The Werkself mounted their bikes at 09.30 CET in Bad Bertrich with Koblenz as the target destination. 90 kilometres a day are on the agenda and the first 25 kilometres saw the group travel a delightful route through the vineyards along the Moselle – there was definitely a touch of quality relaxation in this environment. "Wonderful," was the assessment of head coach Heiko Herrlich, "I can well imagine going for a ride here with my children."
The nature of the route suddenly changed after the first short break in Senheim. The Bayer 04 pros then faced a more exerting mountain section with a rise of 200 metres over 1.6 kilometres. The Werkself split into three teams for this challenge with the time at the target destination measured against the last rider of each group. The search was on for kings of the mountain in the squad: Victory went to captain Lars Bender with his team including new signing Mitchell Weiser and 'mountain flea' Leon Bailey.
The reward for the winning sextet included an appropriate external recognition with a white ribbon with a red dot – reminiscent of the shirt worn by the best mountain rider in the Tour de France. "It was logical that we made the running as our team was brilliant and we pushed ourselves," said Lars Bender with a grin. At the end of the day it wasn't down to the ability to push as the other groups led by Sven Bender and Kevin Volland certainly put a shift in on the saddle. The assessment of the Werkself skipper: "It's a good change and it's great fun even if a few of us have got aching legs tonight."
At the halfway stage after 45 kilometres it was time for a refuelling stop in Cochem. After lunch the group travelled as a closed formation towards the destination of Koblenz. Recovery and regeneration are on the agenda at the hotel – and the Bayer 04 physios will certainly have their hands full massaging tired calf muscles.
On Monday the cycling fraternity will travel 85 kilometres from Koblenz to Bonn with the final 55 kilometres on Tuesday as the Werkself head home to the BayArena. After two days off on Wednesday and Thursday, the next open training session will be on Friday at 16.00 CET.
The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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