At Rad am Ring 24h, the Nürburgring swaps engine noise for rattling bicycle chains. The annual cycling weekend in the Eifel is built around a 24-hour road race on the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix Course, with solo riders and teams riding day and night on the same asphalt that usually belongs to motorsport. Recent editions have drawn around 10,000 riders, with a record close to 11,948 participants, so it feels like a mass cycling festival as much as an endurance race.
Each lap is 26.10 km with 560 meters of climbing, which makes the 24-hour race hard even before the sleep loss starts. Riders can hit more than 100 km/h downhill, especially through fast sections such as the Fuchsröhre, while other parts of the weekend include amateur races, gravel racing, time trials, tours, e-bike rides, and a KidsRace. The field stretches from serious 24-hour solo racers to people on folding bikes, riders with e-bikes and baskets, charity teams, and even competitors over 80. Camping lines the track, ranging from single tents to fully equipped setups, and the Gravel Bike German Championships are also returning to the Eifel as part of the event.