The 37th edition of the long-running LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour will not take place in 2025 after key state funding was removed, leaving the organisers with a reported shortfall of €200,000.
The news that the region of Thuringia had withdrawn public funding for the race broke last week via Sport im Osten, and on Monday the race organisers confirmed that the race will not go ahead this June. It is unclear whether it may return in 2026.
“We regret to inform you that the 37th edition of the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour will not take place in 2025,” a statement from the organisers read.
“So far, we have only received a written refusal from the Free State of Thuringia regarding financial participation in the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour. We appreciate the various offers from the Thuringian State Chancellery in recent days, which indicate an effort to find a solution to the problem.
“However, we see no way to compensate for the difference in the cost of a successful and safe LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour that meets our and the UCI’s requirements.”
The race is only a 2.Pro race, not Women’s WorldTour, but is six days long and still costs hundreds of thousands of euros to put on, with a large chunk of that coming via state funding.
Race director Vera Hohlfeld told Sport im Osten that the funds were planned last year, but it became apparent that they would not be received earlier this year, leading the organisers to pause and now ultimately halt proceeding with organising the race.
“Due to the uncertain financial situation, which became an existential problem by mid-/late February of this year at the latest, we had to postpone many important organizational and press appointments with cities, municipalities, and sponsors,” their statement continued.
“The review is no longer feasible in the three months leading up to the start of the tour, and the financial risk of initiating further work is unacceptable.”
Among vocal support from fans and riders, a petition was set up last week to try and put pressure on the local region to save the race, gaining over 1,200 signatures by Monday afternoon. Race organisers Vera Hohlfeld and Marian Koppe touched on the support received in their statement.
“At this point, we would like to emphasize once again that this decision was not an easy one. In recent days, we have received a great deal of encouragement and offers of support for holding the tour, all of which we have carefully considered, making it all the more difficult for us to take this drastic step.
“We ask for your understanding that we cannot comment further on the exact circumstances at this time, but we must first process this hard and difficult decision ourselves, as the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour has been not only a cycling event but also an important part of our lives over the past few years.”
The Thüringen Ladies Tour is the longest-running professional race on the calendar, having first taken place in 1986. Since then, it has become a staple on the calendar, with many top teams racing in Germany despite its non-WorldTour status.
In recent years, overall winners have included Lucinda Brand, Lotte Kopecky and Ruth Edwards, who took the title in 2024.
Only one previous edition has ever been cancelled, which was in 2020 during the pandemic.
Following the cancellation announcement, the race organisers made no comment on whether the race might return in 2026 – given more time to fill the cash flow gap – but said they would provide more detail soon.
“We will review everything this week and issue a detailed statement about the exact background next week.”
