Tour de Luxembourg
The Tour de Luxembourg is Luxembourg’s leading men’s stage race and one of the established events on the UCI ProSeries calendar. Now held each September, the race takes the peloton across the Grand Duchy, combining rolling roads, short steep climbs, technical finishes and opportunities for both punchers and general classification riders.
When was the first edition of the Tour de Luxembourg?
The first edition of the Tour de Luxembourg was held in 1935.
Luxembourg rider Mathias Clemens won the inaugural race and quickly became its first dominant figure. He won again in 1936, 1937 and 1939 before adding a fifth overall victory in 1947, a record that still stands today.
How did the Tour de Luxembourg come into existence?
The Tour de Luxembourg was created in 1935 and grew alongside Luxembourg’s strong road cycling tradition.
During its early decades, the race was dominated mainly by riders from Luxembourg and neighbouring cycling nations such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Luxembourg stars including Mathias Clemens, Charly Gaul and Edy Schütz all became multiple winners, while major international names also began appearing on the honours list.
The race became increasingly international from the 1980s onwards, with riders from a wider range of countries competing for the overall victory.
In 2005, the event became the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg following the arrival of Škoda as title partner. Another major step followed in 2020, when the race joined the UCI ProSeries.
Who has won the Tour de Luxembourg the most times?
Mathias Clemens holds the record for the most overall victories at the Tour de Luxembourg with five wins.
The Luxembourg rider won the race in 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939 and 1947, establishing a record that has remained untouched for decades.
Charly Gaul and Edy Schütz are next with three victories each. Gaul won in 1956, 1959 and 1961, while Schütz took the overall title in 1966, 1968 and 1970.
The race’s list of winners also includes major names such as Bernard Hinault, Thomas Voeckler, Fränk Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Greg Van Avermaet, João Almeida and Marc Hirschi.
Where is the Tour de Luxembourg held?
The Tour de Luxembourg is held across the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with the route changing from year to year.
Despite the country’s compact size, the terrain offers considerable variety. Stages can feature the rolling roads of central Luxembourg, steeper climbs in the north, vineyards and hills around the Moselle region and fast roads towards the south of the country.
Luxembourg City frequently plays an important role in the race, while towns and municipalities across the country host stage starts and finishes.
The climbs are generally shorter than those found in the major mountain ranges of Europe, but repeated ascents, narrow roads and constantly changing terrain can make the race particularly suited to punchers and strong all round riders.
What category race is the Tour de Luxembourg?
The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a UCI 2.Pro stage race and forms part of the UCI ProSeries, the second highest level of international men’s road cycling below the UCI WorldTour.
The race joined the ProSeries in 2020 and regularly attracts a mix of UCI WorldTeams, ProTeams and other professional teams.
Its position late in the European season, combined with a varied route and five days of racing, has helped attract some of the biggest names in the professional peloton.
