Teams line up at the start in Hammer Limburg this year
Preparations are well under way for the Hammer Series 2020 in which the best riders in the world will go all-out to win professional cycling’s only team-v-team racing series.
Cycling fans everywhere have watched riders give everything they’ve got during the unique Climb-Sprint-Chase format. This is what Ryan Mullen, Trek-Segafredo, had to say after Hammer Stavanger (Norway): “@HammerSeries. The hardest races in the world. Ever.”
And who can forget the mammoth efforts put in by Sam Bennett, BORA-hansgrohe, during the Hammer Stavanger Climb, after which he declared: “I’m completely dead! I’ll try and recover and see what I can do tomorrow.”
In 2020, the Hammer Series returns to Stavanger on 22-24 May and we’re delighted that our race organiser partner has been able to add a women’s race there as we develop Hammer to appeal to new audiences. Like all our races, it will be streamed live online and will be free to watch.
Relive the punishing Hammer Stavanger 2019 Climb
A series of calendar changes in 2020 caused by the staging of the Tokyo Olympics has resulted in the decision not to hold a professional race as part of the Hammer Limburg event in The Netherlands next year. However, the Hammer Series intends to stage an expanded Hammer Youth event offering the best young riders in the Netherlands and Europe a chance to race the innovative and exciting Hammer format. The full Hammer Limburg event featuring both men’s and women’s races will return in June 2021. Read more here.
The big Hammer Series 2020 finale will take place in Hong Kong on 10-11 October, where the overall Hammer Series Champions will be crowned. The 2019 winners, Team Jumbo-Visma, are certain to fight hard to retain their title. Mitchelton-SCOTT and Team INEOS (formerly Team Sky) triumphed in 2018 and 2017 respectively.
Velon, which owns the Hammer Series and works in partnership with the organisers for each race, is continuing to work on adding races to the Series. A race in Colombia had been planned for February 2020 but this has proved not to be possible next year and sights are now set on holding a race there in 2021.
We look forward to giving the world’s cycling fans a special Hammer Series in 2020!