It was the only time that the Cycling World Championships were organized in the German Democratic Republic.

[2] The road race among professional cyclists (279.3 km or 32 rounds) was won by the Belgian Rik Van Looy, who defeated last year's world champion André Darrigade in a group sprint.

In the 61.1 km women's race, Britain's Beryl Burton won.

[3] East German Bernhard Eckstein became world amateur champion after a race of 174.6 km (20 rounds).

[4] In the same period, the 1960 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was organized in the Alfred-Rosch-Kampfbahn in Leipzig and the Chemnitz Velodrome in Chemnitz, East Germany.