Fresh from taking the European Championship road race title last weekend, Viviani had the perfect lead-out from Deceuninck-Quick-Step team-mate Michael Mørkøv of Denmark.

He then had the sprint finish in his legs as he held off Australian Caleb Ewan from Lotto-Soudal for victory at the UCI WorldTour event.

Ewan was the last rider other than Viviani to win the race, taking glory in 2016.

Italian Giacomo Nizzolo from the Dimension Data team was third, with Jumbo-Visma rider Mike Teunissen of The Netherlands in fourth place.

UAE Team Emirates rider Alexander Kristoff from Norway rounded out the top five and Slovakia's three-time world champion Peter Sagan finished sixth for Bora-Hansgrohe.

Viviani's victory in Germany sees him overtake American Tyler Farrar as the rider with the most EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg victories, as the US rider had won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

The Italian's triumph comes on the back of a sterling season which has seen him win the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.

He also won a stage of the Tour de France in July.