The race begins where the Formula 1 race at the Nürburgring starts: on the start-and-finish straight of the Grand Prix circuit. The start takes place as part of the ‘Grand Départ’ on Saturday at midday, when the races for all of the more than 10,000 participants will begin one after the other. The first three kilometres follow the Grand Prix circuit. After that, the gravel loop leads onto the Nordschleife and through the “left-right-left” section of the “Hatzenbach” stretch to the main checkpoint behind the Quiddelbacher Bridge. From here on, it’s off-road territory. Mainly on gravel tracks, the route descends to the edge of the Adenau district of Breidscheid. There, access to the Nordschleife is via the left-hand side of the circuit in the Wehrseifen area. The gravel riders then join the legendary asphalt via a gap in the crash barrier around three metres wide. After that, the climb begins. First on the Nordschleife, past a refreshment station, and then along gravel paths to the ‘Hohe Acht’ section of the route. Over 5.5 kilometres, the route climbs 300 metres in altitude. At the top, there is another refreshment station provided by the organisers. This is followed by five undulating kilometres along the Nordschleife, over varied trails and forest tracks, before the route returns to the Nordschleife at the 21-kilometre mark. ‘Döttinger Höhe’ is the name of the long final straight of the Nordschleife, which, after around three kilometres, leads back onto the Grand Prix circuit via the Hohenrain chicane. Then it’s another 300 metres to the finish or the next lap.