Burghardt was born in
Zschopau,
Saxony, and raced as an amateur in the U-23
Wiesenhof team, with which he tasted success in the shape of the overall win at the
Bundesliga Gerlingen in 2004. Burghardt turned professional in 2005, and won the
UCI ProTour race
Gent–Wevelgem in 2007, ahead of teammate
Roger Hammond. He has also performed well in some races such as the
Dwars door Vlaanderen and some stages of the
Vuelta a España. He was successful in winning Stage 18 of the 2008 Tour de France into Saint Etienne, beating break-away compatriot
Carlos Barredo. Burghardt signed with for the 2010 season. After seven years there, in August 2016 announced that he would join them for 2017. He remained with the team for five seasons, with his sole victory coming in the
German National Road Race Championships in 2017. In April 2022, he announced his retirement from professional cycling, while rehabilitating from a severe wrist injury suffered at the
2021 Tour de Pologne. In June 2022, he joined the executive committee of the
German Cycling Federation. ==Major results==