With top-class races, the Stuttgart Region had developed into an important venue for road cycling in Germany - both in professional and amateur sport. The Verband Region Stuttgart made a significant contribution to this with its support. Together with the state capital of Stuttgart, it sponsored the Women's Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region and the Brezel Race Stuttgart & Region, among others: the region recently provided 250,000 euros in annual support.
Top sport
In 2023, the new "Women's Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region" race format celebrated its premiere. It was the only one-day race in Germany for professional female cyclists in the second-highest international category "UCI ProSeries". The state capital of Stuttgart and the Verband Region Stuttgart together set a strong example in women's sport. It was held three times - starting in Tamm (2023), Böblingen (2024) and Filderstadt (2025). An attractive supporting program offered experiences around the bike. Unfortunately, the state capital of Stuttgart will not be able to continue its financial support in 2026 and 2027 due to the tight budget situation and the necessary cost-cutting measures. Whether the race can be continued in a different form or has to be suspended until further notice is currently still being examined. You can find more information on past races here.
The Stuttgart Region has also been very active with professional cyclists in previous years: twice since the reintroduction of the Deutschland Tour in 2018, Stuttgart and the region have been the final venue of the professional tour with the finish line in Stuttgart city centre, in 2018 and 2022. A great day for sport in the Stuttgart Region, which was supported by the Verband Region Stuttgart with a low six-figure sum in each case. More information on the Deutschland Tour
The Verband Region Stuttgart also sponsored the German Road Cycling Championships in 2021.
Popular sport
However, the Verband Region Stuttgart, together with the state capital Stuttgart, supported not only professional but also amateur sport, which is in great demand: as part of the Deutschland Tour 2018, amateur athletes were able to prove themselves for the first time with the "Jedermann Tour" on closed-off routes with varying degrees of difficulty. A successful premiere, which was continued: The "Pretzel Race Stuttgart & Region" took place for the first time in 2021. Over 2,000 amateur cyclists "pretzel-raced" through the region in conjunction with the professional women's race. Participants had the opportunity to take on a short or long route on their racing bikes and enjoy the thrilling atmosphere in the same conditions as the pros. The routes lead over undulating terrain - typical of the Stuttgart region. The mass sports race was also very popular in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Most recently, 4,000 cycling fans took part. As it gained its appeal from the combination with the elite race and was therefore closely linked, a continuation is currently uncertain.
All information on past races can be found here.
