD2 race, Elina Thyrolf took the win in 02:27:36, with Victoria Niemand and Rebecca Wolfert both finishing 2 minutes 23 seconds back. Marie Strebe was fourth.
First held in 2013, Velorace Dresden has grown into one of the largest cycling events in south-eastern Germany, drawing thousands of spectators and riders to its looping inner-city circuit. The race takes in the Zwinger, the Semperoper, Rudolf Harbig Stadium and the Transparent Factory, crosses the Elbe via the Waldschlösschen Bridge and finishes along the Brühl Terrace — a route inspired by the spectator-friendly city-circuit format used at many UCI World Championships.
Photo Credit: Thomas Kretschel
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