There are plenty of beautiful bike routes in Hamburg and in the surrounding area. Things are a bit different for road bike routes.
Unfortunately, Hamburg is not the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Rarely are there dedicated bike lanes on the roadway, and even more rarely are sidewalk bike lanes in an adequate condition. So the motto is: hit the road!
When you drive properly, i.e. when you train, you’re not much slower than the cars.
West towards Wedel
My current favorite training route is the tour through the west of Hamburg to Wedel. Driving on the Elbchaussee is wonderful - if you don't get caught in rush hour traffic - and the tour also offers some incline on the standard route. If you want you can take a few nice climbs in Wittenberge with you, that's really tough stuff.
The easiest and most beautiful route is via the Elbchaussee to Wedel, through the industrial area, past the marina to the lighthouse and then along the banks of the Elbe back to Teufelsbrück, where you return to the Elbchaussee. Personally, I prefer to drive the entire stretch on the road and leave out the banks of the Elbe, because of course you can't drive that fast there because of the pedestrians.
Tour including the banks of the Elbe
And here is the alternative with a few more meters of altitude
If you know other great corners on this tour or have feedback, please leave it in the comments.
Ride on!